House Party: How To
House parties are cozy little fundraisers, held by people like you, designed to bring friends, family, and new acquaintances together in a specifically political way. By hosting a party, you expand the recognition and make a direct and tangible contribution to the success of your favorite candidate.
Follow this Q&A for tips on hosting your party:
What does a House Party look like?
It can look like anything you want it to: Summer evening in the garden; Game Day in the family room; Barbeque on the patio; College friends gathered in the common room. You might serve wine & cheese or beer & wings or soup & tea —- your party, your menu, your style.
How does it flow?
By their nature, these parties tend to short - typically 1.5-2 hours is about right. You open and close with mingling, but provide a short and clear program in the middle to layout your support for the candidate, thank people for coming, and ask for donations to be made directly to the campaign.
The following websites and links give some tips and tools for hosts.
DNC Rural Precinct Leader, Guide to House Parties (document download)
House Party Tool Kit (document download, from local volunteer)
Example Sign-In Sheet (document download, from local volunteer
Does the Candidate come?
It depends, but not typically. The purpose of a house party is for you as the host to help promote and guide people to the candidate of your choice - it is your party, on your time frame, for your network. Many candidates will provide talking points and access to brochures or give-aways if asked. They will appreciate photos and the contact lists you gather. Sometimes candidates host their own special fundraisers at a supporter’s home, often with fancier setups and bigger invitation lists. Those are fun too, but that type of event is a little different than what we mean here.
What about fundraising?
Money is essential to campaigns. Donations, even small ones, are a tangible form of action and help build commitment. So while you could gather just to cheer folks on, the "fundraiser" part of a House Party is key. At the right moment in your party, you can speak in favor of the candidate or cause, and state matter-of-factly "Jane Smith is investing in us by running for this office, and we need to invest in her. We hosted this party to help encourage your to get familiar with her and donate to her campaign. Please donate to Jane now, and here's how ....”
Do I handle the money?
No! You are hosting a party to share your appreciation for a candidate and to encourage people to give. But when people give, they are giving solely to the Campaign. If someone wants to write a check, have them make it out to the candidate’s campaign, along with a contribution form designed to gather all the required information and affirmations. Have them put all that into an individual envelope addressed to the candidate and place in your basket. You then gather up the envelopes, add some donated stamps, and get things to the post office.
Even easier, most candidates are set up for electronic donations and donating is just a few phone clicks away. You can provide the website links (QR codes work great.) and you can help the less tech-savvy folks follow the prompts.
For this particular part, it does help to contact the campaign to request a copy of the contribution forms, or you can just keep it all strictly electronic in which case their website will do all the work. You should advise all your guests not to give cash donations, not to give anonymously, and not to make donations on behalf of others —- all of these are either prohibited or severely restricted. Each donor should ensure that they are legally allowed to make campaign contributions and typically the contribution forms contain an affirmation statement to that effect.
Can I support multiple candidates at a time?
You could, though it can get tricky. Unless you are working with a group of candidates who ask to be kept together as a slate and can advise you on the proper reporting, it is generally easier if the fundraising is limited to just one per house party. But nothing says you can’t hold multiple parties!
How much should I spend?
Surprisingly, not much. People will generally be OK with modest refreshments and the parties are not intended to be long. Social time and candidate support are the real draw. Expenses for the party may be reportable for campaign finance purposes, and the smaller your budget the more likely you’ll stay under some key limits (see next section). Volunteer time spent to host a party is not reported as an expense - so feel free to bake your own cookies.
Do I have to report my expenses on the party, and how?
The rules and limits on this vary depending on the race. Campaigns for President and Congress (both US House and US Senate) are governed by the Federal Election Commission. State and local races are governed by state law and at times, local ordinances. Before hosting your party, take a little time to make sure you know which rules apply - preferably by asking the candidate or doing some basic research yourself.
For federal races, the FEC provides this specific guidance:
https://www.fec.gov/updates/tip2023-in-home-event-exemptions-for-candidates-and-parties/
For campaigns subject to Kansas regulation, the limits are much lower, and it would generally be the case where the party host or hosts should itemize their costs and report them as an in-kind contribution to the campaign directly, via email or letter, immediately following the event. Costs spent on the party would also count towards the individual’s maximum contribution limit to that candidate in that cycle. The guidance for Kansas is not presented quite as cleanly as by the FEC, but this is the handbook for reference (see especially pages 2-4, 9-11)
https://kpdc.kansas.gov//wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2026-Campaign-Finance-handbook.pdf
The host and any others making expenditures for a party should only be those legally allowed to make campaign contributions. Refer to the guidance documents for more discussion, including limits on minors or foreign nationals.
Do I need permission from the Campaign?
Generally speaking, no. As long as you comply with campaign finance laws and keep your party clearly private and independent of the campaign, then you are free to support the candidate as you wish. As a practical matter, it would make sense to reach out to candidates in races regulated by Kansas or local ordinances ahead of time since the contribution reporting limits are smaller. For FEC regulated campaigns, just keep your event safely within the in-home party exemption limits.
With just a little preparation you can create connections and memories in smaller circles than the candidate could ever reach. You become a tangible part of making Kansas better. Have Fun!
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Article prepared on behalf of the Food and Farm Caucus of Kansas Dems PAC. Photo by Taylor Floweon Unsplash The guidelines relative to campaign finance rules have been taken from a layperson’s good faith reading of the applicable references listed above. House party hosts should independently confirm the rules as it applies to their anticipated event. If errors in this FAQ are found, please let us know.