Postcards & Postcard Parties

Postcards4VA’s Guide To

Robbin Warner, Lisa Howard, Krystal Henson & Dianne Holland

www.postcards4va.com

Version 1c | April 2018

v1c

Postcards

All About Postcards

Where can I get postcards?

There are many options when it comes postcards. You can purchase already made

postcards, have postcards made with your design, or you can make postcards by hand.

Postcard Template

Download our postcard templates at http://www.postcards4va.com/guidelines.

Downloading More Pre-Designed Postcards Option

For more options, go to Postcards from the People http://postcardsfromthepeople.com for

additional designs with messages for our time that are free for you to download and print.

The designs come with step-by-step instructions and are made for you to print at home or

have them professionally printed. Check the site often for new designs.

Make Your Own

Many volunteers will enjoy designing their own postcards. We had people paint the cards.

Others drew with colored markers on the cards. Some used patriotic stamps. Others used

the color blue as their theme or the date of the election. We even had mothers have their

children draw on the cards. The creativity that went into the postcards was amazing and we

have no doubt that these one-of-a-kind creations wowed their recipient.

Check out our gallery of cards from 2017 featured on our postcards4va.com

What’s needed to make my own cards?

Here’s a list of the basic supplies needed to make your own cards:

• Paper - Postcards need to be made with cardstock paper (this is thicker paper

identified by weight: 80 – 110 lb).

• Size of cards: In order to qualify for a postcard stamp, the card must be at least 3 ½”

high, 5” long but no larger than 4 ¼” high, 6” long. Taking a sheet of 8.5” x 11”

paper and cutting it into quarters works.

• Pens: You’ll need pens for writing the message as well as pens for decorating the

postcards. Sharpies, permanent marker pens, seemed to be the most popular for

writing and decorating because they worked on all paper, including glossy. Many

folks liked to use highlighters to emphasize key words in their message such as dates

and candidate names.

• Stickers – Who doesn’t love using stickers. Time to recycle all those stickers your

kids have around the house.

• Make your own stamps – Have your own stamps made with key words or phrases

you use, such as VOTE (in big red letters), When We Vote WE WIN, the disclaimer,

and/or the date of the election.

v1c

Importance of address lines on cards

It’s important to have lines identifying where to place the stamp

and address. With these markers, people will forget to leave

room and write across the entire postcard.

Best pens for writing postcards

There are many options here.

• Sharpie brand permanent markers work best for glossy or other coated papers. They

come in various thicknesses and colors and can be found almost anywhere. (Watch

for back to school sales for a bargain!)

• Gel Pens are a fun option to add color. These take a bit longer to dry so be careful

not to smudge your message.

Good places to buy supplies

General supplies:

• Amazon is a good place to buy cardstock paper and stamps.

• Michaels Arts & Crafts has weekly coupons (from 40-50%) and is a great place to

buy Sharpies and other colored pens.

• Dollar Stores sell paper and colored pens.

Getting the best price on postcard printing

• Cheapest - Vista Print, Shutterfly or GotPrint (with coupons)

• Second Cheapest – Purchasing blank Avery postcards from Amazon and then

printing the design on your home printer.

• Fastest – Not the cheapest, but you can get your cards printed while you wait at

places like Office Depot or Staples

Postcard stamps

In order to qualify for a postcard

stamp ($0.35 cents), the card

cannot be folded and must be at

least 3 ½” high, 5” long but no

larger than 4 ¼” high, 6” long. If

the dimensions are larger, the card

requires a first-class stamp ($0. 50

cents).

We’ve found that the most common quantity of postcards stamps available at the post office

is either a sheet of 20 stamps ($7.00) or a roll of 100 ($35). Please note that post offices tend

to have small inventories of postcard stamps and run out quickly. If your post office runs out,

you can purchase postcard stamps online directly from the U.S. postal service

https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/seashells-postcard-stamp-S_119604

v1c

What to Write in the Body of the Message

Here’s a list of topics to include in the body of the message. We recommend providing ideas

rather than scripts. If you give a script, people will copy the script and not compose their own

message. You want each postcard to have a personal, heartfelt message, one only the person

writing could compose.

