I Wanna Do It But Not Alone

# Welcome 💛

We’re happy you’re here!
Before joining us, please take a few minutes to read this page.

## About Us

“I wanna do it, but not alone.” That’s how this group started — and it still describes us pretty well.
This is a community for active, open, curious, polite, and sociable people who genuinely enjoy meeting others, connecting, and doing things together.
We love dining in beautiful places, having meaningful conversations, watching movies, playing games, hiking, playing sports, exploring the Bay Area, and trying new things together.
But our goal isn’t simply to fill events.
We want to build a real community — a place where newcomers become familiar faces, familiar faces become friends, and people come not just because they want something to do, but because they want people to do it with.
Being sociable doesn’t mean being an extrovert. You don’t need to be the loudest person in the room. But this community is for people who genuinely enjoy being around others and are willing to participate — to talk, listen, ask questions, introduce themselves, and make an effort to connect.
We create the environment. Members create the connection together.
Come for the activity. Stay for the people. 💛

## 🤝 How Our Community Works

Joining the Meetup group is open to everyone.
But not every event is automatically open to every member.
Some of our events are large and open to the whole community. Others are intentionally small, curated, or have very limited capacity.
For those events, trust matters.
Members naturally become Known / Regular Members by participating in the community, showing up when they RSVP, respecting others, and becoming familiar to our organizers and Hosts.
There is no application and no special status to buy. You become known simply by showing up, participating, and being part of the community.
New members will always have opportunities to meet us through open events, activities, Mix & Mingle events, newcomer-friendly gatherings, and other community formats.
The door is open. Trust is earned through participation.

## 🍽️ Friday Dinners & Other Limited Events

Our Friday Dinners are one of our Signature Events and are intentionally small.
The goal is not to put as many people as possible around a table. We want to create an evening where people can actually talk, connect, and enjoy being together.
For this reason, Friday Dinners are generally reserved for Known / Regular Members — people who have already participated in the community and are known to at least one member of our organizing team.
If you’re new, this doesn’t mean the community is closed to you. Start with one of our open events, activities, Mix & Mingle events, or newcomer-friendly gatherings. Meet us, let us meet you — and you’ll naturally become one of the familiar faces too. 💛
For limited-capacity events, your RSVP represents a real seat.
If you RSVP, come. If you cannot come, cancel.
A limited seat is not a placeholder “just in case.” When you take a spot and don’t use it, another member loses the opportunity to participate.
Late cancellations and no-shows may therefore affect your access to future limited-capacity and Signature Events.

## 🎟️ Hosted & No-Host Events

Not every event works the same way.
Some events are Hosted Events, where one of our organizers or Hosts is there to welcome participants and help create the experience.
Others may be marked Community Pick / No Host.
And No Host really means No Host. 😊
No one from the organizing team is promising to attend, introduce participants, coordinate the group, or manage the experience.
If you join a No-Host event, please be comfortable finding the other participants and organizing yourselves.

## 🌿 Our Culture

Please treat members, organizers, Hosts, venue staff, and others involved in our events with respect — at events, in chats, and in comments.
Different personalities, backgrounds, and opinions are welcome.
Harassment, discrimination, intimidation, aggressive behavior, humiliation, and repeated unwanted attention are not.
We are also not a dating service, networking group, sales platform, or promotional channel.
Friendships, professional connections, and even relationships may naturally develop — and that’s wonderful. But they are not the purpose of our events.
Please don’t use the community primarily to sell services, acquire clients, recruit customers, promote another group, or pursue someone romantically after they have shown they are not interested.
We want this to remain an open, friendly, and welcoming community where people feel comfortable being themselves, meeting others, and participating.

## 💛 About Contributions

The group is free to join.
To cover Meetup, Zoom, and other organizational costs — and to make it possible for us to create diverse, high-quality events — some events have a small participation fee, usually $2–$20.
When an event has a fee, the amount and conditions will be clearly stated in the event description. Unless stated otherwise, event fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.
We also gratefully accept donations. Every contribution goes toward supporting and developing the community. 🤗
But contribution isn’t only financial.
You contribute when you welcome someone new, help another member, suggest an idea, support a Host, start a conversation, or simply make someone feel included.
A strong community cannot be built only by people consuming events. It grows when people participate.

## 💡 Share Your Ideas & Become a Host

Our Hosts are an important part of what makes this community special.
Hosting is earned through involvement, trust, and contribution to the group.
If you’ve been an active member and have an idea for an event you’d love to organize, DM me.
We generally look for Hosts who:

• Participate regularly and are known to the organizing team
• Understand and share the group’s mission, culture, and values
• Have demonstrated reliability and good judgment
• Have strong people, communication, and organizational skills
• Can create a welcoming atmosphere and take responsibility for an event from planning through execution

All events must be approved by a group leader before being published.
Members who become more involved may naturally move from participating, to helping at events, to becoming a Table Host or Host — and potentially taking on a larger role in the community over time.
There is no expectation that everyone should do this. Leadership grows naturally through participation and trust.

## 🤝 Our Team

The group is co-hosted by Vas, who helps keep everything running smoothly and the community active when I’m not in the Bay Area.
We also have regular event Hosts — John and Asterios — who lead some of our recurring events and contribute enormously to the continuity, atmosphere, and quality of the group.
We’re truly grateful for the time, energy, and care our organizers and Hosts put into this community. 🙌

## 💛 One Last Thing

We are building a community, not an audience.
You don’t have to organize events.
You don’t have to become a Host.
You don’t have to attend every week.
But when you choose to participate, you share responsibility for the quality of the community.
Organizers create the structure. Hosts create the environment. Members create the connection.
This group grows not because of numbers, but because of the people who show up — with openness, curiosity, reliability, and respect.
If this resonates with you, welcome.
Come for the activity. Stay for the people. 💛
We’re looking forward to meeting you at one of our events!