Connecting Online with your Pod
There are many ways to keep in touch with your Pod members between events, some of which may also work to attract new people to join your Pod.
Last updated
There are many ways to keep in touch with your Pod members between events, some of which may also work to attract new people to join your Pod.
Last updated
We encourage each Pod leader to retain a list of Pod member phone numbers and email addresses. In order to establish your Pod, we recommend you focus first on having the ability to connect with Pod members personally (email, phone, in-person). Plan on sending periodic emails, and use them to promote your events and to establish a supportive base of members.
Cost: Free
Creating a mailing list can be easy:
Store member emails: We recommend using as you can access the list from any computer, share it with co-leaders, and avoid the risk of losing the list if your computer crashes.
Set up the sheet so that each email address is in a cell in a single column. You may also wish to include other information about your members, such as their names and phone numbers. Place this info in additional columns.
Sending messages:
Select the column with the email addresses and click “Copy”.
Paste the email addresses into the email address field. We recommend that you use the “BCC” field.
When you’re ready to broadcast your Pod to the larger community, there are many options available, some free and some with fees. For Pods in larger cities, these options, such as Facebook, can connect you to large existing organizations that will happily help broadcast your message on their groups and pages. As your Pod grows, consider adding additional forms of communication like Meetup, MailChimp, or Eventbrite.
Cost: Free
Facebook allows you access to like-minded individuals with the click of a few buttons. Whether you like Facebook or not, we can all agree that it has an all-in-one atmosphere for event planning that helps drive turnout.
Setting up: Choose whether you would like to create a “Group” or “Page” or both.
If your intent is to create conversation and to allow Pod members to share pictures and stories about their journey on the WFPB lifestyle, we recommend that you create a “group.” Pages are primarily used by businesses or organizations.
Promoting events on Facebook: If you intend to advertise your event publicly to a large community, then we suggest that you create an event on your personal Facebook page and then share that link to others in the community. This is most important if your Pod is located in a large city with other active Facebook pages. If you create an event in your group, then only those who join your group can attend the event. If you create an event in a private group, then only your private group will know about the event.
Cost: ~$100 for 6 months or up to $35 a month for Meetup Pro
Meetup is a platform for finding and building local communities. People use Meetup to meet new people, learn new things, find support, get out of their comfort zones, and pursue their passions together.
Setting up: Go to Meetup.com and follow their instructions under “Start a Group.”
Considerations:
The basic plan costs ~$200 a year to host 3 Meetup groups. Pods can team up and split the cost of the Meetup allowing each Pod access to a single group for $65 a year. In addition, Pods who use Meetup often ask for a donation from members to help cover the cost of the Meetup account.
Like Facebook, you might have a large Meetup with low turnout. Pods tell us that although their Meetup might have 200 people, few members actually engage over the platform. People can create a free account and join meetups all over the world without paying. Neither a Meetup page nor a Facebook group can guarantee an active Pod.
Cost: Free
All of your discussions in one place: Organize with favorites and folders, choose to follow along via email, and quickly find unread posts. It is possible to access Groups from anywhere using your mobile device.
Choose the type of Group you want: Email list, Web Forum, Q&A Forum, or Collaborative Inbox.
Choose whether you want the Group visible to anyone on the web or just the Group members.
Organize your discussions by topic and choose who can search for topics.
Control who can post and who can join the group.
Cost: Free for up to 2,000 contacts and 10,000 emails per month. There are fees for plans with more contacts, emails, and advanced automation.
Mailchimp helps you keep track of new members, allows members to subscribe and unsubscribe, allows you to address each individual by their name, and shows who opens the emails.
Import your email list into the platform.
Cost: Free
Since Pod events are typically free (or request donations to cover costs) you can use Eventbrite to advertise events. You can use this in addition to other methods, and it can help get the word out to those who do not use Facebook.
Group texting - Phone needed. This option could be good for a small group chat (10 people or less) and works for quick communication with short, to-the-point messages. With larger groups, there would likely be too many messages each day.
Group - groups allow for discussion among members. You can decide whether you would like to approve all member posts, or whether members can post without approval. You can also decide whether you want your group to be “public” or “private.” Instructions can be found in this and/or .
Page - allows you to post and allows others to follow. You would be the only one who can post and you would need to approve all member posts and publish them under your own name. Instructions can be found in this and this .
Creating an event on your personal page, is simple. Go to your news feed (click the Facebook logo on the top left) and .
Setting up: Visit the for details.
There are many options for creating a website, some of which cost money. Consider using , , or .
Facebook - This option works well for a small group chat (10 people or less), making it easy to share articles, events, and photos. With larger groups, there would likely be too many messages each day.
- A great option for international Pods. This app could be good for a small group chat (10 people or less) and makes it easy to share articles and photos. With larger groups, there would likely be too many messages each day.
- This app creates a private chatroom for anyone in your group, allowing you to keep in regular contact with members and encouraging more regular conversation among members. Keep in mind that it works best for people who have smartphones. Those without a smartphone might find it overwhelming if there are many messages sent each day.