Skip to main content

Finding and joining organizations

An organization is whoever runs the activities: a co-op, a micro-school, a tutor, a library. This guide covers finding them, reading how a listing is set up, and getting in. It is for families, not for organizers.

The eighteen kinds of organization​

Every listing on Famlo is one of eighteen types. The type shapes the listing and is the first thing in its address.

Community-led — Co-op · Learning pod · Community · Meetup · Faith-based community · Support group

Educator-led — Micro-school · Charter school · Online school · Tutor · Enrichment program · Studio · Sports club · Camp

Places — Venue · Attraction · Library

Catch-all — Business

How organization addresses are built​

The type is the first segment of the address, with underscores written as hyphens:

  • famlo.co/co-op/riverbend
  • famlo.co/micro-school/oak-and-acorn
  • famlo.co/enrichment-program/coastal-robotics
  • famlo.co/library/riverside-branch

An organization can also claim a short handle, which works as a second address: famlo.co/@riverbend. Both reach the same listing, so either is fine to share.

Find an organization​

The directory works the same way the activity directory does.

  • /places is the landing page, with rows near you and links by state.
  • /s/places is where results live. The search pill, the Filters panel and the map all land there.

To narrow the list:

  1. Click Filters.
  2. Set any of:
    • Category — grouped by things like academic focus and faith affiliation; pick as many as you like
    • Organization type — any of the eighteen above, multi-select
    • Membership — Any, Free to join, or Paid
    • Search — free text against the organization's name
  3. Click Show results.

Options with nothing in the area you are looking at are hidden, and the rest carry counts. Clear all resets the panel. Results are paginated twenty-four to a page, with numbered links underneath.

Each card shows the organization's name, its location and one summary line. That line is its dues price if it charges, Free to join if it runs memberships without charging, a count of upcoming activities if it has no membership system, or a member count if it has nothing scheduled either.

Read a listing​

A listing has a tab row under its header. Which tabs appear depends on what the organization has:

  • Its schedule, named for the type of organization — Classes for a co-op, a micro-school, a tutor, an enrichment program or a studio; Events for a library, an attraction, a venue, a business, a community or a meetup; Schedule for everything else
  • Staff — who runs it and who teaches there
  • About — the description, and the section the listing opens on
  • Photos — its album, plus photos from its activities
  • Where we meet — jumps to the map, on organizations with a real address

In the header you get Follow and, where the organization accepts questions, Message.

Follow is not joining. Following tells Famlo you want to hear when this organization posts something new; it gives you no member access. To become a member, use the join control described below.

Two settings decide what you can see and how you get in​

These are separate settings, and mixing them up is the usual reason a listing surprises people. An organization sets both.

Visibility answers "is this listed, and is member content gated":

VisibilityWhat it means for you
OpenIn the directory, everything on the page public
ClosedIn the directory with a real public page, but member content gated
HiddenNot in the directory at all; reachable only by a direct link or an invitation

Join policy answers "how do you get in":

Join policyWhat it means for you
OpenYou join yourself, straight away
Approval requiredYou send a request and organizers review it
Invite-onlyYou cannot ask; an organizer has to invite you

The two combine freely. A co-op can sit in the directory with a full public page and still screen everyone who applies — that is Open visibility with an Approval required join policy, and it is a common setup.

On a Closed listing you still see the shape of the programme. A panel counts the members-only sessions, names some of them, and says when they run and what ages they suit. Times, teachers and fees are what membership buys, so those stay hidden until you are in.

An organization that charges dues has to be Closed or Hidden. A fully open listing cannot bill.

Join an organization​

What you see on the listing depends on how that organization is set up.

Joining a free, open organization​

  1. Open the listing.
  2. Click Join followed by the organization's name.

You are a member immediately.

Requesting to join​

Where organizers screen applicants, the control reads Request to join.

  1. Click Request to join. A request page opens, headed Request to join and the organization's name.
  2. Read How joining works at the top. It tells you what happens after you send.
  3. If there is a Group rules section, read it and tick I agree to these rules. Some organizations make this required.
  4. Answer anything under A few questions. An organization can ask up to three, and they are free text. Required ones are marked.
  5. Click Send request.

