How to Host a Pro-Life Postcard Party

Today’s post is my guest author Heather C.

Postcards:

• Are easier for congressional aids to review and tally, 
• Add a visual message to your prose,
• Are cheaper than sending a letter, and
• Have a larger impact than an email.

Legislators assume that for every letter or postcard they receive from a constituent, there are at least 10 other constituents who feel the same way but didn’t bother to write. Therefore, the more people you get writing postcards, the louder your voices will be.

Step 1: Select a specific goal for the event. 

Is there a law or policy that you want a particular legislator to pursue or vote down?  Find the name and bill number for that policy.  Do you want to thank a legislator for standing firm on a policy?  Those thank you postcards are especially important.  

Step 2: Decide to whom you will send the postcards.

Create a list of names and their office addresses. You can send postcards to legislators who are not your elected officials. Yes, it’s less effective than sending postcards to your own legislator, but because campaign finances often come in from out-of-state donors, legislators will still look seriously at postcards from non-constituents. You can also plan to send multiple postcards to the same legislator spread out over time, such as sending a postcard every week. 

Step 3 : Decide on location, time, and date.

You can host a postcard writing party at your house, a local park (check for permits), a local library (reserve a room), or any other place you can think of. Invite your friends, or post it on social media if you want to include people from the public. If you’re comfortable posting publicly, I recommend posting in a local pro-life Facebook group or discord channel so that you specifically target pro-life people. Be sure to include the location, time, and date on the invite. Include a sentence on what your goal is with the postcard writing campaign. e.g. “We want our legislators to vote for HR bill 1234, which supports pregnant mothers” 

Step 4: Obtain the postcards.

You can print postcards from any local or online printing place such as FedEx/Kinkos, Vistaprint, or Shutterfly. I recommend using a pro-life printer such as LifeSupport so you can promote a pro-life business that will quality check your postcards. Typical postcard size is 4.25” x 5.5” and currently costs 40 cents in postage.   

You can design your own postcard using software such as Canva, MS paint, or PicMonkey. Or, you can download and use designs you find on the internet: just google “pro-life postcard.” It doesn’t have to be fancy. Some of the most effective postcards are simple, to the point, and contain only a few words of text.

Step 5: Write out some sample text for the postcard.

At your postcard writing party have the postcards and a few copies of your list of legislators with addresses. Because many people have writer’s block, offer a simple template for them to copy or modify as they see fit. It’s best to be straight and to the point. Sign the postcard and then print your name below your signature. For example:

Please vote NO on bill H.R 1234.

56% of American women feel that abortion should be banned in all or most situations. This bill does not represent the desires of the American people, nor does it provide support to women who choose life. 

Step 6:  Send out the postcards ASAP.

As soon as the party is done, run the postcards out to your local post office so that they get into the hands of legislators as soon as possible. Or, if you’d like to save money on postage, you can travel to each legislator’s office and hand the postcards directly to them. If you do this, it’s nice to get a photo of you handing the postcards to the legislator or aid to show your fellow writers that the task is complete.

Step 7:  Take a deep breath and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

Then, start planning your next party.