The short answer
Keep your regular meet-ups free if your costs are covered; charge a small fee when they aren’t; and if you have a core of regulars, let them pay as members on a cycle and get into every event. Whatever you choose, put every upcoming meet-up on one page, take names in advance, and make the money visible so your treasurer isn’t chasing bank transfers.
Start with the costs
Community groups get into trouble when the money is vague. Before deciding what to charge, list what a meet-up actually costs:
- venue hire, or a “minimum spend” at the café
- tea, coffee, snacks
- insurance, if your venue or council requires it
- printing, materials, a speaker’s thank-you
If one or two people are quietly paying for these, that’s the first problem to fix.
Four ways to fund regular meet-ups
| Model | How it works | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Nobody pays; costs are covered elsewhere | Council-supported groups, sponsored venues |
| Chip-in | A small fixed fee each time | Groups with a venue to pay for |
| Pay what you can | A suggested amount, people choose | Groups that want no one excluded |
| Members | Regulars pay on a cycle, guests pay per event | Groups with a stable core |
Most groups end up mixing two: free or chip-in for anyone, and a member option for regulars.
Free events still need registration
Even when nobody pays, knowing who’s coming helps: enough chairs, enough food, and a way to tell everyone if the venue changes. Free registration with a capacity does that. A reminder the day before cuts no-shows, which matter more when there’s catering. How to take free registrations for an event has the details.
Charging a little
A small fee, even $5, changes behaviour: fewer no-shows, and the venue is paid for. Keep it low, make it obvious what it covers, and offer a free or reduced ticket for anyone who’d otherwise stay home. A concession ticket type does this without anyone having to ask.
Members and guests
If your group has members, you probably want two prices: a member rate and a guest rate. Three ways to do it:
- Two visible ticket types, Member and Guest, on trust
- A secret member ticket that only shows with a code you share with members
- A member subscription, where members pay on a cycle and get a ticket to every meet-up, and guests buy single tickets
The subscription is the most hands-off. Members don’t book each time, their payments come in on a schedule, and you can see at a glance who’s current. Member and non-member pricing goes deeper on the first two.
Annual membership or monthly?
An annual fee is traditional and easy to explain at the AGM. A monthly or quarterly charge is gentler on members' budgets and more forgiving if someone joins mid-year. Both are recurring payments; pick the one your members will find fair. Membership vs recurring tickets explains where a membership needs more than recurring tickets.
Make the money visible
Whatever you charge, report it. A one-line update at each meet-up (“venue paid, $40 in the kitty for next month”) builds trust and makes it easier to ask for a chip-in when costs go up. Paid tickets that land in the group’s own account, with a report of each event, make that update easy to write.
Hand over the jobs
Community groups run on volunteers, and volunteers change. Set things up so the jobs can move between people:
- one page with every upcoming event, so nobody has to know the secret link
- check-in that any volunteer can run from their phone
- a list of attendees that can be exported for your records
- payouts into the group’s own account, not a member’s personal one
On One Ticket
Make your regular meet-up a series, with a session for each date on one page. Free tickets cost nothing to anyone, and you don’t need Stripe connected for a free event. Each session has its own capacity and waitlist, and everyone booked is reminded the day before and the morning of. See Repeating events and series.
For members, turn on subscriptions on the series, billed every month, 3 months, 6 months or year, at your price, or a free plan. Members' places count against each session’s capacity, and each member’s ticket is made for them before every meet-up. A Secret ticket with an access code gives members their own price on any single event. See Subscriptions for a series.
Volunteers can check people in from a door link without signing in, and orders and attendees export to a spreadsheet. Money goes to the Stripe account the group connects. Pay what you want tickets are on Pro and Team. Pro and Team are open now: upgrade any time in Settings › Plan. Limited-time offer: A$1 for your first year (first 100 organisers), then A$29/month for Pro or A$79/month for Team. Cancel anytime.
See pricing, the Subscriptions page and ticketing for community groups and meetups.
Back to the complete guide to recurring events. Related: Church service registration and free tickets, Running a silent book club and Meetup alternatives when you charge for the room.
Answers to your questions
Should a community group charge for its events?
Only if it has costs to cover. Many groups keep events free or ask a small chip-in, with a free or concession option so nobody stays home.
How can members pay for a community group regularly?
With a subscription on the group’s series of events: members pay monthly, quarterly or yearly and get a ticket to every meet-up.
How do I give members a cheaper price than guests?
Use two ticket types, a secret member ticket with an access code, or a member subscription with guests buying single tickets.
Can volunteers run check-in without an account?
Yes. A door link opens the scanner for one event and nothing else, with no sign-in.
Is One Ticket free for community groups?
The Free plan has no monthly cost, and free tickets cost nothing. On a paid ticket the attendee pays a small booking fee and the group receives the full price.