The listing then reads "Your request to join is under review." Organizers are notified, and you hear back when they approve or decline.

Requesting to join an organization that charges dues​

Paid organizations use the same request flow, with a card step. You are not charged for sending the request.

  1. Click Request to join.
  2. Work through Group rules and A few questions as above.
  3. Under Payment method, pick a saved card or choose Use a new card and enter one. The page states it plainly: saved now, charged only if you are approved.
  4. If you have one, enter it under Discount code (optional).
  5. Check the Membership summary on the right. It shows the amount and how often it recurs, and repeats that you will not be charged until the organizers approve your request.
  6. Click Send request.

Your card is held, not charged. If organizers approve you, the first payment is taken at that moment. If they decline, or you withdraw, nothing is taken.

note

You do not choose how often you are billed. The organization picks one cadence for everybody: Monthly, Every 2 months, Quarterly, Every 6 months, Annually, or a One-time fee. Whatever it chose is what the summary shows you before you send.

What your family pays is set by the organization, not by Famlo. See What's free and what's paid.

Withdrawing a request​

While a request is still under review you can take it back.

  1. Go back to the organization's listing.
  2. Under "Your request to join is under review.", pick a Reason (optional) from the list — changed mind, joined elsewhere, cost, schedule conflict, applied by mistake, review too slow, or other.
  3. Add a note in the box below if you want the organizers to know why. This is optional too.
  4. Click Withdraw request and confirm.

If a card was held for a paid organization, withdrawing releases it. Nothing was charged.

warning

Requests to the same organization are capped over a rolling seven days. Apply, withdraw and re-apply too often and the form stops accepting new requests for a while, with a message asking you to try again later. Withdraw only when you mean it.

Joining by invitation​

There are no invite links and no invite codes on Famlo. An organizer invites your email address.

  • If you already have a Famlo account under that address, you are added and you get an email welcoming you and naming your role.
  • If you do not have an account yet, you get an invitation email. Create your free account using that same email address and you join the organization automatically. The email says so in as many words: "no invite code needed."

The invitation names the organization and the role you were invited as. If you sign up with a different address than the one that was invited, the invitation will not find you — sign up with the invited address, or ask the organizer to re-invite the one you use.

Your role once you are in​

Every member holds one of six roles. Most families are Member.

RoleWhat it can do
MemberView the organization
Member managerView the organization, and approve join requests
Billing managerView the organization, and handle its billing and payouts
Event managerView the organization, and run its activities and registrations
Co-leaderEverything an event manager can do, plus edit the organization and approve members
OwnerFull control of the organization

Member manager is not an administrator. Approving join requests is the only thing it adds.

Organizers set roles; you cannot change your own. Separately from your role, an organizer can grant you access to messages about specific activities without moving you off Member — useful for a parent who teaches one class.

Managing what you belong to​

My memberships in your account lists everything, split into Paid memberships and Free groups. Your role is shown under each name.

  • Leave removes you from a free group.
  • Cancel membership ends a paid one.

For dues, renewals, failed payments and what happens to your access when you cancel, see Your memberships.

Troubleshooting​

There is no join button on the listing. The organization is invite-only, or it is closing down. A listing scheduled to leave Famlo shows "Not accepting new members" with the date.

The button says Log in to join. Joining needs an account. Sign in and you land back on the listing.

I can see the co-op but not its class times. It has Closed visibility. The panel tells you how many members-only sessions there are and roughly when they run; times, teachers and fees appear once you are a member.

I searched for a group I know exists and found nothing. It may be Hidden, which keeps it out of every listing. Ask them for a direct link or an invitation. It may also just be outside your map viewport — widen the area and try again.

My request has been under review for a while. Only the organization's approvers can act on it. Use Message on the listing to ask, or withdraw the request and apply elsewhere.

My request was declined. Organizers decline for their own reasons and Famlo does not share them with you. Message them if you want to ask.

I was invited but Famlo says I am not a member. The invitation is tied to the exact email address it was sent to. Check which address you signed up with.

What next​