orta / chapter

A self-hosted event management tool for nonprofits

Welcome to Chapter

After several years of being dissatisfied with existing group event tools (Meetup, Facebook events) we decided to build our own.

This will be a self-hosted Docker image that you can one-click deploy to the cloud, then configure through an admin panel. No coding required.

Your nonprofit can sub-domain it to your website like chapter.sierraclub.org or chapter.womenwhocode.org.

You can use your own authentication tools. And all your user data will stay on your own server.

Tech stack

We're planning to use the following tools:

• Node.js / Express for our backend
• Postgres with Sequalize
• Elasticsearch
• A React frontend using JavaScript (not TypeScript) and CSS (not Sass)

A lot of people know these tools, and they're proven to work well at scale.

We are considering using a tool like Next.js to get up and running faster.

We will focus on building an open API first. Then developers can use the API to build their own mobile clients and voice interface clients.

Here is our schema:

User Stories so far

Our goal is to keep things simple and not reinvent wheels.

So far we have only two user roles: participants and group organizers

As a future participant

• I can use a search box on the landing page to input a city, state, or country name and it will autocomplete. I can click one of those locations.

• When I click one of those locations, I can see the "show view" for that event's group, with details about the upcoming event, along with a button to RSVP.

• I can click the "RSVP" button. When I do, I will be prompted to sign in. Then I will receive an email with a ticket and add me to the public list of event attendees.

• I will receive a second email the day before the event to remind me.

• After the event, I will automatically get emails notifying me of subsequent events.

As an organizer

• I can create a group.

• I can edit details about the group, including a Slack/Discord/Facebook/WeChat/WhatsApp link participants can join to discuss and coordinate events.

• I can create events, and set their location and capacity.

• I can cancel events.

• I can email the entire list of participants.

• I can ban a participant whom I believe is toxic or who has previously broken my organization's code of conduct.

• I can add a venue sponsor to the event with a link to their website as a way of thanking them for hosting.

• I can add a food sponsor to the event with a link to their website as a way of thanking them for food.

I can see how many times a participant has come to the event as well as their attendance rate

Roadmap

1. Design the schema
2. Set up the API endpoints
3. Build the web client and let other developers use the API to build mobile clients and voice interface clients

freeCodeCamp will start "dogfooding" this as soon as possible with several of its local study groups.

Here's an out-dated example of an app with similar functionality: The freeCodeCamp Study Group Directory.

To ask a question or share an idea, create a GitHub issue on this repository.

And join our Discord server where we're chatting while we build this.