The House Meeting: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a house meeting?
A house meeting is an informal meeting of 8-15 people in the home of someone who supports the goals of Working Families Win. The goals of a house meeting are to:
- Share and learn more about the problems facing working families
- Motivate and inspire people through personal stories of hope and action
- Extend the chain of house meetings and sign up more supporters of WFW goals.
Why are house meetings so important?
Working Families Win has an ambitious agenda: to raise the visibility of economic issues for working families, and to educate elected officials and candidates so they will take strong stands on these issues. We need many people, with different skills, to be successful.
House meetings serve two crucial purposes:
Find new supporters. House meetings are an effective way to connect seasoned activists with newcomers. A successful house meeting will be a mix of both.
Help people renew their hope. The best was to build a base of committed, engaged volunteers willing to work for change is to draw out the hope that we all need to overcome inertia and cynicism.
Why is a home better than a public meeting location?
Most of us feel more comfortable in a casual setting where they know at least one other person. People are more likely to share their own stories, and are more willing to commit to taking action, when they are with people they know and trust. Many people who may be reluctant to come to a large public meeting may be willing to come to a friend or neighbor's home to talk about the same issues with just a few people.
What does a house meeting host do?
A house meeting host must be willing to connect with 15-20 people in their circle of influence; first, to extend an invitation, and second, to share his or her sources of inspiration and hope. The host (or co-hosts) should of course be interested in the issues and willing to help motivate their guests to take action and work for change.
The host has a few simple tasks:
- Make a list of people to invite to the meeting
- Call potential guests, tell them about the meeting, and persuade them to come
- Contact invitees 1-2 days before the event to confirm attendance
- During the meeting, the host will do two things: start the meeting with a simple statement about why the goals of WFW are important, and encourage guests to host their own house meetings.
Who should be invited to a house meeting?
People who attend a house meeting should be willing to engage in the economic issues that are the basis of Working Families Win . Friends, co-workers, congregation members, neighbors, family, and members of other community groups are all good possibilities. The goal is to have 8-15 people attend each house meeting, which usually means 15-30 should be invited.
The host should think creatively about who to invite; beyond the "usual suspects." We want people with a variety of experiences, and people who are open to listening. Note: Many of us move in circles with people who share our opinions. Although these people are important to involve, many of them are already engaged in civic activities. We need to reach beyond our most intimate circle of connections and take some risks with people we don't know as well to bring new leaders on board.
What will happen at the house meeting?
At the meeting, the Working Families Win organizer will describe the national project and its goals for changing the economy for working families. The organizer will also tell a personal story, sharing sources of inspiration and hope, and invite meeting participants to do the same. After laying a foundation of hope, the organizer will outline the local WFW strategy. Finally, the host and organizer together will ask guests to support the goals of WFW through concrete action.
What will we ask people to do?
We will ask people to take concrete action on a specific issue; i.e., write a letter to the editor about the need for an increase in the minimum wage, attend and ask questions at a candidate's forum, or join a candidate education team to help develop a WFW statement of principles.
We will ask them to host their own house meeting. House meetings build upon each other. If each meeting leads to two or three additional meetings, we multiply our committed volunteer base quickly. One person's invitation of 20 people can become 800 house meeting attendees in just three months!
How do we measure the success of a house meeting?
A house meeting is successful if people show up, if a variety of people attend, and if people are moved to take a concrete action and/or volunteer to host their own house meetings. People will respond if we successfully communicate a sense of urgency about the issues, share inspiring stories, and convince participants that we have a strategy to help Working Families Win.