The NJ Tech Meetup’s ‘No Show List of Shame’

Guest blog contributor Aaron Price, Organizer of the NJ Tech Meetup, divulges his No-Show management secrets:

When I decided to start the NJ Tech Meetup, I knew it would take a lot of time and dedication, potentially away from my full time focus as founder of weCraft.com.  I wasn’t eager to put in tons of time if a high percentage of RSVPs were no-shows at each meetup, a frustration I often heard voiced from organizer friends.  I decided to launch our group with a policy to thwart the problem: The No Show List of Shame. 

Here’s how it works: I ask our members who RSVP for an event to update that RSVP before the event if they can’t make it.  Simple enough, right?  Treat us with respect and we’ll do the same.  Offenders end up on the No Show List of Shame that we send out to the entire group.  Two-time offenders are banned from the group entirely. 

The results?  Since our meetups always have a waitlist, it’s a fair way to let people in who want to attend and keep the room full.  Our last event is fairly representative: 190 attendees, 8 no-shows = 4.2% No Show Rate.

I’ve found the people respect the policy and stay very attentive to an RSVP as plans change.  Moreso, others appreciate when a seat opens up that lets them in.  This creates a helpful and respectful community of members.

In the 3 years I’ve been running the group, I’ve received exactly two complaints from no-show’ers who made the list compared with tons of praise and appreciation toward the policy.  To me, that’s a fair price to pay to make room for the many hundreds who have been able to attend as spots open up.

Given the focus I have to my main passion, weCraft.com, I have huge appreciation for how we each spend our time and respect our teammates.  The NJ Tech Meetup is no different – treat members professionally, ask them to respect your time, and a stronger community is formed for all.

NJ Tech Meetup

Interview: Kevin, San Francisco Homebrewers Guild

We’ve all probably dabbled in cooking, but have you ever tried to make your own beer? Organizer Kevin of the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild shared some of the ins and outs of homebrewing.

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Why was this group created?

We created the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild (SFHG) presence on Meetup to serve as an organizing force for the local homebrewing community in the city. Our membership on Meetup has grown from 287 when I took over as Organizer in October 2012 to more than 400 today.

What do you think inspires members to join?

I believe members have been inspired to join by our ability to truly bring the homebrewing community together. We offer a space for brewers to Meetup, share their knowledge and passion of homebrewing, and, of course, share their creations!

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What does a typical Meetup consist of?

Our regular Meetup is our Monthly Meeting that we hold at a local brewery. Each month we profile a specific style of beer and discuss how to brew it at home, and then have additional presentations about tips and techniques our brewers are using.

Several of our Meetups revolve around homebrew competitions and the subsequent awards events. In addition to winning our club-internal awards, some of our brewers have taken home First, Second, and Third Place ribbons in competitions in San Diego, cities around the Bay Area, and one took home a first place in Wisconsin!

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Is there something you’ve always wanted to learn how to do? You could try to learn by yourself from a book or a podcast…or maybe you could join an awesome Meetup near you!

imageLisa Marie is on Meetup’s Community team.

ARF: From Kill Shelters to Loving Homes

Since March 2008, Animal Rescue Flights has been flying animals away from kill shelters and into loving homes all across the United States. Once I saw the amazing mission of this group, I had to talk to Organizers Clark and Julia to find out more!

What inspired you to start this Meetup Group?

I am the organizer for the Northeast Pilots Group and I received an email from a desperate rescue coordinator who could not find drivers to handle the last segment.  The timing was critical as two Kelpie puppies had to be removed from the kill shelter or be put down.
 
I also learned that 3-4 million animals are put down each year in the U.S. and that there is a dire need to transport them to rescues from where they can be adopted.  I contacted Julia, who is the Organizer for the Phoenix Pilots Group, and we enthusiastically decided to create a flying organization specifically dedicated to the cause.
 
We needed a name that described what we do in the simplest terms and Animal Rescue Flights was chosen.  When we realized that the acronym was ARF, it became official.

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What kinds of members do you see coming from Meetup?

Mostly pilots, who are the backbone of our operations, but we also see a lot of non-pilots who love animals and offer to help out in any way they can.  Some of these members have helped by driving when the weather prevents the completion of a transport by air, or by putting up posters at their local airports.

What advice would you give to an Organizer who needs to train members to do a specialized task?

If advice had to be given to an Organizer, it might be to show how a task can be successfully completed by a group effort, so the challenge is presented to the group and not to any particular member.  It’s often easy to illustrate how much more can be accomplished by members working together and applying their own unique skills to a task than could be realized by individual efforts.

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What is the most rewarding moment in your Meetups?

The most endearing moments are when animals are handed off directly into the arms of the children whose families arranged for the adoption.  There’s rarely a dry eye in the place!

