Group Guidelines


RSVP Policy

• We require that our members RSVP to ALL events. Even if you are not planning to attend the event, RSVP 'No' to let us know that you will not be there.
  
• Please only RSVP 'Yes' if you are planning on attending. If you have RSVPed 'Yes' and find that you are unable to make it, please change your RSVP to 'No'. If it is less than 24 hours before the event, please email one of your organizers to let us know you will not be able to attend. If you are unable to attend a playgroup at the last minute, please call the host to let them know you will not be attending.
  
• If a member repeatedly RSVPs 'Yes' and does not show up to the events, that member is subject to being removed from the group.

Nashua Area Moms Group Events

• Our events include: playgroups at people's homes, walks, playgrounds, parks and other child-friendly locations, as well as Moms Only events.
  
• Our events are located in the Nashua, NH area. Most events are within 15 miles of Nashua, however, on occasion certain events or playgroups may be further.
  
• We try to schedule events on different days and times in an attempt to accommodate all of our members.

Attendance Policy

• Our goal is to have a close-knit group of moms, so participation is key.
  
• If you are unable to attend weekday events on a regular basis, this may not be the group for you. Most of our events are during the week, however, we do occasionally have events during night or weekend hours.
  
• We require our members to attend at least one event per month. If members are not attending events on a regular basis, they will receive a notice from an organizer. If the member continues to be MIA, they may be removed from the group.

Playgroup Guidelines

• You must attend at least one out-of-home event, in which one of the organizers will be present, prior to attending (or hosting) an in-home playgroup. This is for the protection of our children. We would like to meet all of our members before inviting them into our homes.
  
• Since these events are in people's homes, we will have to limit the number of people who can attend. Typically, the standard number is 4-7 moms. If you are hosting, let us know how many people you can accommodate in your home. If you would like to come to a playgroup, please RSVP as soon as possible to ensure you are able to attend.
  
• We encourage our members to volunteer to host playgroups! Ideally, we would like all of our members to host a playgroup at least once every other month. If you are interested in hosting, please contact an organizer.

Playgroup Etiquette

Since our members are generous enough to open up their homes for playgroups, we have devised a set of rules/guidelines to keep our playgroups safe, successful, and enjoyable for all. If you have any questions, concerns or comments please contact one of the organizers.

Etiquette for Hosts:

• Host should put away any special toys (that you know your child will not want to share) or toys that are not age appropriate, and put away breakables before people arrive.
  
• Host should inform the group leader of any pets in the home, so people attending can be aware of this.
  Suggestion: It may be a good idea not to serve any high allergy foods such as peanuts/peanut butter. If you decide to serve a high allergy food, please inform the group.
  
• If the host's child(ren) is sick or have been recently sick, they have a responsibility to inform the guests of the illness before the playgroup begins, or to cancel the playgroup.
  

Etiquette for Guests:

• Guests should try to arrive on-time to playgroups. If you will be more than 20 minutes late, please call the host to let them know that you will be late.
  
• Guests who are unable to attend at the last minute should call the host before the playgroup starts to let them know.
  
• Guests should follow the host's house rules. For example, find out where the children should play, eat, and/or drink.
  
• Guests should not ignore their child's disruptive behavior nor allow their children to be destructive to property.
  
• Guests who have a child who is allergic to any food(s), have the responsibility to check to make sure those foods are not being served. If the host serves a food that your child has an allergy to, it is the guest's responsibility to inform the group that your child is allergic to this food and to make sure that your child does not consume this food.
  
• A child hurting another child is sometimes unavoidable, but it is not acceptable in our playgroups. Any hitting, kicking, pushing, etc. should be addressed by the parent.
  
• Guests should not use inappropriate language at playgroups (the children are always listening!).
  
• Guests should not bring sick children to playgroups. If your child has recently had any of the following symptoms, please do not bring them to playgroup; fever, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive cough or excessive nasal discharge.
  
• Guests who do not follow the Playgroup Etiquette or who have a child who is continuously causing other children harm, may be suspended from in-home playgroups for a period of time to be determined by the organizers.
  

Photos

• If you've been involved in Meetup groups in the past, you know that there is a photo album for each event, in which anyone in the group can post pictures from that event. These photo albums are a fun way of documenting our events and a great way of showing all the members who didn't attend all the fun that they missed! So feel free to bring your camera to any of the events.
  
• Only members of our group are able to view the photos. However, some people don't want themselves or their children's pictures posted in these photo albums. If you do not want pictures of you or your child posted, email your organizer to be put on the "Do Not Post" list.
  
• The organizers cannot control which pictures other people post, but if you notice that someone else posted a picture of you/your child that you would like removed, just let your organizer know and it will be removed.

Fees

• We have a Membership Fee of $10 per calendar year, which is due annually on January 1st. This fee is non-refundable.
  
• Your organizer, Alison, will act as treasurer. On the About page, there is a section labeled "Membership Fees". This section is private, only to be viewed by our group members. In this section, there is a list of all debits and credits to the account. The money is used towards the annual Meetup fees of $144. Any additional funds will be used towards events/event planning.
  
• Upon joining, you will have two "trial" months. During this time you will have a chance to attend events, meet members and decide if this is the group for you. At the end of your two months your Membership Fee is due. You can either choose to pay and be an official member or you can choose to leave and owe nothing. New members pay one dollar per month - e.g. if a new member joins in April, they would begin paying in June (because of the two free months). June-December = 7 months = $7. Then they would begin paying annually on January 1st like the rest of the group. Also during this two-month "trial" time, the organizers hold the right to cancel your membership for any reason they see fit.
  
• Some of the Events may also have certain fees that apply, which will be posted on that Event's page.

Group Closed to New Members
The NAM organizers have decided to close the group to any new members. We are a happy group at this point and unless things change we are content to just stay with the members we have!

That being said, if a member has a friend that they REALLY want to join the group we have a new protocol. Just let your friend know that they need to come with you to at least 2 events. After your friend has attended 2 events, the organizers will discuss if she fits in with the group and if we agree, she's in! Yes, it's a pain, but we're wary about letting people in who a) have access to all of our personal information and b) may not be active participants.

Thanks for your understanding and feel free to talk to one of the organizers if you have any questions!