November - Planning Community Events

Module 3: Event-fully Yours! runs both in-person at Gracey Meeting Room at Merced Library and live on Zoom. Can't make the session? Use our online learning path to engage with the material at your own pace later. All core content is reachable either way—your choice!

Event-fully Yours!

How to Participate

Option A – Live or Zoom Attendance (November 1, 1:30–4:30 PM)

• Join the live workshop in person or via Zoom.

• Take part in a team brainstorming session to generate ideas for a community advocacy event.

• Collaborate with others to develop an event plan and pitch your idea to the group.

• Participate in rapid feedback rounds and get real-time suggestions from peers and facilitators.

• All materials, instructions, and resources will be provided during the session.

Option B – Asynchronous Online Participation

• Watch the workshop recording and review posted resources at your own pace.

• Complete the Community Event Planning activity:

  • Use the online template or Padlet to brainstorm your event idea.

  • Draft and submit your event plan for feedback.

  • Participate in the peer feedback activity by reading and commenting on at least one classmate’s event idea.

• All instructions, templates, and submission links are available online.

Both options require you to submit your event plan and give peer feedback to receive credit for this module.

Module Overview

Objectives:

Learn how to collaboratively plan and design impactful community advocacy events using best practices in brainstorming, rapid planning, and pitching.

Overview: 

Welcome participants and emphasize the critical role of structured event planning in advancing advocacy goals. Highlight the value of inclusive collaboration and creative strategy development.

Outline of Key Concepts:

• Brainstorming Techniques: Generating inclusive and innovative event ideas.

• Rapid Planning: Structuring quick, actionable event plans under time constraints.

• Pitching & Feedback: Presenting plans clearly and incorporating constructive community input

ACTIVITIES

Brainstorming Techniques

Guided Activity: Community Event Brainstorming

Introduction & Techniques

• Mind Mapping Demo:

• Silent Brainstorming: Participants individually write down as many ideas as possible on sticky notes or in a shared digital doc.

Round Robin Sharing

• Each participant shares one of their top ideas in turn, ensuring everyone contributes.

• Collect all ideas on a whiteboard or digital board for visibility.

Brainwriting Exercise

• Participants pass their list or digital doc to the next person.

• Each person adds new ideas or builds on existing ones, promoting collaborative creativity.

Group Synthesis & Selection

• As a group, review all collected ideas.

• Use dot-voting or a quick consensus method to select the top three event concepts to develop further.

Rapid Planning

Guided Mini-Lesson: Speed-Planning Session

Introduction to Frameworks

• • Time-Box method:

• • The 3 W Framework: Who (stakeholders/participants), What (activities/goals), Where/When (location and timeline).

Rapid Outline Creation

• • Participants individually fill out the Planning Template with Who, What, Where/When sections.

  • Facilitator circulates (or monitors breakout rooms) to provide real-time guidance and answer questions.

Group Logistics Development

• • In small groups, participants use the template’s logistics (to-do list), marketing (top daily goals), and budget sections.

  • Facilitator prompts groups with guided questions (e.g., “What resources are essential?” “How will you reach your audience?”) to deepen planning.

Plan Sharing & Feedback

• • Each group briefly presents key elements of their plan.

  • Facilitator leads a quick peer feedback round, highlighting strengths and offering targeted improvement suggestions.

Pitching & Feedback

Guided Mini-Lesson: Pitch & Feedback

Video Tutorial Viewing

• Watch a brief tutorial on structuring an elevator pitch (e.g., "How to Create Your Elevator Pitch" on YouTube).

• Facilitator highlights key elements: hook, value proposition, and call to action.

Pitch Creation

• Participants draft a 60-second elevator pitch for their selected community event.

• Use a simple template:

  • Hook: Attention-grabber

  • Purpose: What the event is about and why it matters

  • Benefit: How the event will serve the community

  • Call to Action: Next steps for the audience

• Facilitator circulates to offer guidance and ensure clarity.

Pitch Delivery & Peer Feedback

• In small groups, each participant delivers their elevator pitch.

• After each pitch, peers use the I Like / I Wish / What If feedback framework:

  • I Like: Highlight one strong element of the pitch.

  • I Wish: Suggest one specific improvement.

  • What If: Offer a creative idea or variation to explore.

Reflection & Action Planning

• Participants reflect on feedback and note actionable revisions.

• Facilitator invites 1–2 volunteers to briefly share how they’ll apply feedback to strengthen their pitch.

SUBMISSION

Module 3: Planning Community Events

Clarity of Plan:
3 = Clear & detailed / 2 = Needs more detail / 1 = Vague

Feasibility:
3 = Realistic, considers barriers / 2 = Some gaps / 1 = Not feasible

Creativity:
3 = Original / 2 = Some / 1 = None

Community Impact:
3 = Clearly stated / 2 = Somewhat / 1 = Unclear

Community Event Planning

FEEDBACK

November Feedback

REMOTE ACTIVITIES

What's Next?

🚀 On December 6, master social media advocacy in our "Hashtag Holidays!" session and amplify your impact online.