RootsCamp in a Box

First, get your team together. Keep the core planning group small — no more than three people to start. These folks build your RootsCamp; day-of volunteers come later.

Co-hosts, not solo hosts. Every local RootsCamp is co-hosted by at least two organizations that don't share staff or a board. That's on purpose: a RootsCamp should convene strangers, not reunions. Your state party, an independent expenditure, a c3 civic engagement group, a union, an issue organization — any pairing works, as long as the room gets bigger than any one org's list.

Team Lead / Logistics Lead

• Find an awesome and cost-effective venue
• Build partnerships and get food donated or at very low cost
• Manage the budget (food, venue, capacity, etc.)
• Run logistics day-of (volunteers, registration, etc.)
• Schedule planning meetings

Outreach Lead

• Spread the word within the state
• Help the Team Lead build key allies
• Help fundraise
• Keep records of everyone signed up

Career Fair / Expo Lead

• Recruit employers and organizations to table — campaigns, nonprofits, government offices, consulting firms, unions, advocacy groups
• Line up professional development sessions and career coaching
• Make sure folks who are between jobs leave with real leads

Format: camps typically run Thursday evening through Saturday afternoon — Thursday night to open, all day Friday, and part of Saturday so folks with jobs can make it. Starting Friday morning instead is fine. It's a template, not a rule. Fifty to a hundred people is a win; you know your community best.

The first two weeks and the last two weeks are the busiest — use the middle stretch to plan logistics, recruit volunteers, and get ahead wherever you can.

Helpful hint: don't plan anything but confirmations for the final week. Things run late. Have everything laid out, printed, and reserved two weeks out.

You need three kinds of space:

• A plenary space big enough for everyone at once — opening session, intros, closing
• Breakout rooms — as many as you can get, sized for groups of 10–30 (more if your camp is bigger)
• Expo space — room for a half-dozen tables (more is fine) for employers, campaigns, and organizations that are hiring or recruiting

A union hall, a hotel meeting block, or a university building all work. Size and venue follow the room you can fill, not the other way around.

Venue checklist:

• Wifi — test it on more than one device
• Cost — try to get the space donated
• Food — do they have (cheap) catering, or can you bring outside food?
• Building access — weekend hours, security, other restrictions
• Accessibility
• Main room and breakouts sized for your expected crowd
• Extra tables and chairs — do they have them? Can you control room setup?
• A/V equipment — try to get it donated to avoid rental fees
• On-site staff contact numbers for the weekend

Your budget should track three columns: proposed costs, actuals (or estimates as you talk to vendors), and sponsorship income. Keep a running tally of what you expect to spend and what you still need to raise — those numbers are your sponsorship asks.

GAIN Power can help line up sponsors and seed funding to cover real costs, and Global GAIN — our 501(c)(3) — runs the RootsCamp scholarship fund so cost isn't why someone misses it.

A donation page is optional. A “tip jar” at the registration table or donations at your evening social also work well.

• GAIN Power will send you sample sponsorship emails and templates
• Create sponsorship levels or list specific items — e.g., “Saturday breakfast: $500; Saturday lunch: $800; printing: $250” — so sponsors can pick something concrete
• Tell sponsors who else is sponsoring. Names, not amounts. It builds community and a little harmless peer pressure
• For small organizations, visibility is the incentive — play it up
• Show sponsor logos prominently on your camp's page and update them as they come in
• Get high-res logos early for printing on signs

Your camp gets a listing on the national RootsCamp platform, with shared RSVP and agenda tools — no need to build your own site. Once your date and venue are confirmed, your event goes live and folks can find it, sign up, and see the developing agenda.

• Drive people to your camp's page for logistics, FAQ, and sign-up
• Keep it simple: information should be easy to find and intuitive
• Assign a volunteer to keep the attendee-facing info current
• Track your sign-ups so you can message attendees directly — reminder emails matter (see step 6)

• Make an outreach plan: your list, your co-hosts' lists, sponsors' lists, listservs, VIP contacts, friends
• Draft a sample email others can send to their lists, with your sign-up link
• Seed your attendee list with 25–40 people before your first big wave — include key community leaders and recognizable names so folks feel like this is the event to sign up for
• People like seeing who's coming. Keep the visible attendee list fresh; friends recruit friends
• Build in 2–3 reminder emails. They bolster numbers, clear out cancellations, and give you chances to ask for volunteers and session ideas
• A waitlist isn't a bad idea — it drives anticipation

Seeding sessions (6–7 weeks out). The beauty of RootsCamp is that it's organic and flexible. That said, seed it with a few sessions you know will be awesome. Tap key leaders, organizers, and electeds to lead sessions on a range of topics, and list what they're thinking about leading — even if it's not 100% — so folks see the agenda taking shape.

Suggesting sessions (2–4 weeks out). Explain the session process clearly and encourage everyone to lead one. Remind people to “vote with their feet,” that there are “no spectators,” and that if they aren't leading a session, they still have to talk.

The Rules of RootsCamp:

1st Rule: You do talk about RootsCamp. 2nd Rule: You do post about RootsCamp. 3rd Rule: If you want to present, you must write your topic and name in a presentation slot. 4th Rule: Only three-word intros. 5th Rule: As many presentations as time and space allow for. 6th Rule: No pre-scheduled presentations, no tourists. 7th Rule: Presentations go on as long as they want, or until they run into another presentation slot.

The schedule. Before camp, post the general schedule (doors, meals, session blocks, career fair hours, evening social). People will ask for the “official agenda” — that's your opening to explain that attendees build it themselves, day-of.

The Wall. People love the Wall — it's the center of RootsCamp. Find a large, open space in a central, accessible spot. Foam core, masking tape, and half-sheets of paper. Thick markers, not pens, so sessions are readable from a distance. Session pitching and voting can also run through the national platform, so the agenda is visible on phones as it fills in — assign a volunteer to keep the two in sync during the day.

The career fair. Set expo tables where the foot traffic is — near registration or the coffee. Give employers a heads-up on the crowd they'll meet, and give attendees a map of who's tabling. Pair the expo with sessions on paths folks may not have considered: government, nonprofits, consulting, advocacy, unions.

The social. Be intentional about social time, and make sure there's a real option that isn't alcohol-based — arts and crafts, camp games, space to just talk without pressure to perform. (Fair warning from experience: the bar may still win. That's okay. The point is choice.)

• Food: breakfast, lunch, snacks. (Costco is your friend!)
• Drinks: bottled water, or ask folks to bring water bottles and offer fill stations. A sponsor donating branded bottles works too
• Printing and copies: try to get it donated; plan third-party print jobs ahead; don't print what doesn't need printing
• Overnight space: cheap or free lodging for anyone traveling — a hotel room block at a discounted rate, or couch/ride swaps (helpful, occasionally awkward)
• A logistics doc: track everything in one place — then print it in a binder. Trust us, you'll want it at RootsCamp
• Contacts: a spreadsheet of every name, phone number, and email you collect. It'll come in handy

Tell us where you stand — our interest form is the fastest way: Bring RootsCamp to Your State. From there, join a group call with other interested states, set up a one-on-one, or just email your questions.

Contact: Amy Pritchard, Founder, GAIN Power · amy@gainpower.org · 202.256.2771