● Identify Yourself/Opening Greeting

● “I’m your neighbor _______ and I’m writing

● because __________”

● “I’m a fellow [name of city, county, state]/Democrat/concerned citizen and I’m

writing . . . ”

● “Hi Awesome Democrat...”

● Share Your Message / Call to Action

● “Make your voice heard in 2018”

● “Show your democratic support”

● “Vote for [name a candidate or slate of candidates]

● “We need to ....”

● Sign Off

● Sign your name. If you want, you can add the city or county where you’re from:

“Robbin from Alexandria” or “Lisa from Falls Church”

● Be sure every card includes VOTE and the date of the election

● Add Disclaimer

● If you’re using a template with the disclaimer already pre-printed, simply fill in

your name.

● If your postcards do not have the required disclaimer, add it.

● Join Us - Based on when you decide to mail your cards, you can include a “join us” line

where you give the voter a way to contact us to get involved.

Signatures - Have several people sign a card to show that the card

wasn’t machine or mass produced.

Candidate or campaign issues

Feel free to include a list of key candidate or campaign issues. There is not much room on a

postcard, so summarize the key points.

v1c

Examples

Nothing gets the creative juices flowing like examples. Bring postcard samples that you or

others in your group have already written.

Addressing the Postcards

What to write in the address line instead of a name

We chose not to include the voter’s names because they didn’t opt into this. Since you don’t

have a name, you can still identify who the card is for. Here are some ideas:

• Awesome voter

• Important Voter

• [State name] Voter (such as Virginia Voter)

Discourage address labels

We discourage using mailing labels. Nothing suggests that the postcard is mass produced

more than a label.

Sharing on Social Media

Encourage postcard writers to share photos of their postcards on social media. When they do, tell

them to make sure the address isn’t visible. This is out of courtesy to the recipient to keep their

address private.

You can hide the address by covering it or digitally blurring or redacting it. Another option is to

take the photo before writing the address.

It’s important to be diligent about respecting people’s privacy.

v1c

Postcard Parties

Postcard writing parties are the backbone of any postcard campaign. This is where most volunteers

write their postcards. It’s also an activity that volunteers find incredibly rewarding, if not

therapeutic. We saw this from our own postcard parties and it was verified by our study.

Do the party for your group. Adapt the party for the people you have

there. And most importantly, have fun doing it.

Kim Wyman, Fredericksburg, VA

Any time two or more people get together to write postcards, it can be considered a postcard

party. Many groups had weekly parties that were tremendously successful. For many volunteers

having something every week worked well with their schedules. Other groups would add pop-up

parties when it seemed right. This is when they would decide to have a party at the last minute

and put the word out who was available that day.

There are no set rules. Because these parties are so important, we thought it would be helpful if we

put together a collection of advice and ideas.

Material to have at a postcard party

Here’s a list of material/supplies to have at a postcard party. The host can provide all of the items,

or the items can be divided up among the party participants.

● Printed Guidelines - We find that people new to writing postcards like to have

guidelines/instructions. We recommend having a few printed out for those who want them.

Printing a few copies on cardstock and then placing each copy in a plastic sheet protector

helps it stay clean so we could reuse it again and again.

● Sample Completed Cards – Have a few cards finished with sample messages. You can

show how fun it is to highlight words, color on the cards and write personal, heartfelt

messages. Encourage people to keep the message simple and to put it in their own voice.

● Postcards - We recommend having a large supply of postcards, say 25-50 per person.

People will often surprise you at just how many postcards they can write.

v1c

● Stamps - Since this is often the most expensive item, many hosts ask the people attending

to bring the stamps. Or, they ask for

donations for purchasing the stamps.

A roll of 100 stamps costs $35 plus

tax.

● Pens (Regular & colored

pens/markers/highlighters) - First, you

need pens for writing the messages.

Then you also need markers and

highlighters for emphasizing key

dates and names. Encourage people

to be creative and personalize both

sides of the cards. Sharpies are the

preferred markers because they write

on all surfaces, including glossy

coated paper.

● Stickers and Stamps – Using stickers

and stamps is fun. Invite attendees to

bring craft supplies to help

personalize the cards.

