Blog
For the people who run the group.
What makes leading a group harder than it should be, and what actually helps. For scout leaders, coaches, room parents, youth leaders and everyone else holding a group together.
Communication
You signed up to lead the group. Nobody mentioned the second job.
Leading a group comes with an unpaid second job: reminding, chasing, counting and re-sending. Why it happens, what helps, and why we built Grouperly.
· 7 min read
Safety and privacy
What your group chat knows about the kids in it
Group chats can put kids' numbers, photos and whereabouts in front of people who don't need them. What youth-safety rules expect, and a checklist.
· 7 min read
Money
The money talk your group keeps putting off
When small groups lose money, it's usually for want of a second look. The simple habits that protect your group and your treasurer.
· 7 min read
Communication
Why nobody reads the group chat (and it isn't their fault)
The field change was in the chat. Two families still went to the wrong park. Why important messages get lost, and how to make sure they land.
· 5 min read
Money
"Who's paid?" The Sunday-night spreadsheet
Matching payment alerts, checks and a cash envelope to a list of names, every Sunday night. Why collecting money is so messy, and how to make it simpler.
· 5 min read
Handoffs
Every new leader starts from scratch. It doesn't have to be that way.
When a leader steps down, the know-how usually leaves with them. Why every handoff feels like starting over, and how to pass on a group that remembers.
· 5 min read
Communication
The headcount is always wrong. Here's why.
Fourteen yes, five maybe, three "I'll let you know". Why event headcounts are always off, and how to get answers you can actually plan around.
· 4 min read
Families
Why we didn't make families download an app
Asking every family to install something before they hear from you can lose the families you most need to reach. Why Grouperly starts with email instead.
· 4 min read
Safety and privacy
"Free" isn't free when your families are the product
Free tools get paid for somehow, often with ads and data. How to check what a tool does with your families' information, in about five minutes.
· 6 min read
Families
Three teams, three apps: the parent side of the patchwork
Soccer, scouts and the school play, each with its own app, chat and flyer. What the patchwork looks like from a parent's side, and how leaders can help.
· 4 min read