Overview and Checklist
House Party Toolkit
🎉 What is a house party?
House parties are a fun, community-based way to raise money for Rise & Root Farm. These gatherings can be anything you’d like - a house party, workshop, drag brunch, film screening, performance, art show, plant walk, & more.
Invite folks to attend, tell them why you care about the work Rise & Root is doing, ask them to give while you’re gathered, and leave them feeling good about spending time with friends and supporting our food sovereignty work.
âś… Start to Finish Checklist
6 to 8 weeks out
Decide on your gathering type, location, date, time, and budget. Will you have a party, host a workshop, put on a performance, lead a plant walk? Will you have the party at your home, in the park, at a venue? Do you need AV, tables, tents, chairs? Do you have performers or facilitators in mind?
Set a fundraising goal. People will be more motivated to donate during your party if there’s a collective goal to work towards. Consider doing a match gift to motivate folks even more. For example, you can offer to match donations up to $500 for the evening to make your guests feel like their dollar is going even farther.
Create your invite list. Not everyone can make it and some folks won’t attend last minute, so don’t worry about going over your max headcount. Assume for 30-50% attrition (i.e. about a third or half of your confirmed will flake out and that’s totally normal). Send your invites out. Email, text, Instagram, Paperless Post - all work great. Go with what’s easiest for you and your guests.
3 weeks out
Plan your menu and create your shopping list. You can hire caterers, ask friends to cook, or make it a potluck. Follow up with anyone who hasn’t responded yet. Confirm details with facilitators or performers.
1 week out
Do the shopping for any food, drinks, serving dishes, and decorations you may need. Send a reminder and update to your confirmed guests on where to park and how to find you if you are meeting up at a park or restaurant.
Ask one of your close friends to help you during the fundraising pitch at the house party. When you invite people to donate, it’s helpful to have at least one friend in the audience respond enthusiastically. Essentially, their job is to make sure others know that you’re actually asking people to donate at the party, not later when they get home (and might forget or feel less inspired.) This technique helps others feel comfortable with donating at the party and will help you achieve or exceed your fundraising goal!
The big day
Prepare your space, food, and drinks. Greet your guests and have fun! Help us collect your guests’ information. Ask them to put their name and email on the sign in sheet. This will allow them to receive email updates to stay connected with Rise & Root’s work. Guests can make a donation online on our Givebutter campaign page.
🕰️ Sample Party Agenda
6:00-6:45 pm
Greet your guests and ask them to sign in. Give your guests time to mingle over drinks and food.
6:45-7:00 pm
Briefly welcome your guests and remind them that the evening’s event is a fundraiser. Let them know you’ll be sharing more in a bit, and encourage them to get to know one another and have fun!
7:00-7:30 pm
More mingling, plus food. Now’s the time for a quick icebreaker, introductions, or game if that’s your style.
7:30-7:45 pm
Grab your guests’ attention and share with them your reason for hosting an event to raise money. A personal story about your connection to the farm, focusing on one or two bright spots, is a really effective way to get started.
Finally, ask your guests to donate. Make sure they know it’s not required but that it’s very much appreciated.
This is the point at which your friend (whom you contacted during the week prior to the party) makes a big deal about donating at the party, thus helping your other guests understand that now is the time to write a check or pop onto the donation page on our website. This technique helps others feel comfortable with donating at the party and will help you achieve or exceed your fundraising goal!
7:45 pm and on
Have a great time bonding over your shared passion for food sovereignty and discussing next steps.
Post PartyÂ
Send a thank you to your guests the next day via group email, IG post, or text. Follow up with individual attendees 2-3 weeks after your event to thank them again and encourage them to stay connected with Rise & Root’s work.
đź’Ś Sample Email Templates
Subject: You’re invited! Plant Walk in Support of Rise & Root
Dear (Name),
Please join me for a plant walk at Prospect Park to raise money for Rise & Root Farm in celebration of their 10th anniversary! Rise & Root Farm is a QT+BIPOC centered farm, founded on love, chosen family, and commitment to social justice. They have provided free food, education, and mentorship for a decade and they need our support. The federal funding cuts and the increasingly unpredictable effects of climate change have hit Rise & Root hard. All proceeds from this plant walk will go towards their 10th anniversary fundraising campaign.
Date: October 3, 2025
Time: 11am-2pm
Location: Prospect Park (Grand Army Plaza entrance)
Cost: $25-$75 sliding scale donation to Rise & Root Farm. No One Will Be Turned Away for Lack of Funds
You can donate now at https://givebutter.com/RR10. Please forward your donation receipt to Rise & Root Farm to me via text or email to confirm your attendance.
Hope to see you there!
(Your name)
Subject: Thanks for supporting Rise & Root
Dear (Name),
Thank you for attending my plant walk in support of Rise & Root Farm. It was fun sharing plant joy with you in the park and supporting their great work! Thanks to your generous support, we were able to raise a total of $__________!
A few have asked me how to stay involved, so here are a few suggestions:
Thanks again for helping to support QTBIPOC farmers and food sovereignty.
With gratitude,
(Your name)