What to consider when starting a new meetup group?

March 1, 2024 10:56 AM

What do I need to know about starting a new meetup group? My specific interest (standup paddleboarding) is not currently represented on meetup.com in my area, or with any other clubs I can find nearby, but I do believe that there are folks locally who would be interested in joining such a group. So, I am thinking about starting it myself. What do I need to know?

I think I have some aptitude for this: I generally have fairly decent social, conflict resolution, and organization skill. I am enthusiastic about the sport and would enjoy doing it with other folks of varying experience and ability level. I know a lot about the waterways in the area and would be able to accurately describe conditions and skills necessary for particular outings. I have participated in lots of existing meetup groups and have a sense of the kinds of things that have been more successful than others. I think I can commit to planning 2-3 events per month. With that said, I have zero experience leading a meetup.com group and I imagine there are likely a whole host of challenges and considerations I might not be considering.

I am not a trained instructor or guide (and I do believe that some types of certification exist). I have a little bit of hesitation about lack of credentials, but I do have a significant amount of experience and skill.

What kinds of things should I keep in mind when deciding whether or not to actually start this group? What tips/tricks/wisdom can you share that would help a new organizer create a successful group?

posted by TurkishGolds to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (8 answers total)

Money.

You need to think about money.

1. Meetup costs money. Are you willing to eat this cost? Or will you charge a small fee to members to attend your events to cover this cost? When the amount you charge doesn't exactly balance against the amount you pay to Meetup, what will you do with the excess money?
2. Meetup takes time. Do you want to make at least a little bit of money for the time you spend organizing? Know that if you do try to make a profit, some potential/current/former members will treat you like an asshole for wanting that. Those members are pretty likely to be entitled assholes themselves, but YMMV.
3. Charging people money to come to events, even small amounts of money, somewhat paradoxically, can make them more likely to come to events. They take their RSVP more seriously if they pay for it in advance.
4. Charging people money to come to events can make it more difficult for marginalized people to attend your events, either because they don't have access to credit cards to pay for the event or because they can't afford the fee itself.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:38 AM on March 1, 2024 [1 favorite]

Agree on the charging a small, nominal amount of money--it's made me feel more connected to Meetup groups in the past and it creates a sense of accountability
posted by lizard2590 at 1:29 PM on March 1, 2024 [1 favorite]

I've no idea where you are or how this works in other places, but having organised some cold water swimming social groups via online platforms (facebook in my case) one thing we bang on about a lot is that This Is Not A Club, just a casual group of people agreeing to each do the same activity together at their own individual risk.

You just need to think a bit about whether there's any danger you might find yourself needing insurance, taking liability etc. If you organise a meetup on a certain stretch of water, conditions end up being dangerous, someone gets injured, and they say they thought it was safe and only did it because it was an organised activity, and it was organised by you, where does that leave you? Or if someone in your group accidentally injures/kills an innocent bystander, are you liable?

In my working life, I've also worked with a lot of recreational running groups and the organisation that licenses their leaders. So, not competitive athletics clubs but jogging groups. To access our insurance against the kind of things I mention above, they're expected to be trained as run leaders, to have first aid training, and to risk assess their routes, listing out any potential risks, working out how to minimise them, make sure they have contingency plans in place for potential accidents etc.

A lot more things pertain to physical activity stuff, that doesn't much bother the organisers of board games nights or theatre outings. You could maybe contact organisers of other sporting meetups to find out how they handle it, or if there's a Sports Governing Body for SUP, contact them and talk it through.
posted by penguin pie at 1:55 PM on March 1, 2024 [1 favorite]

Consider having at least a barebones code of conduct or statement about who is welcome - if you want your group to be welcome to e.g. queer people, *say so*, both to welcome in the folks you want and warn off the ones you don’t. But only promise as much as you’re willing to enforce. If you won’t actually kick, say, racist or sexist jerks out of the group, it would be better not to have a coc at all than to have one you won’t follow through on.
posted by Stacey at 4:14 PM on March 1, 2024

It is inevitable that there will be a creepy dude in the group bothering the women. This is now your problem. It is your responsibility to ask him to leave. If he doesn’t handle it well that is now your problem as well.

I agree about liability in general. Given that this is a water sport, you need to find out if you have any liability if someone gets hurt. I would consider posting very clear safety guidelines, along with a line about how they do this activity at their own risk, at the bare minimum.

Always get food when you’re done.
posted by Amy93 at 6:18 PM on March 1, 2024 [3 favorites]

Figure out why you want to host this meet up. You could presumably paddle board on your own. Is it to meet other people who do this activity? (Which means after you’ve made a core group who naturally get along and make plans would uou continue the official meet up?)

Is it to teach beginners who might just be starting out? (Or is there an expected level of skill going in? How do you approach faster/slower people?)

Do you want to develop infrastructure for this activity j the local area?


Do you just want to meet people and those how happen to paddle board would be fun to know?

I read the art of gathering recently and the idea of really digging in to “why” you’re coming together and sticking to that “why” has really interested me.
posted by raccoon409 at 7:37 PM on March 1, 2024 [1 favorite]

I agree with all the points above, however wanted to note as a data point that the cost is low enough for me to pay it, and make the group accessible to all income levels. I also wanted to add, it is so rewarding to host events!
posted by ellieBOA at 2:03 PM on March 2, 2024

Work on getting a team of people together so you can move towards something that transitions to take care of itself. Someone started the Mountain Club of MD for hikers. For $20/year, we bring our own gear, have a variety of hikes, with a variety of leaders, so no one has to do everything. They likely pre-date meetup, but that is one formula with money and people committing time to a passion so it transitions from one person/small group to being self-sustaining. If you want to use meetup to get started, that works too. Network with any place that sells gear or gives lessons , such as local parks and rec.
posted by childofTethys at 6:18 AM on March 4, 2024