# House Meeting — Host Invite Script

**What this is:** The conversation, text, or short email an organizer uses to ask a member to host a house meeting. And — once they say yes — the invite the *host* uses to invite their people.

**Two audiences:**
1. **The organizer → the host** (the ask conversation)
2. **The host → their guests** (the invitation to attendees)

Use them in order. The first creates the host. The second fills the room.

---

## Part 1 — The organizer asks the host

This is best done in person or by phone. Not text. You're asking someone to open their home to nine of their neighbors — show up enough for that.

### The script (adapt; don't read)

> "Hey [first name] — I've been thinking about something I want to ask you. You know how at the last base meeting [or: when we had our 1:1], you said [the specific thing they said]? That's the kind of thing we need more people in this org to hear.
>
> I want to ask you to host a house meeting. It's not a fundraiser. It's not a pitch. It's eight or nine people you trust, in your living room or at a coffee shop, for about 90 minutes. We talk about what's going on, members tell their stories, and we ask people to do one specific thing.
>
> I'd bring the agenda and help facilitate. You'd bring the people and the place. The food can be potluck or I can bring it — whatever's easier.
>
> Would you be open to picking a date sometime in the next four to six weeks?"

### What to be ready for

| What they say | How to respond |
|---|---|
| "My place is too small." | "Eight people in a living room is the point. Or — coffee shop, church basement, your sister's place, the park if it's warm. The room doesn't matter; the people do." |
| "I don't know who to invite." | "Let's make the list together. I bet we can get to ten names in fifteen minutes." |
| "I'm not a good public speaker." | "You won't be the speaker. I will, with you. You're the host — you welcome people in. That's it." |
| "What if no one comes?" | "We invite twelve to get eight. We text the day before. We've done this hundreds of times. We won't let you be alone in your living room." |
| "Can I think about it?" | "Yes. Can we talk again Friday? I want to give you space, and I also don't want to lose the moment." |
| "I can't right now." | "I hear you. Is there a month when this would work? And in the meantime — would you come to someone else's?" |

### What to do if they say yes

1. Pick a date and time within the next 4–6 weeks. Don't leave it open-ended.
2. Help them list 12–15 people to invite (you'll get 8 to show up).
3. Plan to send the host's invite (Part 2) at three points: 14 days out, 7 days out, day before.
4. Send the host the `house-meeting-agenda.md` template so they know what's happening in the room.
5. Confirm: who brings food, who brings chairs, what the kids will do.

---

## Part 2 — The host invites their people

Once the host has said yes, *they* invite their people. The host's voice is the magic — not yours. Send them this template; they make it their own.

**Format:** Text or a short voice memo, person by person. Never a mass email. Never a Facebook event.

---

### Template (for the host to adapt)

> Hey [name] — it's [host's first name]. I'm hosting something at my place on [day, date] at [time] and I'd love for you to come.
>
> It's about [the issue — paid leave / voting rights / Medicaid / our schools — in the host's own words, one sentence].
>
> Eight or nine folks, about 90 minutes, food and good company. Nothing fancy — you don't have to bring anything or know anything. I just want you in the room.
>
> Can you come? Even a maybe is helpful — I'll know how much food to make.

---

### Variations

**To a close friend or family member:**
> [Name] — I'm doing something a little new and I want you there. Hosting a small gathering at my place [day, date]. We're going to talk about [issue] — what's happening, what we can do. About 8 people. 90 minutes. Will you come? It would mean a lot.

**To a neighbor you don't know super well:**
> Hi [name] — I'm [host's first name] from [building / block]. I'm having a few neighbors over [day, date] at [time] to talk about [issue, very specific — "what's happening with the rezoning" / "the school board fight"]. Food, kids welcome. Would you come? Even just for an hour.

**To a coworker / faith community member:**
> Hey [name] — between work and life, I know how it goes. But [day, date] I'm having some folks over to talk about [issue] and I keep thinking about that conversation we had about [specific thing they said]. Will you come? 90 minutes, dinner included.

---

### The follow-up texts (host sends these)

**7 days before:**
> [Name] — looking forward to having you [day]! Address is [full address]. Doors at [time]; we'll wrap by [end time]. Anything you can't eat? Let me know — I'll make sure there's something.

**Day before:**
> Hey [name] — just confirming for tomorrow at [time]. [Address]. Bring [yourself / a friend / nothing / your kid]. Text me if anything comes up.

**Day of (morning):**
> Tonight! [Time], [address]. See you there. — [host first name]

---

## What an organizer does in the 14 days before

| When | Do |
|---|---|
| Day 1 (host says yes) | Confirm date, time, place. Send the host this template. List names together. |
| Day 14 out | Host sends first round of invites. Organizer texts the host to check in. |
| Day 10 out | Organizer sends host the `house-meeting-agenda.md`. Walk through it on a 20-min call. |
| Day 7 out | Host sends reminder texts. Organizer confirms childcare, food, accessibility. |
| Day 3 out | Final RSVPs. Organizer reads through the agenda once more. Prepares the story prompt. |
| Day before | Host sends day-of confirmation. Organizer texts the host: "I've got you. See you tomorrow." |
| Day of | Organizer arrives 30 min early. Helps set up chairs. |

---

## Why this is structured this way

- **The host's voice fills the room, not the org's.** People say yes to people they trust. The org's name on an invite gets a 10% RSVP rate; the host's name to their own people gets 60%+. This is the kitchen-table organizing tradition — the SNCC field secretaries in southwest Georgia did not invite people to mass meetings; the *Mama Dollys* of the community did.
- **Personal asks, one at a time.** Mass invites are mobilizing. Personal asks are organizing. The course teaches the difference in Module 1.
- **The organizer's job is to make the host successful, not to do the host's job for them.** That's the difference between recruiting a body for one meeting and developing a leader for ten years.
- **"You don't have to bring anything or know anything"** removes the two biggest reasons people don't show up — they think they have to perform, or to be an expert.
- **Three reminder texts** because the day-before text is what turns "yes" into "in the room." Action Network's free tier handles this; or just do it by hand.
- **Honor the tradition.** The Black freedom movement met in living rooms in Albany, in Selma, in Jackson — because that was where the people were, and because the people's living rooms were already sacred ground.

— Module 3, *Base Building From Scratch*