House Party Do’s & Don’ts

by Adam Runions, Partner and Senior Consultant

One time-honored tradition in major gift cultivation is the House Party, a chance for your champion donor or volunteer to open their home and invite peers to come learn about your cause. Though typically small and somewhat exclusive, these events are effective in leveraging volunteer fundraisers, their networks, and people’s desire for a social gathering into new introductions and deeper relationships with your donors. 

However, house parties are not a silver bullet for making in-roads with well-heeled donors, nor are they an end unto themselves. The Ostara Group advises dozens of clients in major donor cultivation strategies, which often includes house parties. Below are a few Do’s and Don’ts to ensure your party is strategic and accomplishes your and your host’s shared objectives – to advance donor relationships! 

Do’s 

• Discuss assumptions and objectives with your host. Who is paying? Setting up? Deciding on the invitee list? Several points need to be discussed and written down between staff and the host to make sure you are aligned, to avoid uncomfortable situations down the road. 

• Co-create the invitee list. Though introductions to the host’s network is a great objective, other prospects should be considered for the invite list if they seem like a good fit. Also, tracking progress with donor cultivation requires organization, so get agreement to share the invite/RSVP list with the host so that you can keep track of your connections (even if they don’t come). 

• Present your case in a compelling way. Whenever possible, make sure the attendees are getting the most compelling introduction to your organization through strong talking points and impact stories. Having the host give their own testimonial can be a powerful way to create the bridge between the party and the purpose, and it helps thank and elevate them for their leadership and support. 

Don'ts

• Feel like you must “make an ask.” House parties can be highly valuable even when not a single penny is raised on-site. If the goal is to cultivate major donor prospects, it's okay to make it more welcoming by foregoing the financial ask, so long as there is some "call to action." And, you typically get a better gift through multiple conversations than through a soft, spur-of-the-moment appeal at the party itself. 

• Get into a power struggle with the host. At the end of the day, the event should be a success in the eyes of the host as well as the organization. Be flexible, but encourage them to help you maximize the impact to the organization by talking through the objectives and the plan ahead of time. 

• Fail to follow-up. Getting facetime with a donor prospect can be a hard hurdle to clear. Once they have shown up for the party, have a plan for potential next steps if people want to learn more, and follow-up with attendees and “regrets” alike to remind them of the fun party and the compelling mission they came to hear about. 

Though there are more keys to a successful house party, these principals can point you in the direction of co-producing a fun and effective party, resulting in happy hosts, happy staff, and new connections for your cause. Contact Ostara to discuss more donor cultivation ideas and get a copy of our House Party planning toolkit. As we have seen time and time again, a good house party can have a big impact on your fundraising and your donor community!