How to Organize an Issue Forum

Photo of audience members at a town hall meeting. Woman raises hand.

Plan a Successful Event

Issue forums are a great way to share educational information about AAUW issues with your community and draw potential members into your branch. Whether your event takes the format of a town hall, panel discussion, virtual event, or something else, the basic steps for planning a successful event are the same.

Find our best practices below, and e-mail us with any questions. Above all, be sure to tailor your content and format to your audience and community for maximum effect.

The Basics

Issue forums allow for community dialogue on current events or issues of relevance to AAUW. We recommend choosing one topic on which to focus your event, such as equal pay, campus sexual assault, or a recent AAUW research report. An issue forum can be structured in one of many ways. Consider the following formats.

Best Practices for a Successful Event