Hosting a Postcard Party

What It Is

A postcard party is when a group gets together to write messages on postcards to voters in their area encouraging them to vote. This is an event that can scale to be smaller or larger depending on your capacity and network.

For this type of event, you will gather people to write postcards to remind them to vote. There are two groups of people you can write to:

Write to people you know. Your group can write to their own friends and family asking them to vote. This will require having addresses to send to.
Young voters. Request a list from URGE of young voters you can write to.

URGE will provide postcards, a script, and stamps for these events. When writing to friends, this activity is a great form of relational organizing! It creates accountability among social networks and gives folks a physical reminder to get to the polls.

→Commit to vote (CTV) incorporation: CTVs could be incorporated into the event by asking attendees to Commit to Vote when they check in or as an action item during the event.

Why It Works

Postcards are an effective get-out-the-vote (GOTV) tactic because the personalized note, with some light social pressure, encourages people to turn out. A postcard party is a great way to write a lot of postcards to many voters in a short amount of time while also spending time with friends, family, and community members. They’re a light lift with a big impact!

How to Do It

Before Your postcard Party

Logistics
- Choose a location that can host about 15-20 people. It should be conducive to people sitting and writing but does not need to be a formal meeting spot.
- Select a day and time that people are likely to be able to attend. Think after class/work or during the weekend.
- Ask in advance if there are any costs associated with securing the venue.
Promotion
- Once date, time, and location have been confirmed, work with your URGE staff member to create a Mobilize event for people to RSVP.
- Make a plan to promote the event through your personal networks, your chapter, or your CAN.

Gathering supplies: Request materials from your URGE staff contact, including postcards, stamps, a script, pens and if you are writing other young voters, a list.

During the Postcard Party

Greet attendees
Plan to arrive about 30 minutes before the official start time. This will allow time for setup and any last-minute logistics.
Have at least two people in URGE gear near the entrance to greet folks, have them sign in, direct them to the work area, and answer any questions.
Volunteer training
Once the event starts, give a brief overview of who URGE is, what you’re doing during the event, and why it matters. (You can reference the “What it is” and “Why it works” sections of this guide.) This should take about 10 minutes.
Answer any questions attendees may have.
Postcard writing
Provide attendees with the postcard script. The script was written using tested best practices that have shown to turnout voters. Please stick to the script.
After writing their message, attendees should address and place a stamp on the postcard.
Please be sure to track which names have been sent a postcard and which have not.

After your postcard party

Clean up: Plan to stay 30 minutes after the event to clean up, pack up supplies, and leave the space in the same condition you found it. Please collect the list of voters you’re writing to and either shred the list or return it to your URGE staff contact.
Mailing your postcards: Your URGE staff contact will follow up about the process for mailing postcards.