Why is it important for small-business owners to hold candidate ‘meet and greet’ events?
Do you know a candidate or elected official working hard on behalf of small business? If so, why not introduce that individual to fellow small-business owners in your community? A candidate meet and greet event provides small-business owners with the opportunity to interact with candidates and elected officials in an informal and welcoming manner, while discussing the most important issues affecting Main Street. It is a time to ask questions, talk about your own experience as an entrepreneur and lend your support to an individual promoting small business on the campaign trail.
NFIB has prepared the following 10 tips on organizing a candidate meet and greet in order to introduce pro-small-business candidates to the small-business community.
Tip 1: Contact NFIB: During the campaign season there are many occasions when NFIB will ask its members to hold meet & greet events to promote our NFIB SAFE Trust-endorsed candidates. If you would like to make your business available for an event, please contact NFIB’s political staff at political@nfib.org or (800) 552-NFIB. Also, if there is a specific candidate you would like to introduce to your community and NFIB has not contacted you, please let us know. When possible our staff will offer assistance in securing a candidate who is supportive of small business, as well as help you navigate the following "How-To" suggestions.
Tip 2: Contact the candidate: If there is a candidate for whom you wish to hold a meet & greet event and that individual has not been suggested by NFIB, you should write a formal invitation to that candidate inviting him/her to address your guests. This one-page invitation should be sent to the candidate’s campaign office and include the following information:
- The reason you believe it is important for this candidate to address your small-business community
- The issues you wish the candidate to address
- Your contact information
Tip 3: Schedule time and date: Follow your written invitation with a phone call to the candidate’s campaign scheduler. At this point if the candidate agrees to the event, you should determine the dates on which both you and the candidate will be available.
Tip 4: Prepare logistics and budget: Secure a meeting place and begin logistics preparations. Ideally, you should use your place of business for the event. If your business cannot accommodate the number of guests you wish to invite, then consider your home, reserve a local restaurant or utilize a larger business in your area. Approach fellow NFIB members when possible. Then you must decide who will pay for the event. There are three options:
- The candidate’s campaign committee pays for most or all expenses
- An association PAC pays for most or all expenses as an in-kind contribution to the candidate’s campaign
- You, the business owner, may make an in-kind contribution to the candidate in the form of paying for the meet and greet event.
Tip 5: Invitations: When possible, send invitations at least three weeks prior to the event date. If you are working on a tighter timeframe, work with the campaign in reaching out to invited guests via phone or email. Invitations should be personally written and include a concise summary of the candidate’s biography and position on small business. Note that the candidate is pro-business and is dedicated to working on behalf of small business in your community.
Tip 6: Reminders: Follow up your invitations with phone calls, emails or faxes. Never assume your guests have received their invites or will RSVP prior to the event. Although this step is time-consuming, it is the most important step you can take to ensure a successful event. A good rule of thumb is if 20 people RSVP, approximately 15 will attend the event.
Tip 7: Finalize logistics: Two days prior to the event finalize all the logistics. You should have the following preparations completed:
- Meeting place should be reserved and seating arrangements finalized
- Name tags for guests and speaker should be created
- An agenda should be developed that covers who will speak, when and what they will cover
- Obtain from the campaign the candidate’s biography and positions on small-business issues
Tip 8: Keep in contact: The day before the event, call the candidate’s scheduler and verify the time the candidate is expected to arrive and what, if any, materials the candidate is bringing. Also verify your contact information, including cell phone number, so that the candidate’s staff can reach you the day of the event.
Tip 9: Encourage involvement: The day of the event, take a moment to meet the candidate before you introduce him/her to your guests. Once the event begins, encourage your guests to be involved. Allow everyone the opportunity to question the candidate or remark about his or her individual concerns. Also give guests the opportunity to sign up to volunteer for the candidate’s campaign and for NFIB’s Political Action Team.
Tip 10: Follow-up: Give the candidate or campaign staffer any volunteer forms to take with them. After the event, be sure to thank everyone involved. Send written thank you notes to the candidate and guests. And finally, forward the Political Action Team sign-up form to the NFIB political department via fax at (202) 484-9267.
