Since the start of the year, we’ve been focusing on monthly initiatives. A theme that sets the stage for some of the posts we’ll be sharing throughout the month. In January, we focused on good habits. During February we kept those good habits going with a particular focus on taking care of our mental health. This month, we mentioned in the Monthly Welcome that we want to put the focus on relationships, and in particular, to something called “friendraising” like fundraising, but with friends, ya dig it? Here’s how to start a meetup group and do a little friendraising for yourself.
The communities we love to insert ourselves into are usually built around shared interests: cooking, hiking, parents, etc. Normally we find out about these groups through friends, community calendars, our city’s free weekly paper, or the internet, and sometimes we start our own groups. In 2018, I started Chapel Hill Free Meditation and Adventurous Women of the Triangle. These two groups alone have over 1,200 members!
Here’s a rundown of how and why I decided to start two Meetup groups in my area and some considerations should you want to start your own:
Reasons to Start a Meetup Group:
- You have a specific interest
- You want to make pals
- You feel there should be more ‘to do’ in your area
- You have expert knowledge about a topic or activity
- You know the 411 about your area
- You want to create community and friendraise
One of the reasons I wanted to start a meetup group in Chapel Hill was to add credibility to my free meditation classes. I was already holding ‘meetups’ at local cafes and venues, but I wanted our group to have a name and an online platform where I could disseminate updated information. Meetup provides a simplistic platform for which to schedule events and provide essential information for each event. Meetup is preferable to Facebook in this case because the information for each group is very easy to find. Plus, some people are just anti-facebook and in this way Meetup is more welcoming and less offensive for those folks.
Another reason I felt called to start a meetup group is my skillset. There are several adventure and outdoor groups in central NC already, but I knew that I was providing a unique background as an adventure guide. I’m comfortable commanding a group of people who are new to outdoor activities. I’m also confident in my first aid and first responder training, so as a Meetup leader, I assume some responsibility for the health and wellness of my group.
How To Start a Meetup Group:
- Sign up for Meetup
- Choose your group’s geographic location
- Choose specific hobbies or interests for your group’s topic
- Come up with a descriptive name
- Create a short, welcoming, descriptive intro to encourage people to join your group
Things To Consider When Forming a Meetup Group:
Does this group already exist? If you do a quick search and the group you wanted to start is already out there, great! This should be encouraging. There is already a group of people waiting to Meetup with you. If you want to take a leadership role or help organize events, try attending a few events first. Establish a connection with the group and their organizers and ask how you can be of assistance.
Do you have enough time? Organizing meetups and being diligent about attending them is honestly a chore sometimes. When you are super busy and have a few meetups on the calendar, you really can’t flake on everyone. Your meetup may be something someone looks forward to all day long, don’t let them down! Which leads to my next point…
Ask for help! Designate a (willing) friend to be your cohort. Make sure it doesn’t feel like a chore to him or her. If you don’t have a friend that can help, just let it be known that your new meetup group will need support at a high level. Announce that you want people to step up and help you co-lead and co-organize before and after each event and you’ll probably find some enthusiastic helpers.
Meetup costs money. This sh!t ain’t free! This seems like a no-brainer, but I was completely shocked. I must have signed up for a six-month trial or something because I was totally confused when my $100 meetup membership charge appeared on my credit statement. No worries though, you can easily charge dues right through the Meetup platform! I charge $5 a year. Charging a small fee actually adds integrity to the group and weeds out peeps who are completely inactive on the platform or uninterested in your group. These folks always have the option to join and pay in the future if they want!
Keep it simple. Do not try to do everything at once. Start with a simple concept for an event and try it out. Then repeat. If you’re finding people aren’t showing up a second time, ask why. You can create a survey on Meetup to figure out the best day and time to meet to improve attendance. Before you wrap up each event, allow members to tell you want they would like from the group, this is such an informative element of being a group leader.
Coordinate with other local groups! One of my favorite aspects of running a meetup group is having other groups reach out and ask to promote their community events. These small connections make it clear just how many people are out there trying to friendraise and create community. I love it! I honestly think of my Meetup hosting as an extension of my love of party planning. I may not be 20 and packing house parties in Philly anymore, but I am nearly 30 and gathering a dozen kind souls together to meditate or drawing 10 wildly different women together on one hiking trail for a couple of hours.
That’s the jist of it. Figure out what you want to do and the people you want to do it with are surely out there waiting! Seriously. All I did was start a meetup group and tons of people joined. Then a few people came to an event and then a few more and so on and so forth.