Thank you, ARF, for the inspiring story! Remember, you don’t need to be a pilot to save a furry friend. Check out some of our Animal Lover and Animal Rescue groups and see how you can get involved!


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image Lisa Marie is on Meetup’s Community team.

Interview: Ula, Organizer of Be Active. Be Outdoors.

Keeping active in the cold

Next week, temperatures will drop to near-freezing in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, but that’s not stopping the Be Active, Be Outdoors Meetup Group!

Organizer Ula embraces the changing seasons and what it means for her Meetup Group. “I live in a state with four great seasons,” she says, “It doesn’t matter if it is summer or winter. I try to go out and spend some time outdoors.”

During the fall and into winter, this group keeps active with mountain biking, volunteer activities, indoor yoga and nutrition classes.

To help keep off the dreaded holiday pounds, the group plans an active Meetup for the day after Thanksgiving. “I usually have a ‘next-day’ hike to burn that turkey off. Black Friday hike! I want to encourage more people to spend time outside instead of going shopping.”

Once it gets cold enough, a whole world of activities opens up! “During the winter months, I schedule skiing, showshoeing or snowboarding Meetups.”

When Ula started the Meetup in January 2011, she had a vision of an outdoor group without age or activity restrictions. “I try to organize as many Meetups as possible. Indoors or outdoors. During summer we have plenty local hikes, kayaking trips, camping, as well as trips out of state.”

“We spend our days hiking Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. It was wonderful time to see all wildlife in their own habitat, geysers and basins full of colors.” Don’t forget to check out some of their beautiful photos.

Ula recommends scheduling a variety of activities, and asking members for suggestions as well. Her advice to Outdoor Organizers? Be creative! “People are joining your group not only for the events you offer, but also to meet other people. There is no reason to limit yourself or others.”

What can members do? Suggest Meetups, offer to help and have fun! “Remind your members that they are more than welcome to suggest any ideas for an event.

“Members, don’t be afraid to interact with others. The more you try to talk and learn about other members during event, the more new friends you make.

“If your group is donation based…donate if you enjoy their events!”

Ultimately, the point of your Meetup is to connect with others face-to-face. “Get out, face your fears, make new friends and have a blast. You won’t regret it.”

Click here to find an Outdoor Group near you, and here for tips on starting your own!


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Lisa Marie is on Meetup’s Community team.

Interview: Kelly, Organizer of the Nashville Hiking Meetup Group

Keeping interest high & rewarding members

Long-time Organizer Kelly Stewart has been running Outdoor Meetup Groups since 2008, so he knows a thing or two about Best Practices, keeping up the momentum and rewarding active members.

Here’s what the Organizer of the Nashville Hiking Meetup Group and the Chattanooga Hiking Meetup Group had to say:


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How did the Nashville Hiking Meetup Group start? What do you think was key in building momentum?

The group started in October 2006, several months before I joined. By the time I joined in July of 2007, the Meetup had about 250 members. We now have over 5,200 members, which is a historical growth rate of 2.6 new members per day. In recent months, I’m seeing six new members per day.

By using tried and true practices, we’ve seen members’ excitement grow along with the membership numbers:


  • Focus on members and communicate strategically: Answer emails from members and potential members in a timely, polite, and thorough fashion. Set the tone for your Meetup in every communication, even if it’s just one person you’re emailing.

  • Anticipate questions and train your members to self-serve: How frustrating is it when an event posting is missing critical information and you have to email the leader? Put everything a member might want to know in the event description from the beginning.

  • Track everything: I have a big Google spreadsheet where I track metrics such as member growth rate, average events per week (we do five if you’re curious), and total volunteer hours. Also, be sure to implement Google Analytics on your Meetup site.

  • Brand your group and focus on the aesthetics and grammar: Just like a company, create a brand around your Meetup. We have a nice logo that we’ve used for several years, and it goes everywhere to represent us (t-shirts, beer coasters, stickers, magnets, partner event postings). Don’t underestimate the power of excellent spelling and grammar in your postings and emails!

  • Be authentic: ‘nuf said.

  • Partner with like-minded organizations: Do joint events with other Meetups in your city.

  • Build a dedicated leadership team: You can’t lead everything yourself. Find and nurture good event leaders.

  • Promote discipleship (viral marketing): Do what you can to get your happy members talking about your Meetup to friends, to family, and on social networks. Create and nurture a presence on other social networks.

  • Reward your best members: There are ad hoc ways to reward active members, such as giving recognition in emails and on social networks. For example, one of my members just hit his 250th event and I recognized him in a post on our Facebook page.

How do you handle no-shows?

Our no-show rate for hikes is only about 10%. We devised a “dot system” a few years ago where we would put a period in the member’s nickname field for each unexcused no-shows. 
I think members RSVP and fail to attend for several reasons. Closer to the event they may forget that they’ve RSVP’ed; this is why manual email reminders are an important tool for me. 


