Organizers in the United States can use Pledge to raise funds for their group(s) via member-contributed donations. All donations are optional. Collected funds can be used at the organizer's discretion to offset subscriptions or event costs, such as venue rentals or catering.
(The Meetup fundraising feature is currently only available to U.S.-based organizers and the members of their groups. Groups outside of the U.S. and groups that are part of a sponsorship Meetup Pro network will not have access to fundraising at this time.)
Linking your Pledge account
If you're the organizer of one or more Meetup groups, you can activate a contributions campaign for each of your groups. Funds can be collected with a Pledge account.
Desktop / Mobile web
- Log into your Meetup account.
- Follow the prompts on your logged-in homepage or your group homepage to Activate Pledge.
- If you don't have a Pledge account, follow the prompts to visit Pledge and create an account.
- Finish setting up fundraising by filling out your banking information on Pledge's website.
- After you activate Pledge, please complete the setup process within 7 days to continue collecting member contributions.
Android & iOS apps
- Log into your Meetup account and navigate to your group homepage.
- Tap the three dots menu icon in the top righthand corner.
- Select Group settings.
- Click Fundraising.
- Tap Activate.
- If you don't have a Pledge account, click Go to Pledge and create an account.
- Finish setting up fundraising by filling out your banking information on Pledge's website.
- After you activate Pledge, please complete the setup process within 7 days to continue collecting member contributions.
If you dismiss the prompts to activate Pledge from your main or group homepage, you can always start the process through your group settings. For more, watch one of our Community Support specialists walk you through setting up Pledge:
Managing your Pledge campaign
Once you've activated your Pledge account, you may deactivate your contributions campaign, as well as adjust certain settings.
Desktop / Mobile web
- On your Meetup group's homepage, click Manage group, then select Edit group settings.
- Click Fundraising.
- Adjust your Category or Goal amount.
- Click Save to apply your changes.
To track your total contributions, edit your banking details, or collect your funds, click the Go to Pledge button in the top right corner of this settings page.
Our Community Support specialist can show you how to manage your fundraising campaign:
To deactivate your contributions campaign:
- On your Meetup group's homepage, click Manage group, then select Edit group settings.
- Click Fundraising.
- Switch the toggle off.
- Click Save to apply your changes.
Transaction fees
A transaction fee of 2.9% + $0.30 is taken from the total amount a member donates. The group receives the remainder of a member’s contribution. If a member decides to add a tip on top of their donation, the tip goes to Pledge and Meetup.
How members donate
After you’ve activated Pledge, your group members will see prompts to donate on your group homepage. Hosts can also choose in the event scheduler to promote your Pledge campaign on event homepages.
Taxes with Pledge fundraising
Please check with a tax professional to categorize the funds you receive as either income or a gift. The tax filings will change based on this designation.