A couple weeks ago I got a email from meetup.com stating that they are increasing their subscription fee (which I am paying semi-annually) from $98 to $178, which is more than 80% increase.
Meetup.com has a tool called Pledge to accept donations, but it is no longer working for me since January and it doesn’t look like it’ll be fixed anytime soon.
The previous Organizer and a good friend, Cris, wanted to keep our meetup free of membership fees in order to make it more accessible, especially to those who moved away after being part of it. I liked that sentiment and tried to keep it the same.
I have been covering most of it myself. However, I did receive some help such as funding through meetup.com, Pledge donations, and a contribution from Cris.
However, I am starting to wonder if this is worth it
- Meetup.com website has a lot of issues
- The attendance has been low (like many other social orgs in Austin)
- I am kind of the only event organizer besides one other person
There are two alternative platforms I am considering. I already created a Facebook group months ago, but it’s not that active yet. We also have an unofficial Discord server with some activities, but a new official one can be created as well.
I don’t want to ruin its legacy and history of over 10 years with meetup.com, but a change seems inevitable.
Alternative to switching platform, I could step down if anyone wants to take over, or I could let it die. I want it to prosper, but it is too much responsibility for me at this time.
The new subscription fee is due in two weeks. What should I do?