connecting communities with opportunities through technology
Hosting an Open House: Tips from CCN’s workshop
Why an open house? Hosting an open house is a great way to let the community and media learn about your services, increase program participants, and build relations with funders and partners. CCN's Open House training and toolkit break down the process of hosting an event into 5 manageable steps. Supplement this tips sheet with the resources on the Hosting an Open House class work space page and in the Open House toolkit, available on CCN’s community site at http://communitiesconnect.wikispaces.com/ .
Open House Step One: Getting Started
1) Getting Started. Before you throw open your doors for an open house, take a step back and consider the big picture. Take time up front to think about your goals, target audience and key messages. • Consider your goals. Which goals are important to you? The "Setting Your Target" worksheet in the Open House handout packet includes some guiding questions to help you determine your goals, and some sample goals to give you a boost. • Who is your target audience? Consider what is more important to you -- getting a small group of the "right" people there, or having a good turnout by the numbers. • Craft the key messages. Given your goals, what do you want your target audience to hear or experience? Having these messages in mind when you plan the open house will help you determine which community technology content to feature and how to showcase it.
Open House Step Two: Design Your Event
2) Design your event: Planning an open house is a lot of work, and it can be a lot of fun, especially if you have some tools to help you stay organized. CCN's training and toolkit offers the essentials: • Work Plan - The sample Work Plan in the Open House handout packet starts 10 weeks out and walks you through to the day of your event. You won't have to worry about forgetting an important step with this planning tool in hand. • Tips for choosing featured content - An overarching theme can help deliver your key messages and make the event more engaging. Consider a mix of content to engage different personality types. See more content tips on the Hosting an Open House class work space page.
Open House Step Three: Get People There
3) Get People There: It's important to determine your attendance goals before you dive into your outreach activities. For example, do you want as many people as possible to attend, or do you want to focus on a handful of the "right" people? CCN's training and toolkit offers tips on defining your goals, getting invitations out, and following up to confirm attendance: • Invite Planning List - Use this worksheet to identify the key guests, with the help of categories to prompt you (elected officials, major donors, etc.) • Outreach timeframes and sample invites - The Work Plan handout in the toolkit helps you with timeframes for invitations and follow up, and there are a number of sample invites to choose from. • Working with the Press - Good press coverage is invaluable. Get the coverage you deserve using our tips sheet.
Learn more about Communities Connect Network: www.communitiesconnect.org
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connecting communities with opportunities through technology
Open House Step Four: Day of Details
4) Day of Details: So the big day is here - how to make it a success without going crazy? You want to ensure that people are comfortable (and fed), freeing them up to learn more about the work of your organization. And you want to be a calm, cool and collected host. Use CCN's checklists and workplan to organize the details so you can be "present" at the event: • Workplan - This trusty document has been with you since you started planning 2 months ago, and it's still there to guide you through the final week. • Roles for Open House helpers - Use this reference sheet to identify people to fill key roles, such as a "runner" to handle last minute errands or issues. • Supplies for the Day of - This checklist covers the essentials and may prompt you to think of more to customize your event.
Open House Step Five: Follow Up
5) Follow Up: After the event it's tempting to breathe a sigh of relief and move on to other things. But don't close the books on your open house until you've thanked everyone who contributed to the event's success, and definitely follow up on any promises you made to attendees. Follow these tips from CCN's workshop to make the most from your event: • Be prompt : Follow up with people who "opted in" on the sign-in sheet to learn more or to get involved. (Tip: Use the Sign-in sheet template in the Open House toolkit to gather the contact info you'll need.) • Use a personal touch: Send personal, hand written thank you notes to key stakeholders who attended. • Keep the flame burning: Keep the energy alive with relevant web content, newsletter information, and involvement opportunities to hold the connection with your open house attendees.
Learn more about Communities Connect Network: www.communitiesconnect.org
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