samhsa.gov/prevention-week

NATIONAL PREVENTION WEEK 

EVENT PLANNING CHECKLIST 

One of the first steps in planning a successful National Prevention Week event is to 

develop a detailed timeline and checklist of tasks. 

This checklist will help you stay on track and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. Use the following schedule 

of activities to plan your event. 

Not every step in this checklist may be necessary for your event, so customize it to fit your organization’s needs. You 

may also find that the checklist can be shortened depending on your event’s size and purpose or when you begin 

planning your event. 

Tell us about your prevention event! Submit details about your event for a chance to be featured in future National 

Prevention Week promotional materials. 

Planning Timeline 

TIME FRAME ESSENTIAL PLANNING ACTIVITIES FOR CONSIDERATION 

FOUR MONTHS OUT PLANNING THE EVENT: 

Brainstorm the core elements of your event with 

staff, board members, and/or event planning 

committee members. 

Create a draft budget. 

Create a timeline. 

Form teams and assign duties. 

Develop a brief fact sheet to provide an overview 

and explain the goal of your event. 

Ask sponsors, partners, and vendors to help 

underwrite the costs. 

Determine a location. Submit requests for permits 

(as needed). Secure/reserve an event location for 

your chosen date(s). Identify a backup location in 

case of inclement weather (if the primary event 

location is outdoors). 

When Brainstorming: 

• Identify the goal of the event and

topics or themes to address.

• Identify the target audience.

• Identify the type of event and the

setting (educational, sporting,

community, workforce).

• Identify a date for the event

— determine whether other

community organizations or

coalitions may be planning

something around the same time

that could support the event or

compete with it.

• Identify tangible outcomes and the

impact you want to achieve as a

result of the event.
samhsa.gov/prevention-week 

TIME FRAME ESSENTIAL PLANNING ACTIVITIES FOR CONSIDERATION 

FOUR MONTHS OUT Create a detailed supplies list—determine what 

must be bought and what can be borrowed or 

received as donations. 

Book necessary vendors. 

PARTNERS: 

Identify potential community and state partners. 

Contact these potential partners. 

PROMOTION/MEDIA: 

Create a marketing strategy. 

Craft messages for promotional materials. 

Create a list of promotional materials for 

distribution, focusing on who receives which 

materials and when. 

Assess the need for a professional printer and set 

up a printing schedule if necessary. 

Start collecting national and local data from 

samhsa.gov/data and other resources with 

community-specific data. 

Determine whether audiences are active on social 

media and create a social media promotion plan. 

Develop a media outreach strategy and schedule. 

Determine the specific story you want to 

communicate to the media, and craft 

corresponding key messages. 

Identify key networks and publications for 

outreach efforts. 

EVALUATION: 

Determine the objectives of your event. 

Determine target outcomes and evaluation 

metrics to document ongoing processes and final 

results. Identify a process for capturing data. 

When contacting partners: 

• Share your event fact sheet.

• Send the partner sponsorship

letter to the partners you want to

approach to help fund or provide

resources in support of your event.

• Invite partners to participate on

your event planning committee.

When creating a social media promotional 

plan, consider: 

• Creating accounts on Facebook,

Twitter, YouTube, and/or other

social media sites that are relevant

to your target audiences (e.g.,

Instagram);

• Identifying local community and

prevention bloggers for targeted

outreach and engagement;

• Creating a YouTube promotional

video; and

• Visiting samhsa.gov/preventionweek for sample social media 

messages.

Check with other organizations 

that have planned similar events 

to discuss media outreach tips 

and lessons learned. 

THREE MONTHS OUT PLANNING THE EVENT: 

Create a guest list. 

Invite speakers or special guests. 

Determine how many volunteers you will need to 

help plan and implement the event. 

Identify and contact local businesses, 

centers, schools, places of worship, 

community event calendars, health and 

fitness groups, local gyms, etc., that may 

promote your event. 
samhsa.gov/prevention-week 

TIME FRAME ESSENTIAL PLANNING ACTIVITIES FOR CONSIDERATION 

THREE MONTHS OUT PARTNERS: 

Include each partner’s role(s) in your 

promotional materials or event promotion. 

Publicly acknowledge each partner’s support 

for your event by including their logo in all print 

materials, on your website, and in media/social 

media outreach. 

