Want to have a house party or reception with your friends and loved ones for a good cause? We need your help to get medical cannabis patients to Washington, DC, for our National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference March 18-22nd. We are asking supporters like you to host house parties.
House parties are a fun way to raise money and recruit new members and supporters for our movement. We will send you our House Party Planning Kit that’ll have everything you need to throw your own ASA House Party—ASA brochures, newsletters, donation cards, sign-in sheets and a lot more.s and receptions to raise money to get medical cannabis patients who cannot afford the trip to the Capitol.
ASA’s National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference, including face-to-face lobbying in Congressional offices, is the premiere medical cannabis event in the country. Getting patients who have something to contribute to the conversation to Washington, DC, is important. We know the best outcomes for medical cannabis patients come when they have a seat at the table to discuss strategy, priorities, and policy.
The cost for each patient you help send to the conference and lobby day is approximately $1,000 (depending on where the patient lives). Last year, donors contributed enough to sponsor 135 patients from 34 different states. Those patients spent the weekend learning about medical cannabis, building advocacy skills and networking with activists from all over the country. Then the patients participated in the largest medical cannabis Congressional lobby day in history – including meetings in over 300 offices!
Help us do it again this year. Your house party or reception will help get another patient to Washington, DC, – someone who could not otherwise be a part of it. We plan to disburse funds in February, so there is no time to lose. Look through the FAQ below for more information and then register your house party or reception or contact Aria Mildice at (202) 857-4272 or aria@safeaccessnow.org.
- What are the steps for throwing a successful house party?
- What do we do during the party?
- What will ASA do support the event?
- How many people should I invite?
- Should I have a co-host?
- Who should I invite?
- What’s involved in being a host?
- Why throw a house party for ASA?
What are the steps for throwing a successful house party?
- Sign up: Visit www.safeaccessnow.org/sign_up_to_host_an_asa_house_party or contact Talana Lattimer at (202) 857-4272.
- Pick a date: The best times to schedule house parties are Wednesday and Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons.
- Create your event page: Event pages are a great tool to use for hosting your ASA house party. Your event page is our online central hub, where you can track RSVPs, accept donations and communicate with your guests. Go to www.safeaccessnow.org/events to add your event.
- Build a guest list: Invite your friends, neighbors, coworkers, and members of groups you’re involved in. Recruit co-hosts to help you spread the word and invite their contacts. The general rule is to invite four times as many people as you expect to attend (really!).
- Send invitations: Send an email to your friends and family using your event page URL.
- Plan the party: Think about details like: easy directions to your home or the party location; clearly indicating your house for the day of the party; where your guests will park; where in your home is the most comfortable to accommodate the group; providing enough seats; where food and drink will be located; etc. Maybe consider a theme to encourage attendance and fun! Costume party, dance party, craft party, whatever…as long as you make it clear that fundraising for ASA is a priority! Food and drink is up to you, but food that can be eaten while standing is best. Finger foods that don’t require utensils like hors d’oeuvres, cheese and crackers, veggies, cookies and brownies work well. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy.
- Make a pitch plan: Make a plan for presenting your guests with information about the organization and making the pitch for support. In the kit, we’ll have scripts and ideas for how to make a strong pitch. You can call Rachel any time to help coach the host to make the perfect pitch.
- Enjoy your party: Have fun! Raising funds for and awareness for our movement and the work of ASA is pretty cool.
- Send donations to ASA: Your guests can go online and give funds through your event page or you can collect check and mail them to our DC office 1806 Vernon St. NW Third Floor Washington, DC 20009. For cash donations, please get money orders before mailing to the ASA office.
What do we do during the party?
Organize your party in whatever way you think will work best -—be innovative and creative. Below is party timeline template (for a 6pm to 8pm event) you can use:
6:00–6:30 Host welcomes arriving guests. Guests sign-in (we’ll send you a form to use) so that we can keep them updated about ASA in the future.
6:30–7:00 Guests mingle, enjoy food and drink.
7:00–7:30 Host addresses group, welcomes them, and makes a 10-15 minute presentation about sending patients to DC for the ASA conference is so important (we can help you with a script if you would like). Optional: Play ASA videos (provided)
7:30–7:35 Host explains why they support the organization and asks guests to make a financial contribution. We will help talk you through the pitch and the best way to do it before the party!
7:35–8:00 Host thanks guests for their support. Host invites guests to have more to eat and drink.
What will ASA do support the event?
ASA staff will work with every host to help with event ideas, scripts for presentations, donation asks, and we will send the following items for your event:
- Guest sign-in sheets
- ASA swag
- Literature
- Donation forms
- Video links
- Scripts
- Thank you notes
How many people should I invite?
Figure out how many people fit comfortably in the party space. Invite four times as many people as you hope will attend. We know this sounds crazy, but this equation has been tested and found to hold up.
Should I have a co-host?
A co-host’s primary purpose is to expand and diversify your guest list along with helping to plan and prep. If you have a great space but not a large guest list or a great list but a studio apartment, then co-hosting may be an excellent idea.
Who should I invite?
Family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, folks in other groups you are a part of—anyone who you think would care or be interested in learning about our movement. Also, keep in mind that although having some folks who already love ASA in attendance is helpful for getting others excited, the main focus of a house party is to reach out to a new group of supporters who aren’t familiar with our work.
What’s involved in being a host?
A host is responsible for making the pitch for support—explaining to their guests why they financially support ASA, and then asking the guests to join them in supporting the organization and in this case sending patients to DC (we will help you in choreographing this pitch before the party). The host should me a member and/or supporter of ASA and the host and any co-host(s) take on the usual party planning responsibilities: pick a date, invite your friends, prepare refreshments, plan out the event, and enjoy your party.
Why throw a house party for ASA?
- To sponsor a patient so that he or she can attend the National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference in Washington, DC
- To help ASA reach out to new folks who are interested in building a strong movement towards safe and legal access for all Americans.
- To participate in the growing movement towards state and federal protections
- To have fun and meet other like-minded folks