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How to Host a Watch Party​

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Some Walk the Walkers have hosted a Watch Party, featuring the one-hour zoom presentations by the founders of Walk the Walk and an organizer from a grassroots community organization WtW is currently helping fund. These presentations are always inspiring. You can watch them in real time or you can stream a recording. Request the link to stream them. 

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Invite people to someone’s home, a quiet room in a community center, a sports bar on an off-night, any place with a reasonable sized TV and enough seating. Then, watch the WtW zoom together. It is a little like attending a rally. You can shout “YES” – and be joined by others in the room. 

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Step One: Planning 

  • Plan two hours for a watch party, and schedule your party to start half an hour before the Zoom presentation. This allows time for guests to settle in before the Zoom starts and time for discussion afterward. 
     

  • Consider co-hosting with a friend! 
     

  • Set your date, start and end time, and location.  

    • Plan enough in advance to ensure your guests can clear their calendars to attend.

    • 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, register your party here.  We will send you a printable flyer with a unique QR code and link to hand out at the party.  (Donations made through that link will be track-able to the party as a whole.)
     

  • 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 presentation. They can join you in spirit. 
     

  • Consider offering matching donations, up to a pre-set amount.

 

  • Plan your beverages and food. This can be super simple. You know your community and your social circle. You may not need to provide food.
     

  • Plan how you will introduce Walk the Walk and how you will ask your friends to support WtW's grassroots partners.
     

    • In your own words: I want to share with you about WtW because it means a lot to me. I think you will be inspired by the work we and our grassroots community partners are doing. 
       

    • For ideas, see these elevator pitches, talking points, and donor reflections.
       

    • Ask 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? I hope you will join me in supporting WtW’s grassroots community partners financially and if you can't do that, that you will tell other people who are looking for ways to protect and strengthen our democracy at this time.
       

    • Describe your matching donation, if you are offering one.​

 

Step Two:  Extending Your Invitation

  • With some advance notice before the party, call, text or email to invite people.  

    • The more your invitation sounds like you the better. Every party is different but you can use this template for inspiration: Sample Invitation.   Feel free to use WtW images in your message.
       

    • Supplementing an email or text invitation with a phone call makes a big difference in attendance!​!
       

    • An evite with RSVP helps you know your guest count.​

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Step Three:  1-2 Days before the Party

  • Call, send a text or email reminder to invitees expressing your excitement that they are joining you for the party.​
     

  • Test your technology (or have someone techie test your technology) the day before your event. 

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  • Have your supplies on hand: 

    • Signage for directing guests to the location

    • Nametags

    • Sign-in Sheet (clipboards if desired), so you can thank all who attended and invite them to your next party  

    • Donation instructions. Make sure you have information on how to make tax deductible gifts through the Tides Foundation. 

    • Donation link & QR code: Print out the hand-out which will be sent to you by Walk the Walk when you register your party (register here.)  Have copies on hand to give to your guests.

    • Beverage and food supplies

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Step Four: The Day of the Watch Party

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

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  • Get on the zoom presentation 10 minutes early to make sure you are ready when the presentation begins. (Consider getting on 20 minutes early - or even before your guests arrive - if you haven't used your setup before.)​

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  • Encourage discussion after the zoom. 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.

    • Remind people of the matching donation if you are offering one.
       

    • Show your friends how to donate using the QR code if you want to learn the amount of money raised from your party. ​(We can only report on how much you "raised" if the guests use a dedicated QR code and link to make their contributions.) 

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  • ​Share how your guests can help in the future.

    • People often ask if there is anything they can do in addition to donating. YES, they can help spread the word about Walk the Walk’s strategy. WtW started with one friend who said "Hey, this makes sense". And another and another. That’s the power of relational organizing. 
       

    • If you know which grassroots community partner will be featured at the next Watch Party, tell your guests and ask them to think about friends and relatives who might be especially interested in attending. This includes people out of the area who might watch from home. Ask them to invite these people or forward their contact information so you can invites them. WtW works nationally and we all have connections in different parts of the country. Let’s strengthen those connections. ​
       

    • Ask if some of your guests want to help plan and put on the next party with you. This will expand your guest list. Ask your guests to propose themes for the next party.
       

    • Inform people of the upcoming WtW presentation, even if they are already on the WtW listserve. (Sometimes mass mailings go to a Promotions file whereas your personal email may get delivered.)

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

    Robert ​​Hubbell, in Today’s Edition Newsletter, April 19, 2024 quotes a member of 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 Watch Party

  • Send a thank you email to those who attended with ideas for continued engagement. Thank those who helped you put on the party! Thank yourself!
     

  • Send an email to invitees who did not attend to share about future events. 
     

  • Share the total donated! 

 

For a more detailed account 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 check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

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