● Snacks and Drinks - Like at all good

parties, offer beverages and light

refreshments.

Guidelines

Before you have people start writing the postcards, we recommend having people go

through our Guidelines. You can download a printable version of our Guidelines at

postcards4va.com/guidelines.

Themed party ideas

Though postcard writing can be a theme itself, lots of people have shared with us the theme they

used for their party. We can’t wait to hear what you come up with.

Wine and Chocolate

Never underestimate the power of wine and chocolate. Would you rather have your friend

invite you to a political postcard writing party or say “Come for Wine and Chocolate and

help me write five postcards to Get Out the Vote” – once they begin they will be writing

more than five – guaranteed!

Pizza and Postcards, Pastry and Postcards, Pasta and Politics, and/or Happy Hour

Postcard Parties

Postcards work with all finger food and adult beverages. Use food and drink as the draw

and writing postcards for the election as the purpose.

v1c

Family Fun Postcard Writing

Kids are a great addition to postcard parties.

Their handwriting is adorable and they come

up with cutest messages. We had lots of

groups that brought their kids to the postcard

party. The older kids wrote their own

messages while the younger ones decorated

the cards. We even designed special

postcards for coloring in for these types of

parties. (See Appendix B for postcard

templates)

Mommy and Me

One group of new mothers got together

weekly to write postcards as part of their

regular Mommy and Me get togethers. They used

the theme of being young mothers in the messages they wrote. They even got their babies

to scribble on the cards.

Teenage Postcard Party

Get your teenagers to host a postcard writing party so that they can be a part of democracy

in action.

Senior Postcard Party

Get your parents at their retirement community to host a postcard writing party.

Combining Postcard Writing with Canvassing or Phone Banking

Some of the campaigns offered postcard writing before and after canvassing or alongside

phone banking. The postcard writing provided a nice break and/or an alternative action for

those who discovered canvassing or phone banking wasn’t their thing.

Party organization

There is no one right way to organize your party. Some people put out all the materials and have

people get right to work. Others like to start with an explanation before writing.

Another way to look at organization is in term of tasks. One option is to have everyone write and

address their own cards. Another option is to divide up tasks such that people showcase their

talent. Here are some of the stations that folks have had at parties.

Young writers at a Fredericksburg Area Pantsuiters

postcard party.

v1c

• Handwriting – People with good

penmanship handwrite the cards.

• Wordsmithing – People who are

good with words, come up with the

message.

• Decorating – The artsy type draw-

on, doodle, and/or highlight the

postcards for emphasis.

• Addressing – People who want a

mindless task, write the addresses.

• Quality Control – People who are

good with details, review the cards

for the correct election date,

disclaimer, and check the address.

Establish a method for checking accuracy

Mistakes can happen. Numbers can be

transposed. To make sure the postcards

all have the right election day (yes, we

heard that some cards accidentally had

the primary date on them rather than the

general) we recommend assigning

someone to review the cards for quality

control. Have someone give the cards a last-minute look checking for the following:

• Card is stamped

• Dates are correct

• If applicable, disclaimer is on the card

• Address is complete

v1c

Postcard Party Tips from the Fredericksburg Area Pantsuiters

Assembly Line Production - We found a fun and

productive way to write a bunch of postcards in

one sitting was to form an assembly line with

some writing the message and others addressing

the cards. At the end, we’d all go around and sign

the cards.

Using Your Own Designs - If you come up with a

great design, such as when we put stickers all over

a card and everyone agreed it was one of our best

looks, get copies of the card made so the entire

group can use the design.

Postcard Party Bag - Have a postcard party bag

with pens, markets, highlighters, postcards, and

stamps always ready to go.

To-go Packs - Make postcard to-go packs for those

who can’t attend a party.

Importance of Refreshments - Bribe people with

food—donuts, candy, even sheet cake.

Motto - If you’re not having fun writing postcards,

you’re doing something wrong.

The powerhouse women of Fredericksburg Area

Pantsuiters met weekly and wrote thousands of

postcards for Virginia candidates.

v1c

Twitter Gallery of 2017 Postcards

v1c