As we roll into spring – and party season! – we’re offering two exercises to help you create and host profitable house parties.

Last month, we shared a simple activity, Planning a Fundraising House Party, that you can use to create a party plan calendar. Do this exercise first.

Today’s post features a follow-up exercise, Fundraising House Parties: Engaging Your Board, to deepen board participation. After you’ve completed the first exercise, this is your next step.

Fundraising house party? What’s that?

The concept is pretty straightforward. You gather a group in a private home, create a fun atmosphere, and ask for everyone’s support.

After you finish the refreshments and gently encourage everyone to head home, you count the money, clean the house, and go to bed. What could be simpler?

Even better, house parties provide lots of opportunities for increasing your board’s fundraising involvement.

Who doesn’t love a party?

To be fair, not everyone loves a party. The introverts among us (perhaps that’s you?) might prefer to snuggle up with a good book.

But let’s be honest – even introverts plan parties. Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, retirement parties, office parties, baby showers… At some point you (or people close to you) have organized a party.

At a very basic level, we are all party planners. So why not take advantage of all that party planning expertise on your board?

Brainstorming board involvement

Take a look at this exercise, which you can complete in thirty minutes.

When it’s over, you’ll have a thorough to-do list, with people volunteering for specific tasks. In principle, this list can include something for everyone.

For example, even folks who hate parties can:

• Clean the house before and/or after the event
• Park cars
• Provide child care
• Take photos
• Post updates on social media
• Offer transportation to those who need it

Fundraising events succeed or fail based on logistics, and anyone on your board can help to design and deliver the logistical details.

You want party people!

Here’s a tip. Party planning works best if you involve a few people who really, really like parties. As you’re recruiting participants for this exercise, include some party people – even if they’re not on your board.

They’ll add energy and wisdom to the proceedings. And maybe one of them will agree to host the party…