This is a road map that will guide you through the process of having the Buy Nothing Project create a local private Buy Nothing group for you to lead. By "private group," we mean an online group that's maintained by an individual. In Facebook-speak, this person is called an Admin.
Currently most Buy Nothing private groups can be found on Facebook, however we are building private communities on the BuyNothing platform and they will launch in late November! If you’d like to be among the first to host a Buy Nothing private community on the BuyNothing platform, we’d love to have you as an early adopter! Simply fill out this form and we’ll be in touch with you in November.
If you’d still like to build a private group on Facebook, here are a few things to know:
• 42% of all Buy Nothing groups started on Facebook do not thrive and are eventually archived. It is challenging to grow and maintain a private group and running the community takes at least a few hours each week of a time commitment for posting, moderating, and managing the membership queue.
• Each private group must be registered with us, The Buy Nothing Project, Inc., officially licensing our name and copyrighted media for use in the private group. The licensing fee is currently $10 and nonrefundable.
• Any unauthorized creation of a Buy Nothing private group will be subject to removal by Facebook for trademark infringement.
• Admins of Buy Nothing Facebook groups must agree to our terms in our Admin Agreement, committing to uphold Buy Nothing rules with the understanding that if your Buy Nothing group has a month with no activity, including posts, or if the group allows advertising or buy/sell/trade posts, then The Buy Nothing Project will archive the group.
• All official Buy Nothing private groups are listed in our official list of Buy Nothing groups worldwide, and on the Buy Nothing map.
Please read the Buy Nothing Admin Agreement that explains our mutual responsibilities. When you join the group we create for you, you'll become a party to this agreement, so please read it carefully.
- We create a Buy Nothing Project private group for you on Facebook
- We set up your membership screening questions
- We set up your group rules and group description
- We upload the official BN banner
- We adjust the settings to ensure your group's privacy and your admin status
- We share a welcome post to your group's feed, with helpful information about how Buy Nothing works
- We add your new BN group to our worldwide list of official Buy Nothing private groups
- Once everything is ready, we'll invite to join and upgrade you to admin status so you can take the lead.
- We set groups up this way to maintain the integrity of the Buy Nothing Project and to make it easier for everyone to get started with everything they need
- We provide ongoing support and resources you can use via our app and this website
- Click or tap here to make a $10 tax-deductible donation to the Buy Nothing Project. This donation is part of the process to cover the operating costs that we can't afford to cover on our own. We are volunteers just like you, and we need your help to cover the monthly costs that come with hosting resources, keeping information secure, and communicating with all of the Buy Nothing communities around the world via our Help Center that serves you as an admin as well as each of your group's members.
- Your donation will be made to our fiscal sponsor, Angels for Angels. The donation form auto-populates with a $25 donation, but you can edit this by typing into the box with the dollar sign ($). You'll be able to make either an anonymous donation or a donation in your own name. If you choose to make an anonymous donation, we will not receive information from Angels for Angels about your donation that will allow us to identify you for at least 1 month. This means there will be at least a one month delay before we can set your group up. If you donate in your own name, we will be able to see your name within a day and will be able to start building your group right away.
- Join your group! Watch your email for your invitation, and check your spam folder/filter to make sure you haven't missed it. When you join the group we've set up for you, you agree to respect and adhere to our Buy Nothing Admin Agreement.
- Invite people to join your group! You're ready to start the Give-Ask-Gratitude Buy Nothing cycle!
- Visit our Build Buy Nothing page for tips and resources that will help your community grow.
- Connect with us regularly in the BN app. We provide ongoing, regular support to all BN Admins and Community Builders via the app, where you'll find shareable posts to help you guide your group. We have a whole category of public posts called "Tips" that explain Buy Nothing culture and how-tos.
- Lead by example! Start posting your own Gives, Asks and Gratitudes to your group. Your lived example will inspire others to join you - Someone needs to break the ice and show people how it's done, and you're the perfect ice breaker. Using what you've learned from the Buy Nothing Academy, post as many Gives and Asks as you can, and add at least one Gratitude, each week.
- Visit our Help Center if you have any questions that our BN Volunteer Team can help with.