Retiring Meetup Groups

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For communities where COVID-19 has been more effectively contained or have easy access to COVID-19 vaccination and/or testing, returning to hosting an in-person meetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. event is possible, with caution, using the resources provided. If you plan to move forward with an in-person meetup, you must use the provided checklist .

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The lifespan of a Meetup group depends on a lot of factors. It doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes groups have to be closed and their members redirected elsewhere.

There are a few reasons that a Meetup group might need to be closed:

  • They are joining forces with another group in their area.
  • Their community is active on a different platform.
  • They have worked hard to organize events, but are without an organizer or without a local community.

First, if you haven’t been through the steps listed in Reengaging Local Communities you should start there. Once those steps are complete, if no one has stepped up to help organize regular events, then the steps to retire a group are shown below.

  1. Let the members of the group know. Select the ďż˝?Email Members’ option from the ďż˝?Group Tools’ drop down, and send a message to all members letting them know when the Meetup will be closed (about two weeks is plenty of time). If there is another group they should be directed to, share the URL in the email so it doesn’t disappear when the group closes.
  2. Step down as the organizer. When you’re ready to close, go to the Meetup group’s homepage and choose “Step down as Organizer” option from the “My profile” drop down menu. You’ll be prompted to select a reason, and then click “Continue” and on the confirmation page select “Or close down this Meetup completely and don’t allow anyone to step up as Organizer” at the bottom.
  3. Update the Meetup Directory document. Locate the group on the “Directory” tab and change their status to “Retired”. In the Meetup Status document, locate the group in the “MUG Status” tab. In the “Status Column”, select “Closed”. Remember to add the date in the “Date Closed” column.

Closing a group is a permanent change. All photos, past events, and membership lists will be lost. You probably won’t ever get this particular prompt, but just in case you do *don’t change or end the Organizer Subscription plan*.

When in doubt, ask in #community-team!

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