What would you recommend to an Organizer who is just starting out? An Organizer who has members, but is having trouble with ‘no-shows’ or member participation?

Many of the practices in the first question are relevant here, but let me also add:
  • always have a future event on your calendar.

  • figure out if there’s a minimum number of RSVPs for an event in order for it to be worth executing the event.

  • Don’t be frustrated if you’re just starting out and your attendance is low. Keep at it.

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These are just a few bits of advice from this veteran Organizer!

If you’re interested in reading more of Kelly’s advice, he has a blog of his own.

For you true Hiking aficionados, be on the lookout for his upcoming book, Hiking Tennessee, a guidebook to the best day hikes in the state!
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Lisa Marie is on Meetup’s Community team.

Interview: Jill Salzman, Founding Moms

Jill Salzman is the genius Organizer behind the Founding Moms’ Exchange Meetups —there are now dozens of Founding Moms’ Meetup Groups around the world, specifically designed to support, educate and empower entrepreneurial Moms, with over 2,000 members.

We caught up with Jill to ask a few questions about her life as a super Organizer:

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How would you finish this sentence? Because of the Founding Moms Meetups…

My life has improved dramatically. I now run an organization entirely built upon the Meetup platform. Because of the organization, my professional reputation has earned me spots on top TV shows and media outlets (The New York Times! CNN’s Headline News!), I’ve become the author of a book (Found It: A Field Guide for Mom Entrepreneurs), I’ve done a TED talk partially about Meetup, and I’m launching an accelerator for mom entrepreneurs called The HighStyle Fund.

Do your members thank you?
All the time. Just last week I was given a hand-written thank-you note by one member just for doing what I do. I mean, it’s not just me doing it and I feel silly being thanked. It’s a member-driven organization and I’m merely a facilitator. We have over thirty brilliant facilitators, whom we call “hosts,” that help me to build our Founding Moms’ Exchanges everywhere. It’s a team effort, so personal thank you’s are always the cherry on top, and always humbling.
What’s the greatest success story you’ve seen come out of your Meetups?
The best success story has happened more than once: It’s always the moment that I hear that a member was able to hire someone else. When we have the ability, through encouragement and education, to empower an entrepreneur to build her business up enough to be able to hire someone else, that’s pretty much the be-all end-all for me. It’s the very definition of my success, and when it happens, it’s just awesome.
What do you see in the future for Founding Moms Meetups?
I see us continuing to grow far and wide. It’s astounding to me that three years ago, I didn’t know another fellow female entrepreneur who had kids. Now, I know over 3,000 and am meeting women who want to get a Founding Moms’ Exchange going in Mexico, in Australia, even The Netherlands where we just launched. It sounds so cliche to say it, but I still find it remarkable each and every day that there are women around the world who yearn to connect with like-minded folks, exactly the way I wanted to three years ago. The collective power of Founding Moms is literally changing the world, and this ride has been so awesome, I don’t want it to stop anytime soon.
Folks in the Chicago-area: you can catch Jill this week at Entrepreneurs Unpluggd, where she’ll be speaking on how to recognize opportunities when they come your way.

Thanks for taking a moment to share your Meetup story with us, Jill!
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Andrea leads Meetup’s Community team.

Interview: Jennie, Organizer of the Pinterest Social

Social media & real life


Have you ever had trouble coming up with an idea for a Meetup? Organizer Jennie Jackson has created an amazing solution: a Meetup Group using Pinterest! I had the chance to ask Jennie a few questions about her new and thriving community, The Pinterest Social:

There are a couple of interesting layers in your group: you’re using Meetup to execute projects that you found on Pinterest! How did you come up with this idea?

I made the move to San Diego and had hopes of rebuilding my network of creative friends and businesses. Pinterest had entered my life and was my evening internet browsing obsession. I was pinning all sorts of fun things but it struck me that few got done. The idea was born. A way to meet like-minded people…and make something too!


How do you determine if a good number of members are interested in a Pinterest project?

We have been lucky to have talented people in the group like make-up artists and jewelry designers willing to host. I approach local businesses to collaborate and host as well. Stationary shops, soap making stores and boutiques have all been very kind and welcoming to open their doors to our group.

I picked and hosted the first few socials as skills I can teach and bring to the group…like trending hair braids and plant terrariums. At the ‘meet and greets’ I ask around what people are interested in attending and that helps a lot with ideas. The group becomes great with member participation. I love when people from the group come forward and have a project they want to host and share.

It can be a challenge to find a good space for project making. Luckily, San Diego has pretty great weather so ‘crafternoons’ in the parks have been a good spot and I don’t have to put a limit on attendees.

