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Have you emailed your supporters since the November election? If not, the clock is ticking before your permission expires!

If you’re thinking of running for office again in the future, or expect that you’ll want to make any big announcements to the people who supported you through the election, then it’s important to prevent your email list from going stale.

Hereai??i??s what you need to know, what to do, and how we can help.

Opt-in does not last forever — it has an expiration date.

A supporter’s opt-in to receive email from you is not a ticket to email them for life. Instead, itai??i??s a generally accepted industry standard that permission to send email blasts lasts about six months before going stale.

Why six months? After that point, your supporters may have forgotten why they signed up for your emails if you haven’t stayed in communication, and you’ll start getting more complaints and less engagement when you do decide to get back in touch.

How can I restart the clock?

Itai??i??s easy — just email your supporters at least once every few months, and make sure that you include ways for people to unsubscribe from future updates at the bottom of your email.

If you donai??i??t email them at least every six months, many email blast services will not consider your proof of permission as valid and will not let you use their service to contact your list without asking people to opt-in again.

If you’ve built a particularly large email list, you may also want to periodically unsubscribe people who haven’t even opened an email from you in six months or more. This “list cleaning” will keep your costs down and help make sure big email providers like Google and Microsoft don’t start rating you as a spammer.

What should …

House parties can be a critical part of any strategy to introduce yourself to new supporters. The tips below are designed to help you identify a great host, prepare a successful event, and engage new supporters afterward.

Find a great host. The ideal host is someone who has lots of friends and has enough space to accommodate a small gathering. They also are willing to spend their time recruiting attendees and take responsibility for the overall success of the event.
Track and confirm RSVPs. Keep a shared Google spreadsheet with your host to track RSVPs. Collect email addresses from all potential attendees so you can send reminders. Ask the host to call and confirm with potential attendees two days before the event.
Discuss logistics with the host. Walk through the space and discuss how the house party will work. Where will people sit or stand? Where should you expect to speak to the crowd? Where will people sign in? How will they be greeted? Is there a place for coats? Will the host offer food or drink?
Come prepared. Make sure to bring everything you need, like sign-in sheets, name tags, clipboards, pens, and campaign literature. Make sure all attendees sign in. Bring a laptop if you plan to collect donations through ActBlue, a free online donation platform for Democratic candidates.
Follow up. After the event, thank everyone who attended with a phone call or email. Ask them to donate (if they havenai??i??t already) and volunteer. Invite them to another campaign event, like a pizza party or barbecue. Donai??i??t forget to send a handwritten thank you to your host!
Find an event coordinator. If you are just getting started, you can manage these events yourself. As your campaign grows, youai??i??ll need to find an organized volunteer or staffer who can coordinate these events for you.

For additional …