#DayofAction: Potluck & Postcards Party
ACTIVATION KIT
Ready to observe National Constitution & Citizenship Day? We’re so glad! Your event, big or small, will be part of a larger, national #DayofAction on September 17th, promoting an active citizenry and celebrating our country’s values.
This Tool Kit is here to help you join our #DayofAction and to #MeetEatActivate on September 17!
What’s a Potluck & Postcard Writing Party?
The name of this party says it all: gather people together to either write postcards to their lawmakers about a cause or upcoming vote that’s important to them. or write to remind people to GOTV: get out the vote.
Why the Potluck? Well, it’s supposed to be easy! And what’s easier than having friends bring food and drink to share?
Inviting Guests
You can copy and one of these graphics for your invitation. We like Paperless Post’s free invitation flier, simply add your own date/time/place for the party to the invitation. Make sure your invite is set to private and share the invitation link with your guests.
Get Out the Vote
Write Postcards to Elected Officials
Where to get Postcards
Many online graphic designers and artists have created and shared postcards themed specifically to oppose the Trump administration that you can send to your representatives. Just download, print on cardstock, write your own message and send to your government representative. They’re free!
Online #Resistance postcard resources:
- Design Crush’s 24 Printable #Resistance Postcards
- Design Crush and 17 More Printable #Resistance Postcards
- Cards to Congress
- Printable Dear Senator/ Dear Representative by Oh So Beautiful Paper
- Postcards from the People
- Postcards for the Resistance
- Love Letter America
If you’re doing a GOTV event, Postcards to Voters is a great place for one-stop shopping! They provide everything from guidelines, to postcard templates, to verified voter addresses from campaigns that need your help.
Need an issue to write to your representative about? How about doing more to ease the refugee crisis? Postcards for Peace has a downloadable postcard to help you do just that.
Supplies
- Pre-printed postcards (select from above) for your guests to choose from
- Pens (optional: different colors)
- Notepads for drafting your postcards
- Stamps
- Your Congressional representatives’ addresses pre-printed on paper for your guests. (Find their office addresses here: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials)
- Download some nifty Feed Our Democracy and #DayofAction printable event decor here. We’ve got designs you can use for tabletoppers, cupcake toppers , stickers or buttons to help make your event feel pulled together (and look awesome on social media!)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Federal Election Commission regulations set the limit a private individual may spend on supplies for a partisan event at $1000 per host. Please make sure you are in compliance with these regulations if you plan to host a GOTV (Get out the Vote) event for a particular candidate.
If your guests ask how they can help prepare, ask them to bring their own stamps and supplies to help you defray costs.
The Party
A Potluck & Postcard Writing party is super casual. Buy a few pizzas, and ask people to bring other, shareable dishes, drinks or desserts. (Think about creating a sign-up sheet so you don’t end up with three lasagnas!)
Have a few postcards already written, and print out a few suggested messages to inspire your attendees. Consider having a few talking points written out ahead of time, if you can, so people will get ideas. Spread out your supplies so people can get to work right away.
Keep speechifying to a minimum. Just introduce the event, say a bit about why you’ve decided to host this #DayofAction event. You’re there to Meet, Eat and Activate!
The Ask
Writing your representatives and keeping the pressure on elected officials is important work, as is getting out the vote. But should you and your guests want to offer financial support as well, you might consider asking them to donate to organizations that support voter registration drives, or fair voting practices.
The Details
Register your event – We’re building a virtual and real-life community of active citizens. By registering your gathering, you help us keep track of the impact we’re making together, one #FeedOurDemocracy event at a time.
- Read and agree to our Code of Conduct.
- Use the hashtags #DayofAction and #feedourdemocracy and tag @feedourdemocracy on Instagram and Facebook and @meeteatactivate on Twitter
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