Dear organizers,

If you organize a meetup, you know how much goes into getting people in the same room. You find a place, answer questions, and make sure the person showing up for the first time feels welcome. Most of that work happens before anyone else gets there.

I want Third Camp to make that work easier. Organizers already give so much of their time, and often their own money. I don't think keeping a community together should mean taking on more and more costs just to reach the people you've brought together.

The idea is to give your community a home and a way to support itself. People could help cover a space, supplies, or whatever makes the next meetup possible. You'd have somewhere to send everyone, with the details they need to actually show up.

I'd also like to help with the things you might not know where to start with, like writing community policies or figuring out whether nonprofit status makes sense for your group. There's a lot to learn, and we should be able to share what we've figured out instead of each starting from scratch.

That includes looking after people. When someone has a concern or something goes wrong, you shouldn't be left guessing what to do. I want us to help organizers set clear expectations, make it easier for members to ask for help, and handle those situations with care.

You should be able to keep using other tools you like, too. Third Camp needs to be useful enough that you want it as your home base. And it needs to make enough money to keep going, but I want that to work for the communities using it as well. The costs should be clear, and what you get back should be worth it.

We're still building, and plenty of the details are open. I'd like to work through them with the people who are actually organizing these gatherings. The goal is pretty simple: help you keep doing something that matters to your community.

Thanks for bringing people together. I want to make it a little easier for you to keep going.