Private event plan:
Three weeks prior to the event:
- Pray about your guest list and send out invitations via mail, e-mail, or Facebook event. You can utilize the art kit to include Harvest America graphics.
- If your guest list isn't strictly limited, develop a plan to promote your event using whatever channels you have available to you. Graphics and videos from the "Promote" page make it easy.
- If you're planning to have a lot of people, enlist the help of friends and family for things like setting up, welcoming people, and following up with anyone who makes a profession of faith at the event.
Two weeks prior to the event:
- Continue to pray for those you have invited.
- If you shared your event on social media, talk about it again. Mention what you'll be doing and how people can participate.
The week leading up to the event:
- Consider following up with people you've invited, either in person or via a phone call.
- If you are talking about your event on social media, continue to do so. Give a final push for people to come.
Public event plan for churches:
Let your congregation know that this is not an event just for them, it is an outreach to the community. In order for your outreach to be effective, the congregation needs to pray, invite, and bring.
Four weeks prior to the event:
- Announce the event to your congregation and ask them to pray.
- Play the "Pray" video at weekend services. (Download available here.)
- Use a Harvest America slide in your announcements before or after service.
- Hand out any promotional materials that you may have created. An art kit is available to help you create custom posters, invitations, or other promotional items.
- Promote your event on whatever digital channels you have available to you, such as social media, e-mail lists, and websites. Videos, social media graphics, and web banners from the "Promote" page make it easy.
- Look for volunteers and start training to make sure your teams are ready to serve your guests well.
Three weeks prior to the event:
- Encourage your congregation to invite people to the event.
- Play the "Invite" video at weekend services. (Download available here.)
- Use a Harvest America slide in your announcements before or after service.
- Send additional e-mails to your list, encouraging people to attend and to invite their friends and family.
- Continue to share about the event on social media.
Two weeks prior to the event:
- Talk to your congregation about bringing people they have invited to the event. (Let them know that the majority of people who make professions of faith at Harvest events were brought by a friend!)
- Play the "Bring" video at weekend services. (Download available here.)
- Use a Harvest America slide in your announcements before or after service.
- Continue to share about the event on social media.
The week leading up to the event:
- Prompt your congregation to sign up to serve at your event in any roles you might still have open.
- Use a Harvest America slide in your announcements before or after service.
- Send a final e-mail to your list reminding them about the event and encouraging them to pray, invite, bring, and serve.
- Continue to share about the event on social media.
Public event plan for businesses and others:
Hosts of public events that are not taking place at a church or in affiliation with a church will need to have different strategies for promotion and mobilization. Your circumstances might present unique limitations as well as unique opportunities. Here is a rough plan, but you are encouraged to be creative and do what you feel will work best in your situation.
Three weeks prior to the event:
- Announce your event and encourage friends, family, staff, volunteers (everyone in your sphere of influence) to invite people to come to your event and to share it on social media.
- Have posters, invitations, or other promotional materials created to display or give out. An art kit is available with design elements and layouts to help.
- Promote your event on whatever digital channels you have available to you, such as social media, e-mail lists, and websites. Videos, social media graphics, and web banners from the "Promote" page make it easy.
- Consider what other forms of advertising might be available to you.
- Ask for volunteers to help you with set up, seating, technical aspects, and following up with people who make a profession of faith at the event.
The week leading up to the event:
- Continue to promote your event and to encourage others to invite people.
- Check in with your volunteers to make sure everyone knows what they'll be doing and how to do it.