Three years ago, Jaimie Conlan recognized a gap in her community. Homeschool families lacked a space where kids and parents could connect and grow together. Determined to bridge this gap, she founded Homeschool KIDS Group, a group that’s blossomed into a vibrant community of more than 300  kids and their families in North Carolina.

‍Creating unique experiences

Under Jaimie’s leadership, Homeschool KIDS Group has organized a range of unique, educational experiences. Kids have explored the mechanics of go-karts, learned about the intricacies of neon sign creation, and even participated in a static hot air balloon display.

“I really wanted to create unique experiences for kids—stuff that even parents are doing for the first time,” Jaimie said. “It’s wonderful  because you're doing something for the first time alongside your child  as part of their homeschool journey.”

Thanks to her group-cofounder, Theresa Schultz, and the leadership team, Jaimie has been able to hold multiple events every single day. But doing that required the right free event planning software—a way to keep her group organized and cohesive, so everyone was clear on the logistics.

Finding an alternative to Meetup and Discord

In 2024, she started chatting with other Meetup organizers in a Discord channel about changes coming to the platform. One significant change would drastically increase the cost of running her group.

“The subscription prices for organizers on Meetup ended up doubling, and we only got about a month’s notice for that change,” she said.

Homeschool KIDS Group has a small annual fee for members—enough to encourage engagement but not deter people from signing up. The funds go to throwing parties and securing rentals. “We’ve always been proud that we can keep the group affordable for everybody.”

Additionally, features that were vital to her community were placed behind paywalls, including direct messaging and viewing other people’s photos, which posed a major safety concern for the group. A member mentioned she would have never attended her first event if she couldn’t see anyone’s photos.

“You could do those things if you paid extra,” she noted, “but that didn’t align with the kind of community we were trying to build.”

After evaluating multiple platforms, Jaimie and her co-organizer carefully assessed other options. “We ended up coming back to Heylo. We were like—this is it.”

First impressions and the move to Heylo

The first thing she did was make a whole bunch of AI photos for her group events. “I hadn’t seen that anywhere else—it's such a fun, modern addition to event planning, she said.  “Then we went to work testing all the features to see if the platform would work for our needs.”

Jaimie found the process of moving the group to Heylo to be straightforward. Even though Homeschool KIDS Group had a full calendar of events planned for the following year, they were able to transfer all the events to Heylo and launch in less than a week.

The first change she noticed was Heylo’s level of customer support. “I was blown away by the customer support on Heylo. We didn’t get that on Meetup. It was a breath of fresh air.”

And she shared ideas for features with the team. “Ideas I suggested have actually been implemented,” she said. “That is so encouraging. That would never happen on Meetup.”

The group had been using Discord for chat-based communication, but when they switched to Heylo, they brought their conversations with them. “We've seen a much higher participation rate since many members prefer having everything in one place,” Jaimie said. “It’s been a fantastic choice for our community.”

When it comes to making the transition to Heylo, Jaimie advises Meetup leaders to clearly communicate the details with members.

Homeschool KIDS Group members were immediately on board. “I didn’t realize how many tech issues our members were having with Meetup,” Jaimie said. “Now that we’ve moved over, they’re happy.”

Members also noticed that Heylo’s notifications are more reliable and timely, and they’re excited to have direct messaging back. They’ve told Jaimie they appreciate the clearer event photos and the ad-free event announcement emails.

Creating a bright future

Through Jaimie’s dedication, Homeschool KIDS Group has become a thriving community where kids and their parents learn and bond in unique ways.

Reflecting on her journey, Jaimie offers advice to other community organizers: “As a leader, your decisions are not always easy or popular.” She stresses the importance of staying true to the group’s vision and being open to change when necessary.

Looking ahead, Jaimie is optimistic about the future of Homeschool KIDS Group. She is working towards growing the group and creating more unique opportunities.

For group leaders considering moving to Heylo, Jaimie offers this advice: “You won’t regret it. Making the switch is absolutely worth it.”

👉 Learn more about how your Meetup group can thrive on Heylo.

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