This is for anyone already organising an activity or group for Keep Calm who wants to run an occasional paid version of it, like a bigger board games night, a longer meditation session, or a paddleboarding trip.
Keep Calm is non-commercial, and normally we don't allow organisers to advertise paid events or workshops in the group (see Community Conduct). A Paid Special is the one deliberate exception to that. This guide explains what qualifies, and what to do before you announce one, check the rules below.
This also applies to partner organisations that already run other events with Keep Calm (for example an events company or a class provider) and want to add one paid event.
This is a new policy (added 2026-08-30) and we expect to adjust it as we see how it works in practice. If something in here doesn't quite fit your situation, ask an organiser or admin rather than guessing.
What counts as a Paid Special
A special edition of the same activity you already run for Keep Calm, that you charge for, at a discount, up to once a month.
Examples of the kind of thing this covers:
- A board games night with better prizes, a bigger venue, or extra rounds, priced above the usual free session
- A longer or more in-depth meditation or yoga session
- A paddleboarding, sailing, or other watersports trip where a real venue booking is involved
It does not cover a completely different service you happen to also offer (for example, if you run a free meditation session for Keep Calm but separately have your own private coaching business, that private business still can't be advertised here, see Community Conduct).
The rules
All of these need to be true:
- Clear it with Daniel first, every time. Before you announce anything, ask Daniel to check it against the Paid Events Log and log it. This isn't him judging whether the price is fair, it's purely a frequency check, the log is what makes the two limits below actually stick once more than one or two people are doing this.
- Once a month, per organiser (or partner), per activity. You can run one Paid Special of your activity per month, not more.
- Once a month, per event type or venue, across everyone. If someone else also wants to run the same kind of paid event (say, another organiser wants to do a comedy night at the same venue), the two of you coordinate so there's still only one a month between you, not one each. The log is what catches this.
- It's an extra, not a replacement. The free version of your activity keeps running as normal. A Paid Special tops it up, it doesn't take it over.
- It has to be genuinely discounted. Price it below what you'd normally charge for the same thing outside Keep Calm, and say so when you announce it (for example, "€10 normally, €5 for Keep Calm"). Being upfront about the discount is what makes this fair to members and to other organisers.
- Announce it through the normal channels only. Post it in your own activity's group chat, with sign-up through the usual poll or WhatsApp RSVP. A cross-post to Keep Calm's own Meetup or social accounts is fine. Don't link out to your own personal booking page, website, or business account, sign-up needs to stay inside Keep Calm's usual process.
- You handle the money directly with attendees. Cash, Bizum, bank transfer, whatever you'd normally use. Keep Calm doesn't process payment, take a cut, or take on any liability for it.
If your event doesn't clearly meet all seven, it's not a Paid Special, it's ordinary commercial promotion, and the normal advertising rules apply instead.
How to announce one
First, message Daniel with what you want to run, when, and the price versus your normal rate. Once it's checked against the log and approved, a short post in your group is enough. Cover:
- What's different from the usual free session
- The price, and what it would normally cost
- How to sign up (poll/RSVP, same as any other session)
- Where and when
Questions
If you're not sure whether something you want to run qualifies, ask an organiser or admin before announcing it. This guide will change as we learn what works, if you think a rule here is getting in the way or being gamed, say so.
Related
- Partnerships & Reciprocity - the underlying policy this guide explains
- Paid Events Log - the internal record Daniel checks before approving one
- Community Conduct - the general advertising rules this is an exception to
- Payments, Refunds & Cancellation - how money works at Keep Calm generally
- Event Rules - what participants can expect when they sign up for a Paid Special