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How to Host a Walk the Walk Zoom Watch Party​

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Some Walk the Walkers have enjoyed attending and hosting a Walk the Walk (WtW) WATCH PARTY. In advance of a scheduled zoom, invite people to get in someone’s home, a quiet room in a community center, a sports bar on an off-night, anyplace with a reasonable sized TV. And then, watch the WtW zoom together. (It can be real time or a recording.). It is a little like attending a rally. You can cheer – shout “YES” – and be joined by others in the room. It is empowering to be with others and know, know for certain, that we are a community. A community which cares deeply for our democracy. A community with the grassroots groups which are funded by WtW donors.

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Step One: Planning 

  • Consider co-hosting with a friend! Share the work and encourage each other.

 

  • Set your date, starting and ending time, and location. 

    • Schedule your party to start half an hour before the Zoom call, and plan on two hours for a watch party. This allows time for guests to settle in before the Zoom starts and time for conversation afterward. 

    • Choose a place with enough room for seating.

    • Make sure you have a screen big enough for everyone to see, and a way to connect to your computer.

 

  • If you want to track donations you generate, you can register your watch party here to get a reference code! We will send you a printable flyer to hand out at the party

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  • Create your invitation list. Decide whether you want only people you invite, or will encourage people to bring others. Invite people from outside your geographic area to attend the zoom. They can join you in spirit.

 

  • Plan your food and beverages. You might want to keep it simple or serve after the Zoom to keep the focus on the message.

 

Step Two:  Extending the Invitation

  • With advance notice before the Zoom meeting, call, send an email or text to invite people. This could simply be phone calls to your guests with a text reminder close to the event. 

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  • A phone call or personal text to supplement an email invitation makes a big difference to attendance! Consider asking for an RSVP.

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  • Each week before the Zoom: send a reminder email about the date and time.

 

Step Three:  1-2 Days before the Party

  • Send a text, email or phone call reminder to invitees expressing your excitement that they are joining you for the party

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  • Test your technology to ensure the zoom call or video works on your screen

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  • Have enough seating available for guests to see the screen

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  • Prepare comments you plan to make at the party regarding Walk the Walk and how you plan to ask for funds

    • It could be as simple as this: “The reason I gathered you all here is that the work WtW is doing is meaningful to me and I think it will be to you as well, so I wanted to share it with you. I’m hoping you will join me in supporting our partners but either way I hope you find it inspiring”

    • For other ideas, see these example elevator pitches, talking points, or reflections on giving in our outreach toolkit

    • Consider asking your guests to ask themselves: How much is a democracy worth to me? One week’s groceries? A few months mortgage payment? One year’s college tuition? Lattes for a week? A year?

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Step Four: The Day of the Party

  • Set up chairs, food, signs, posters/info sheets with WtW information

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  • Set up video equipment

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  • Welcome your guests! 

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  • Get on the call 10 minutes early to make sure you are ready when the call begins (you might consider getting on 20 minutes early if you haven't used your setup before)

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  • Debrief after the call. 

    • ​Encourage discussion after the zoom. Lively discussion is good. Ask people for their thoughts and reactions. Hearing a variety of positive and heartfelt reactions from people other than the hosts is powerful.

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  • Encourage donations

    • Share your own thoughts - a word or two of thanks and why supporting WtW is important to you.​​

    • Remind people of the matching donation offer made at the call if there is one, or if you are making one.

    • Show them how to donate using the QR code if you want to track donations from your party, or from the WtW website if you are not tracking.

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  • ​Share how your guests can help. Often people ask what else they can do in addition to donating. YES, they can help through the power of their own relational organizing. WtW started with one friend who said, “hey this is interesting.” And another and another. That’s the power of relational organizing. You can do it. Right now. You have the power.​

    • Ask your guests to spread the word about our strategy. See if some of them want to plan the next party with you. Expand your guest list. Have your guests propose names for the next party.

    • Other hints:

      • Build your network of WtW support. Make phone calls and send emails (along with phone calls and texts). (Emails alone may be overlooked or ignored.) Inform people of the upcoming zoom, even if they are already on the WtW list. (Sometimes mass mailings go to a Promotions file whereas your personal email may get delivered.)

      • Form buddy groups to encourage each other.

      • After a grassroots partner is announced from a particular battleground state, think about: is there anyone in your own network who is particularly interested in that state? Invite them to the zoom and ask them to tell invite their friends. WtW works nationally and we all have connections in different areas. Let’s strengthen those connections.

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  • Enjoy the best part of relational organizing! The people! 

    • Robert ​​Hubbell, in Today’s Edition Newsletter, April 19, quotes a member of another grassroots organization, Field Team 6, saying, “’Come for the cause, stay for the people.’ The secret embedded in that statement is that they are one and the same. We, the people, are in this together. We are ‘the cause.’ And if we hope to win, we must come together in grassroots groups to sustain and motivate one another. That’s one opinion everyone should agree with!"

       

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Step Five: After the Party

  • Send a thank you email with ideas for continued engagement. You could send an email to invitees who did not attend to share about WtW, too.

  • Share the total donated! You can share the total with your friends so they know they were a part of something meaningful.

 

For a more detailed read from a volunteer who has hosted several Zoom watch parties, click here. 

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For help with any of these ideas, contact outreach@walkthewalkusa.org and feel free to check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

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