I have announced Meetups that didn’t generate much buzz due to cost of supplies. I send out an email letting everyone know that we need more sign-ups to keep it on the calendar. I figure if the group is interested they will let me know by signing up. If not, I take it off the books and try another idea.


Time for a logistical question: with all the crafts, how do you handle the costs?

Every Meetup that includes projects and supplies have a cost associated with it to sign up. The great thing is the more that participate, the lower the cost because of sharing supplies.

I usually do a quick price shop before so I know how much it will all come to before scheduling and setting a cost. Our terrarium social was great, for $12 a person everyone went home with two terrariums and the know how to make more. I try to keep the project costs as low as possible for member participation.


Last, what has been your favorite Meetup moment so far?

I’d have to say the braiding social. NBC had contacted me a few weeks before and wanted to do a piece on our group. I had such a fun time sharing my stylist tips and tricks with the girls and then seeing what they created on each other. Having the news cameras there added to the excitement.

When I got the email it was going to be featured on the national nightly news I couldn’t wait to share it with the rest of the group! I was so excited for our newly started group to get national attention.
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By using Pinterest to fuel Meetups, they’ll never be out of ideas!

Do you have an inspiring or innovative way to come up with Meetups for your group? Let us know!

Lisa Marie is on Meetup’s Community team.

We have some fresh faces on the list of top 10 Outdoor Meetup Groups over the last 30 days! Outdoor Meetup Groups big and small can be inspired by some of this month’s top groups and their upcoming Meetups:

  • Dog-Friendly Hikes. Get away from the gated parks and paved roads and give your pup a taste of your local trails.

  • Overnight Trips. Immerse yourself in the great outdoors before the weather turns cold! With Labor Day coming up, this could be a good use of a three-day weekend.

  • A Challenge. Is there a local mountain, a steep slope, or a deep ocean to conquer? A little competition among the strong athletes in your group can be fun, especially with the Olympics in full swing! If your athletes are sponsored, profits can go to a local charity!

Top Outdoors Meetups, by RSVP July 2012:

Check to see where your Outdoors Meetup ranks on the worldwide leader board here.

If you’re the Organizer of a Outdoors Meetup Group, why don’t you schedule a Meetup? And if you’re looking to get involved with all the fun as a member, be sure to RSVP for an Outdoors Meetup near you.

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Lisa Marie is Meetup’s Outdoor Meetup Scoutmaster.

Get the full rundown on Outdoor Meetups here.

Tech Meetups: Ideas for your next Meetup

Remember that Tech Meetups needn’t be all speakers and showing-off (though that’s definitely a tried-and-true format). While more structured Meetups are a great way to cover a lot in one night, it’s often a good idea to schedule occasional Meetups for members to talk, network, have a drink, and generally take a load off, just like the Ann Arbor New Tech Meetup and Philly Tech Meetup did last month.

When organizing a social Tech Meetup:

  • Use your tech chops to make the most of your Meetup. Beforehand, start conversations in your Meetup around what people are working on/interested in. At the Meetup itself, try out apps like Sonar for connecting with folk once you’re through the door.
  • Get a good deal. Call ahead to the venue so they know you’ll be coming. If you’re bringing a large group of people, you might even be able to work out a discount on food or drinks for attendees.
  • Throw down the gauntlet. Challenge your members to meet five new people they can then say hi to at the next Meetup. Or in the spirit of hacking, encourage members to team up and hatch an idea for a project they can share at the next Meetup.

  Duncan covers everything from Arduinos to zettabytes as Meetup’s Tech Community Specialist. Get the full story on Tech Meetups here.

While we were super stoked to see a Redditors Meetup nab a Top-Ten Tech Meetup spot (Oh hey thur, guys!), we really wanted to give a shoutout to the Funders and Founders Meetup. They made it to the top ten despite being less than a year old.

Here are a couple takeaways from their Meetup you can sneak into your own Group:

  • Multiple Meetups a month. Even if you’re still a small Meetup, offering people a couple chances to get involved each month is a surefire way to ramp up participation.

  • Routine Meetups. Funders and Founders may schedule bonus Meetups, but they always hold their monthly Meetup with its central theme of “Life 3.0 - Startups That Change The Way You Live.” That kind of consistency is ideal for sustaining focus and interest from members—and distinguishing yourself from other groups.

  • Staying social. In between Meetups, Funders and Founders also stay active and promote themselves on Twitter, Facebook and other social media hubs.

Check out the latest Top Ten, or see where your own Tech Meetup lives in the worldwide leaderboard! 

Top Tech Meetups by RSVP, July 2012:

If you’re the Organizer of a Tech Meetup Group, why don’t you schedule a Meetup? And if you’re looking to get involved with all the fun as a member, be sure to RSVP for a Tech Meetup near you.

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Duncan covers everything from Arduinos to zettabytes as Meetup’s Tech Community Specialist. Get the full story on Tech Meetups here.