Election years present associations with opportunities for political activism and advocacy that don't exist at other times. Candidate forums, for example, offer the chance to educate voters, build community, and establish your association as an authority on certain issues.

"It's also, perhaps most importantly, an opportunity to get the issues that your association cares about talked about by the candidate, by the voters, and oftentimes, by the press," says Elizabeth Holden, grassroots advocacy manager at the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

To help you educate, community-build, and inspire conversation in your own candidate forum, Holden fashioned a list of do's and don'ts to guide your planning.

Don't leave the planning to the last minute. "We know that candidates really want the opportunities to seek the voters," Holden says. "But they're pulled in a lot of different directions." That means it's critical to set a date and choose a venue that works for the candidates. At any level of government, Holden recommends scheduling your candidate forum date well in advance of Election Day. And steer clear of dates and times when voters are less likely to pay attention. "Avoid religious or government holidays, dates when other community functions are scheduled, and business hours," Holden writes on the AAUW website.

Do keep it nonpartisan. Not only is nonpartisanship a good way to draw a wide audience, it's also important for maintaining your association's 501(c)(3) status. To that end, remind the invited candidates, the audience, and the staff to keep the discussion away from party politics. Make sure that you invite all candidates in a race, that the format of the forum is fair, that the candidates are given equal time to speak, and that you cover a broad range of issues, Holden says. She recommends talking to your in-house counsel and brushing up on IRS regulations regarding nonprofits hosting candidate forums.

Candidate forums are an opportunity to get the issues that your association cares about talked about by the candidate, by the voters, and oftentimes, by the press.—Elizabeth Holden, American Association of University Women

Don't assume all participants know how to keep it nonpartisan. It's your responsibility as the host to make sure that everyone involved in the forum knows how to steer clear of partisanship. You can do this by hosting the forum at a neutral venue that isn't associated with any party, candidate, or issue; reminding your moderator to stay neutral; and having your staff review audience members' questions before they're asked.

Do ask questions about your association's key issues. "By virtue of being the host of this event, you have the opportunity to ensure that the issues you want talked about are talked about," Holden says. "You can get candidates on the record with the things that matter the most to you or your members." You can do this by, for instance, giving the candidates questions on certain key themes ahead of time or having audience members write their questions on index cards and having association staff review them and select which ones are asked.

"I would encourage associations not to just do an intro statement and then just open it up willy-nilly up to the audience, because you can't control what folks are going to ask," Holden says. "And part of the added bonus of being the host is that you ensure that your questions are the ones being asked of candidates."