This is your event, but we want to help support you in having a successful meet-up however we can. Check out the guide below and email the Meet-ups Lead at meetups@reachchurch.cc if you have any questions.

Two Weeks Before Launch

• Invite People – Give them a call, use social media, or shoot them a text. Don’t forget to personally invite some folks to your meet-up. If you’re part of a Group, invite them to host the meet-up with you and to invite their friends along. Meet-ups can be a great place to create connection to your Group and encourage newcomers that live nearby to join your Group. Your meet-up will also be publicly communicated on the Meet-ups webpage, the Reach app, and in a Sunday announcement the month of your launch.
• Make a Plan – If your meet-up relies on outside circumstances, such as weather conditions or a reservation, make sure to figure out the details before it’s too late. If necessary, make an agenda for the day of and communicate it to your RSVPs.
• Check your Email – All of your RSVPs will be sent to you by email. It’s a good idea to reply to any RSVPs welcoming them. If your meet-up fills up, you want to avoid having to turn away additional people—email the Meet-ups Lead as soon as possible so they can take it down from the website/app.
• Digital Waivers – If your meet-up involves any potential physical dangers, the Meet-ups Admin will have given you info about the Meet-ups Digital Waiver. Many people may have already filled out a the waiver for a previous meet-up, and won’t need to again. This is a short and simple digital waiver, and it’s easy to check the list of completed waivers if you need to. You can reply to those who RSVP reminding them to complete the waiver (at reachchurch.cc/meetups/waiver) before the meet-up, or use your own smartphone, laptop or tablet in-person the day of to have them sign the waiver. Remind them that the waiver is only required once for all meet-ups, even other hosts’. You must verify that all attendees have completed waivers. Here's how to check the list:
• Go to reachchurch.cc/waivers and sign in with these credentials:
• Username: MeetupForms@reachchurch.cc
  Password: 1Kirkland0
• Go to the “Manage” tab and you should see the names of people who have completed waivers by clicking “Completed” under the sidebar.

Two Days Before Launch

• Check-in with your RSVPS – Not everyone is a planner like you. Be sure to send out an email and/or personal texts to tell everyone when and where to meet, to sign any necessary waivers, as well as what they need to bring. If your meet-up is recurring, personally contact newcomers and don’t be afraid to ask regular attenders to help with the details.
• Need to Cancel? – If you are uncomfortable with the number of people who RSVP, or if weather or plans change, feel the freedom to cancel your meet-up at any point. Just make sure you let your RSVPs know ahead of time, and email meetups@reachchurch.cc if you need to remove your meet-up post from the website/app.
• Choose a Chat Method – If your meet-up will be recurring, consider creating a Facebook group or GroupMe for ongoing communication with your regular attenders. Tell people about it at your meet-up and in your follow-up email.

Launch Day

• Arrive Early – Make sure to arrive early to welcome and orient people when they show up.
• Double-Check the Waviers – If your meet-up requires a waiver, be sure everyone who shows up has signed one, especially if someone brings guests who didn’t RSVP beforehand.
• Stay Safe – Remember, this is your event. Encourage responsibility among everyone involved so that everyone stays safe and comfortable.
• Get to Know Stories – You don’t just go to church together, you are the church. Be intentional with your conversations and get to know the stories of others.
• Capture the Moments – Remember to make photos and/or videos of your meet-up for sharing afterward.
• Talk about the Future – If your meet-up is going to be recurring, let people know the next time you’re going to meet.

The Week After Launch

• Share the Story – Send any photos or videos you’d like to share to meetups@reachchurch.cc to share the story of your meet-up with the rest of Reach. Include a couple sentences
• Follow Up – After your meet-up, reach out to the people who attended:
• Start by thanking them for coming!
• Ask them to send any photos/videos they would like to share with the rest of Reach to meetups@reachchurch.cc along with a couple sentences describing your meet-up.
• Ask how their experience was and if they have any ideas they’d like to share for meeting in the future. If your meet-up is recurring, tell them how you’ll be communicating in the future if it’s not over email (Facebook Group, GroupMe, etc).
• This is a great time to invite people to visit your Group’s family meal if they’re looking for ongoing, committed community in your area. If they don’t live in near your Group, direct them to the Find A Group page to find a Group near them.
• Maintain your Meet-up listing: We want to ensure that meet-ups stay fresh and have a high level of engagement from both hosts and participants, so we require all recurring meet-ups to be renewed on our trimester schedule. This gives our hosts an easy exit if they feel the meet-up has reached a natural end, or if their availability changes. It also helps us be sure that no one signs up for a meet-up that has fizzled out already.
  The other way to make sure that we are delivering the best experience for participants is to keep the event calendars up-to-date for each meet-up. When a new meet-up is created we will set-up the initial event (one-off or recurring), but it is your responsibility to add events or make changes. If we see that a meet-up does not have a calendar event scheduled, we will ask you to update it or consider cancelling the meet-up.