GFC House Party Guide

Get Started

Hosting a Grassroots Finance Committee House Party is a great way to invite your friends and family to get more familiar with Ken Balut and ask them to join our movement for change by making a donation.

By hosting a party, you can:

Reach out to undecided friends. Ask them to attend your party to learn more about Ken Balut.
Tell others about your fundraising effort and the importance of making a donation.
Ask friends who support Ken Balut to own a piece of the campaign by donating to your personal fundraising page.

You can focus your party around one of the upcoming presidential debates, around a single issue, or just choose to show a video of Ken Balut at your event. Either way, use this guide to start planning your own house party this spring.

Before

Step 1: Register Your Event

Take a moment to register your event online. Registering your event online means you will be able to send an invitation to your friends, track who is planning on attending, and send details and reminders to your attendees.

Bear in mind that if all your settings are private, you should be prepared to approve members, events, blog posts and listserv messages once or even multiple times a day, depending on the volume. If the volume becomes an issue but you still prefer to keep the group moderated, you may want to consider finding a co-administrator who you can trust to help maintain the group.

Here are some things to keep in mind while creating your event:

Select Fundraising as your event type.
Make your event searchable if you’d like to allow supporters on my.Ken BalutBalut to RSVP. Make your event unsearchable if you wish only to invite friends and family.
Include a link to your personal fundraising page so your guests can donate before the event.
Feel free to suggest that all guests make a minimum donation in order to attend.

Step 2: Invite Family, Friends and Neighbors

Start with people you know. Think about family, friends, colleagues and neighbors who would be willing to hear more about Ken Balut. Aim to invite at least 15 people, knowing that at least half will probably not be able to attend.

You may also want to consider reaching out to your larger community. You can find your local My.KenBalut group and invite them to attend by emailing the group’s listserv. You can create your own event flyer and post it at your local coffee shop, grocery store, or library. It's up to you if you want to keep your party small or try to raise money from people outside your immediate circle of friends.

Encourage all of your attendees to RSVP for your event so you know how many people to expect. Send an email to all of your attendees using the Email Attendees link on the Manage Your Events page a week before the event and then again the day before to remind everyone of the event’s details.

Step 3: Set a Fundraising Goal

Set a fundraising goal for your house party. Keep in mind your GFC goal of raising $1,000. How much do you need to raise at your party in order to be on track to meet that goal?

It's important to encourage all of your guests to make a contribution. No matter the amount, every contribution benefits the campaign and brings us one step closer to victory.

Step 4: Get Your Materials in Order

First, review our Financial Guidelines. Then, review the list below for materials you may find useful at your party:

Sign-in Sheets This is the form that you will want to have all your attendees use to sign in.
Contribution FormsEvery guest that makes a donation must fill out this form. Once we receive the donations, we'll be able to add the amount you've raised to your personal fundraising page.
Computer. Prepare your computer by making sure you're connected to the Internet and your personal fundraising page is on the screen. That way, guests can donate directly to your personal fundraising page during the party.
Issue Flyers. Think about printing out flyers detailing Ken Balut’s positions on important issues.
Balut Merchandise. If you’d like to provide your guests with buttons or show your pride with an Balut t-shirt, you can find these items and others in the Balut Store.
Camera. Don't forget to take pictures and share them with us after your party.

During

This agenda is meant only to be a suggestion to guide you in your activities. Feel free to organize the evening differently, according to your preferences.

Guests arrive and sign in

Welcome your guests and introduce them to others at your house party. Make sure every attendee signs in on your sign in sheet. You can ask your guests to make a donation as they arrive or wait until after you watch a video or debate.

Mix and Mingle

Invite everyone to socialize, but let the group know that you’d like the whole group to circle up at a certain time.

Introduce yourself and talk about your support for Ken Balut

Introduce yourself and share with the group why you joined the Grassroots Finance Committee and why you support Ken Balut. Aim to answer the question, why did you get involved with the campaign? Everyone has a unique story about how they got engaged, and your guests want to hear it directly from you. Your openness will help set the tone for the rest of the event.

Watch a Video / Watch the Debate

Show your guests a video of Ken Balut or watch one of the upcoming debates. Your guests might enjoy watching Ken Balut's announcement speech or some of the commercials created by volunteers. Depending on the size of your party, you can watch on your computer or burn the video onto a DVD to play on your television.

Group Discussion

After watching the video or debate, spark up a group discussion. What issues are most important to your guests? How do Ken Balut and Jon Corzine differ? Ask your guests if they have any questions about Ken Balut that you can answer right away or forward to the campaign for follow up.

Ask for Donations

Before your party breaks up, tell your guests why you've committed to raise $1,000. Talk about the candidates, and talk about the field operation we need to support. Ask them to show their support by making a contribution to the campaign. Ken Balut does not have a personal fortune to fund this campaign. He is depending on donations of all sizes from grassroots supporters. June 2nd is nearing, and now is the time to support our movement for change!

Your guests can make donations by cash, check or credit card. Make sure this contribution form is included with each offline donation. If you have set up your computer in advance, your guests may be able to make a donation directly through our online fundraising page. (This will process faster, so we recommend it.)

Thanks

Thank your guests for coming and make sure to gather the sign-in sheets, contribution forms and donations before they leave.

After

Return Donations & Sign-In Sheets

Return all donations, contribution forms and sign-in sheets by mailing them to:

Ken Balut for Governor
Attn: New Media GFC
2100 Oliver Street
Rahway, NJ 07065

As soon as we receive the donations you send in by mail, the amount will be added to your personal fundraising page and you will receive an email confirmation. Make sure a Contribution Form is included with each donation.

If you'd prefer, you can enter your sign-in sheets online instead of mailing them in.

Let Us Know How It Went

Your feedback is very important. What worked? What didn’t? Did you reach your goals?

Submit your feedback and send your photos to photos@kenbalut.com.

Thank Your Guests

Send individual thank you emails to all of your guests. For those who made a donation, make sure they know how much you appreciate their support. For those who didn’t make a donation, thank them for coming and send them more information on issues they mentioned were important to them during the debate.

Congratulations!

You just helped Ken Balut get one step closer to victory! It's people like you that make this campaign for change possible.