The 8-week planning timeline

Plan backwards from the event date. Weeks 8 through 1 each have one anchor deliverable that unlocks the next week.

Most town halls fail because organizers plan forward from today instead of backward from the event date. Forward planning produces a wish list. Backward planning produces a critical path.

Week 8 (T-minus 8). Lock the date, the county, the theory of change, and the lead decision-maker. Send the first save-the-date to your inner circle of 20–40 known supporters. This is also when you confirm the Datos Lab county captain assigned to coordinate.

Week 7. Book the venue. The venue is the single hardest constraint — every other deliverable assumes you have a confirmed, accessible, affordable space. If you do not have a venue by end of Week 7, the event slips by at least two weeks.

Week 6. Confirm roles (covered on page 2.3). Send the official invitation to the decision-maker with a hard RSVP deadline of Week 4. Begin building the outreach list with county-level voter file pulls.

Week 5. Soft launch outreach: door-knock pilot in two precincts, phone-bank pilot of 200 calls, digital launch on social. Adjust messaging based on what the pilot week tells you.

Week 4. Hard RSVP from the decision-maker. Full outreach push begins — doors, phones, digital, partner orgs. Confirm AV and accessibility (interpretation, captioning, wheelchair access, parking).

Week 3. Train your speakers. Three to five constituents who will share testimony need a 90-minute rehearsal — story length, mic technique, where to look.

Week 2. Press push. Send a press advisory to local outlets, statehouse reporters, and any Latino, Black, and rural media that cover the county. Schedule pre-event interviews if possible.

Week 1. Run-of-show rehearsal with the full team. Walk the venue. Confirm AV. Final outreach reminders go out 72 hours, 48 hours, and 24 hours before the event.