Ask partners to promote your event on their 

websites and social media channels. Provide 

promotional messages and event information. 

PROMOTION/MEDIA: 

Announce your event to your supporters/partners. 

Create and print custom promotional materials. 

Pull together local statistics and other data (e.g., 

from state or county statistics departments, 

university research centers, and local law 

enforcement or other agencies). 

Share your event fact sheet with the local 

community and media. 

Update your organization’s or group’s website 

and/or blog with information about your event and 

upcoming activity dates and times. 

Create a detailed schedule for social media posts 

and blogger outreach. Include dates and times 

when content should be posted. 

Draft social media posts and blogger 

outreach materials. 

Send bloggers the outreach materials. 

Begin disseminating social media posts using your 

organization’s Facebook and Twitter accounts and 

including the National Prevention Week hashtag 

#NationalPreventionWeek24. 

Identify key reporters within targeted 

networks and publications and obtain their 

contact information. 

Craft and share pitch points with your 

event planning team and people within 

your organization. 

Write live-read radio scripts. 

Schedule a round of follow-up emails to send 

to bloggers who have not responded by a 

certain date (to be determined by you or your 

organization). 

TWO MONTHS OUT PLANNING THE EVENT: 

Draft a tentative schedule and agenda for 

your event. 

Recruit volunteers. 

Confirm the availability of necessary amenities 

for guests. 
samhsa.gov/prevention-week 

TIME FRAME ESSENTIAL PLANNING ACTIVITIES FOR CONSIDERATION 

TWO MONTHS OUT Plan for room visuals (e.g., background for 

podium, posters for speaker presentations, visuals 

for sign-in areas, directional signs). 

Make arrangements for security. 

PARTNERS: 

Continue to identify new partners or partner 

roles for the event. 

PROMOTION/MEDIA: 

Begin posting about your event and use 

the National Prevention Week hashtag on 

social media. 

Send follow-up emails to identified bloggers. 

Print fact sheets to distribute at the event. 

EVALUATION: 

Develop a feedback/evaluation form to 

collect information about outcomes and 

ideas for future events. 

Think about event logistics, such as: 

• Are facilities available that are

accessible by persons with

disabilities?

• Who controls the lights and

thermostat?

• Is the sign-in area an anteroom or

a wide hall with sufficient space to

keep traffic moving as media and

guests arrive?

• Is there an area to serve

refreshments with enough

wastebaskets?

• Are there a sufficient number of

restrooms?

• Where will people put coats if the

weather is rainy or cold?

• Is there parking close by for media,

participants, and others?

Post a YouTube video or link to videos hosted 

on SAMHSA’s YouTube channel. 

Set up meetings with local radio stations to 

arrange for live-read radio broadcasts. 

ONE MONTH OUT PLANNING THE EVENT: 

Send confirmation letters to speakers 

and participants. 

Compile a list of event duties and indicate who is 

responsible for each. 

Make arrangements to videotape or photograph 

the event. 

PARTNERS: 

Invite staff from partner organizations to 

volunteer or participate at the event. 

Line up backup speakers in case a lastminute replacement is needed. 

Identify who will be responsible for 

activities, including: 

• Transport of supplies to the event

area,

• Event setup,

• Greeting of attendees and

management of sign-in tables,

• Attendee and speaker escorts,

• Post-event cleanup, and

• Monitoring of office phone during

the event and coordination of calls

to cell phones at the event.
samhsa.gov/prevention-week 

TIME FRAME ESSENTIAL PLANNING ACTIVITIES FOR CONSIDERATION 

ONE MONTH OUT PROMOTION/MEDIA: 

Distribute promotional materials locally 

and digitally. 

Create and post “Save the Date” notices on social 

media—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram—and 

include the event name, date, website, and 

National Prevention Week hashtag (recommend 

posting during the first and last weeks of 

the month). 

Draft a press release about your upcoming event. 

Prepare a media advisory. 

Send designated reporters a media kit that 

includes a press release, media alert, and 

community or National Prevention Week 

fact sheet. 

Follow up with reporters as necessary to secure 

coverage of your prevention event. 

EVALUATION: 

As promotional and media outreach materials are 

disseminated, monitor online activity to measure 

the promotion and reach of your event. 

If needed, hire a person to sign for the 

hearing impaired. 

