# House Meeting — Follow-Up Templates **When to send:** Within 48 hours of the meeting. After that, the energy dissipates and the asks land cold. **Who sends what:** - **The host** sends personal texts to everyone who came. - **The organizer** sends a slightly longer follow-up email (or text) with the specific asks, and personally outreaches anyone who said "yes" or "maybe" to hosting. **Pair with:** `house-meeting-agenda.md` (what happened in the room), `1-1-invite-text.md` (for the people you'll do a 1:1 with next). --- ## Part 1 — The host's text to each attendee **Send within 24 hours.** One at a time. Not a group thread. Personalized for each person. ### Template > [First name] — thank you for being in my living room last night. What you said about [the specific thing they shared, in one phrase] is staying with me. I'm grateful you were there. — [Host first name] ### Variations **For someone who said something brave:** > [First name] — I keep thinking about what you said last night about [the specific thing]. That took something to share, and it mattered. Thank you for trusting us with it. — [Host first name] **For someone you've known a long time:** > [Name] — last night was something. Thank you for showing up for me, and for what we're trying to do. Talk soon. — [Host first name] **For someone who was quiet:** > [First name] — so glad you came last night. I know it was a lot of new people; thank you for taking the chance. I hope we see you again. — [Host first name] **For someone who said "yes" to hosting:** > [First name] — what a thing, that you said yes last night to hosting the next one. I'm going to ask [organizer first name] to reach out this week to help you plan. Excited to be in your living room next. — [Host first name] **For someone who didn't come but RSVP'd yes:** > [First name] — missed you last night. No worries — life happens. But you were on the list and I wanted you to know. Want to grab coffee in the next couple weeks? — [Host first name] --- ## Part 2 — The organizer's follow-up email **Send within 48 hours.** From a real human's name. To everyone who came (or who RSVP'd and didn't come). ### Subject line options (lower-case) - "thank you for last night" - "what we said we'd do — and three things from last night" - "from [host first name]'s living room" ### Template (email body) Hi [first name], Thank you for being at [host first name]'s last night. Eleven of us in one living room, talking about [the issue] — that's not a small thing. A few things I want to lift up from what I heard: - [One theme from the story round, in one sentence. Specific, not vague.] - [A second theme — ideally connecting two people's stories.] - [A third — what people said they wanted to do.] (I'm being careful not to share anyone's story by name. What was said in that room stays in that room, unless each person tells us otherwise.) Here's what we said we'd do — and what I'm asking from you now: **1. The next house meeting.** [Name and date — if you got a yes in the room.] If you didn't say yes last night and you're curious, will you let me know? I'd love to talk it through with you. **2. Our next base meeting is [day, date, time] at [location].** Childcare and dinner. RSVP here: [Action Network link]. I'd love to see you there. **3. The one thing you can do this week.** [The specific low-bar ask — call this number, sign this petition, come to this rally.] Takes ten minutes. Link: [link]. If any of this feels like too much, that's okay too. The most important thing is that you were in the room. We'll be in touch the next time something matters. In community, [Organizer first name] [Phone] · [Email] P.S. If you'd like to grab coffee or talk on the phone — about any of this, or just to keep getting to know each other — I'd love that. Reply or text me. — Module 3, *Base Building From Scratch* --- ## Part 3 — The organizer's text to "yes" and "maybe" hosts **Within 7 days.** This is the most important follow-up of all. The whole house meeting was for this moment — to find the next host. ### To a "yes" host > Hey [first name] — [organizer first name] from last night. Just want to confirm — you said yes to hosting the next house meeting. That's huge. Can I grab 30 min with you this week to start planning? I'm free [day option 1] or [day option 2]. Coffee on me. — [Organizer first name] ### To a "maybe" host > Hi [first name] — [organizer first name] from [host]'s the other night. You said "maybe" to hosting, and I want to honor that "maybe." Can we grab 30 min — coffee, phone, whatever works — and talk it through? No pressure. I just want to make sure if it's a no, it's a real no, and if it's a yes, we make it happen. Free [day option 1] or [day option 2]? — [Organizer first name] ### To someone who gave a name > Hi [first name] — [organizer first name] from the other night. You mentioned [the person they named] when we went around. I wanted to ask — is it cool if I reach out to them? Or would it land better coming from you? Either way works. — [Organizer first name] --- ## Part 4 — The organizer's debrief with the host **Within 7 days.** Over coffee or food, in person if possible. 60 minutes. Bring a notebook. Don't bring a laptop. Pay. ### Questions to ask the host 1. How are you feeling, a few days out? 2. What surprised you about last night? 3. Who in the room surprised you — someone you didn't know would say what they said? 4. What did *you* learn about what you care about? 5. Who else in your life should be in a room like that? 6. Would you do it again? 7. What did we (the org) do well? What did we do badly? 8. Is there a piece of this work you want to take on next? ### What you're listening for - **Leadership signal.** Are they ready to take on a role beyond hosting? (If yes, see `leader-development-plan.md`.) - **Care needs.** Is the host worn out? Did we ask too much? Adjust. - **New names.** Who else came up that we haven't heard before? - **Constructive critique.** What did we get wrong? Write it down. Change next time. --- ## What to do in Action Network within 48 hours - [ ] Add every sign-in name as a contact (if they're not already). - [ ] Tag everyone who came: `house-meeting-attended-[YYYY-MM]`, `host-[host-last-name]`. - [ ] Tag hosts and maybe-hosts: `next-host-yes` / `next-host-maybe`. - [ ] Tag constituencies if you learned them (parent, renter, faith, etc.). - [ ] Add the names people gave you with a tag: `referred-by-[member-first-name]`. - [ ] Schedule the next house meeting RSVP page or event. --- ## Why this is structured this way - **The host follows up first, individually, by text.** The relationship is the host's — not the org's. People came because of the host. They stay because the host reached out the next day. - **The organizer follows up second, with the asks.** The organizer's role is to convert the moment into next steps, but only after the host has honored the relationship. - **Asks are repeated and ranked.** Most people need to hear an ask 3–4 times before they say yes. The follow-up email is one of those touches, not the only one. - **Names get tracked into 1:1s within 7 days.** This is the snowflake — every house meeting plants the next two. - **The host debrief is sacred.** If the host feels used, they won't host again, and they'll tell their people. If the host feels seen, they'll host four more times this year. Helen Butler and the People's Agenda built a 20-year base in Georgia by never burning a host. - **What's said in the room stays in the room.** The follow-up email lifts up themes, never names. The story is the member's to share, not the org's to extract. — Module 3, *Base Building From Scratch*