Using MobilizeAmerica — and with the free version available to groups with memberships less than 5000 — You can publish and share invitations for your webinars, online meetings, online fundraisers, virtual phone banks and texting events and postcard pickups using the Mobilize America Together for 2020 account!
Creating Your Event
Event name: Public Name displayed on the signup page and Events Feed
Event Description: Description of the event that will be visible from the event sign up page.
- Be sure you let attendees know that they will receive information to join the Zoom call when they RSVP.
- Include your email address and/or phone number for questions.
- If your confirmation email contains details on how to join the event, consider adding a Find the instructions link.
Public vs Private events:
- Public events will be visible on your organization’s public feed. Select this option for public webinars.
- Private events: volunteers can only sign up for the event if they have the specific link. Select this option for invitation-only calls.
Creating an RSVP page for your event
Creating an RSVP page will allow you to collect and manage signups for your event, send out reminders and private information, and collect feedback from your attendees.
The following links make it easy to get started:
Example message they will receive for the Zoom meeting.
Additional information for attendees
You can customize the email that is sent to attendees in the signup confirmation email.
Attendees will receive information included in this field in the registration and confirmation emails they receive.
Notes: The meeting template uses a markup language called Markdown for formatting. More info on Markdown (advanced users only): Markdown Cheat Sheet.
If you are setting up a monthly leaders call or a training session with multiple times, set up your Zoom meeting with a link that always works, rather than one that is tied to a specific meeting time. To do this, when you set up your Zoom meeting, under “Meeting ID” select the option to use your Personal Meeting ID, such as the one I have provided above.
Event Dashboard
Your dashboard lists all of your events. To the right of each event is a triangle button for links to:
- View your RSVP page
- Edit your event
- View signups
- Delete event
- Scroll all the way to the Shifts and Signups section at the bottom and click the Export signups button
- Mobilize will send you a link to the list. It expires in 24 hours.
Email Attendees
You can easily send an email to your attendees.
From the Event Dashboard, click View Signups. Then click the Email Attendees button.
Select Completed in the Who have… menu, then type your subject line and message, and press Send Email.
To add attendees — either people who respond by phone or email, or who simply show up — click the + New Attendee button, and type in their contact information.
Edit Event
You can change anything that appears on your RSVP page – edit the description, change the address or time, change the maximum attendees, etc. Just go to your Event Dashboard, click Edit Event in the action menu, and edit any fields you choose.
When you’re done, scroll down and press Save.
Export Registration and Attendee Information
After you host an event, keep in touch with the attendees so they can participate in other activities. This will ensure that everyone has a chance to do everything they can to elect the better government we want and deserve!
- Go to your Event Dashboard and click Past to get to a list of your events that have already taken place.
- Click the event title to get to the Event Detail Page
- Scroll all the way to the Shifts and Signups section at the bottom and click the Export signups button.
- Mobilize will send you a link to the list. It expires in 24 hours.
Creating a Custom Event on Mobilize
You can use Mobilize America to collect signups for any kind of event. Use the In-Person Volunteering event for events with a physical location. Use Shifted Virtual Volunteer for virtual events. For volunteer from home activities without a fixed start time, choose Virtual Volunteer Action.
To get started:
- Make sure you have an account on the Together We Elect Mobilize America organization.
- Go to: https://www.mobilize.us/dashboard/togetherfor2020/events/
- In the Events section of your Dashboard, press the New Event button and select the type of event you want to create:
- In-Person Volunteering – In-person event, fixed time, fixed location
- Shifted Virtual Volunteer – Virtual event, fixed time, remote location
- Virtual Volunteer Action – Virtual event, flexible time, remote location
- Then, fill in the details of your event:
- Event name: Public Name displayed on the signup page and Events Feed
- Tagline: One line to grab attention that will be displayed below the picture on the events page.
- Public vs Private events:
- Public events will be visible on your organization’s public feed.
- Private events: volunteers can only sign up for the event if they have the specific link.
- Description: This is the description of the event that will be visible from the event sign up page. Use fun and interesting language to recruit more people for your event.
- Photo: When uploading a photo to your event, try to use a 2:3 aspect ratio and note that the thumbnail is how the event will be seen on the Events Feed and signup pages.
- Additional information for attendees: Sent to attendees in the signup confirmation email. Attendees will receive information included in this field in the registration and confirmation emails they receive.Use this field to add a script, training video, best practices document, or other information for your volunteers.
- Reply-to email: If volunteers respond to any event email, it will go here. It should be someone who will be able to respond and answer day-of questions like “Do I need to bring a phone charger?”
- Schedule: Select the frequency of the event and the dates of the event. Add times based on occurrence of event!
- Location: the event address can be marked as public or private. A private location will only be displayed in the confirmation email attendees receive automatically upon sign up.
- See Joel Silberman’s excellent guide on Breakout Rooms here.
UPCOMING MODIFICATIONS TO THIS GUIDE
Best practices for messaging volunteers
Instructions to find your event if you lost your confirmation email