If needed, conduct a second round of 

outreach to volunteers for the day of 

the event. 

Consider speaking opportunities for partners 

at the event. 

Write an op-ed for a local publication. 

Place your event on the daybooks of local 

media and local Associated Press (AP) and 

United Press International (UPI). 

If partners promote your event, request 

information about how extensive their 

reach is as well. 

MONTH OF THE EVENT PLANNING THE EVENT: 

Send out reminder invitations. 

Assess supply list to identify outstanding gaps. 

PARTNERS: 

Request any materials or visuals the partners 

may want to have at the event. Coordinate delivery 

and setup. 

PROMOTION/MEDIA: 

Post reminders on websites and/or social media 

networks and post flyers that include your event 

name, date, website, and the National Prevention 

Week hashtag. 

Follow up with reporters as necessary to secure 

coverage of your prevention event. 

EVALUATION: 

As promotional and media outreach materials are 

disseminated, monitor online activity to measure 

the promotion and reach of your event. 

Post the reminders during the first week of 

the month and a week before the event. 

If partners promote your event, request 

information about how extensive their reach 

is as well. 
samhsa.gov/prevention-week 

TIME FRAME ESSENTIAL PLANNING ACTIVITIES FOR CONSIDERATION 

WEEK OF EVENT PLANNING THE EVENT: 

Hold a meeting to finalize any logistics prior to 

the event. 

Confirm all arrangements (e.g., payment, delivery 

of goods, photographer, and schedule) with any 

vendors, speakers, or important event attendees. 

Visit the event site to ensure preparations are 

in place. 

Collect equipment to take to the event, including 

easels, tape, staplers, note pads, pens, extension 

cords, and other items. 

Conduct a walk-through of the event, including 

testing of audiovisual equipment, 1-2 days before 

the event date. 

PARTNERS: 

Provide partners with an overview of the final 

logistics for the event. 

PROMOTION/MEDIA: 

Post messages on websites and/or social 

media networks with a call-to-action message 

of how to make a difference and be part of 

SAMHSA’s National Prevention Week. Include 

your community’s name and your event name, 

date, website, and the National Prevention 

Week hashtag. 

Print hard copies of promotional materials to hand 

out during your event. 

EVALUATION: 

Disseminate a feedback/evaluation form to event 

planners and/or participants with instructions for 

how to complete the forms and a submission date. 

Coordinate partner speakers for media 

interviews. 

Post the promotional messages at the 

beginning of the week and on the day of the 

event; for the day of the event, alter the 

message to “Today is the day!” 

MONTH AFTER EVENT EVENT WRAP-UP: 

Place thank-you calls to supporters, sponsors, and 

media contacts who provided coverage. 

Write thank-you letters and notes. 

Post pictures and videos from your event on your 

website and/or social media networks and share 

the photos with SAMHSA. Obtain the necessary 

permissions from people featured in the photos 

and videos before posting them online or using 

them in print materials. 

Compile press clippings from the event coverage. 

Post a message on websites and social media 

networks thanking those who participated— 

especially in-kind donors and volunteers. 
samhsa.gov/prevention-week 

TIME FRAME ESSENTIAL PLANNING ACTIVITIES FOR CONSIDERATION 

MONTH AFTER EVENT PARTNERS: 

Place thank-you calls or write thank-you letters 

to partners. 

EVALUATION: 

Review and assess media coverage. 

Collect feedback forms from event planners and/ 

or participants. 

Compare and evaluate event objectives 

and results. 

Write an overview of the event, including lessons 

learned, for internal use and future planning. 

Share feedback with SAMHSA with your success 

story and examples of specific outcomes, such as 

new partnerships formed, new products 

developed, and/or engagement of policymakers in 

your organization’s initiatives. You can email David 

Wilson, SAMHSA’s National Prevention Week 

Coordinator, at david.wilson@samhsa.hhs.gov or 

submit details about your event on the National 

Prevention Week website. 

Send articles that cover the event to David Wilson, 

SAMHSA’s National Prevention Week Coordinator, 

at david.wilson@samhsa.hhs.gov. Be sure to 

include photos! 

Share event summary and media coverage 

received with partners. 

Request that partners complete a feedback 

form and share lessons learned on the 

experience, to be used for future planning.