Stitch is a grass-roots community organization, which means by far the most important ways we get the community to grow is through word-of-mouth from our members.

Our most successful communities have been built in locations where members got engaged in not just the process of creating activities and connecting with other members, but in spreading the word about Stitch.

Some of our Community Champions have even written press releases to get Stitch covered in their local newspapers!

We don't expect that from most of our members. But there are a few very simple things that every single Stitch member can do to help grow the community.

Before you get started, it's worth knowing that every Stitch member has an Invitation Code that you can share with other people. You can share your code with friends, on links you share to Stitch, even (via private messaging) with Public members of Stitch who haven't joined yet.

People you invite will receive a discounted membership of Stitch, and you'll receive Membership Points in recognition of the contribution you're making to improve the community for everyone.

Membership points help us recognize our most trusted members, but they also can be used to donate to charity and help disadvantaged members too. The more you earn, the bigger positive impact you'll be having!

Your invitation code can be found in the footer of many of the emails the Stitch system sends out, or by visiting the Invitations page from the More menu on Stitch.

Now you're ready to spread the word about Stitch in as many ways you can. Below are just some of the things we would encourage you to do.

Inviting your friends to join Stitch is easy. Even if they don't live near you, it's pretty much guaranteed that there will be other Stitch members in their area.

Send them an email to invite them to Stitch ... it's that simple!

Or if email isn't your thing, you can invite them using whatever works best for you: text message, WhatsApp, Messenger, you name it. Just send them to www.stitch.net and tell them to sign up. And make sure you tell them your invite code!

You can invite new members directly to upcoming Stitch events too. Just go to the event on Stitch, copy the web address in your browser, and send them the link!

If you're using the Stitch app, just go to the event details page and scroll down to the bottom of the details section, and select the Send an Invite button as shown below:

You can do the same for Stitch Groups and Discussions too.

Anything you can share with your friends, you can share on Facebook or other social media platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

Doing so increases the number of people you can reach dramatically. Again, you just need to share a link to Stitch or a specific Stitch event, and tell people why they should join.

This doesn't need to be just on social media platforms either. You can post links to Stitch in comments on public discussions, on community web sites, or pretty much anything you can think of.

We've even had Stitch members call into radio stations to tell them about the community!

And yes, it's totally fine for you to include your membership code when you post to Facebook or other social media sites. If you're getting dozens of new members to join Stitch then you should be recognized for it.

You can also post fliers and handouts about Stitch at local community centers, places of work, shopping centers ... pretty much any location where people are likely to gather.

We've provided a bunch of fliers and handouts that you can use to promote awareness of Stitch in your area, but it's totally fine for you to create your own too. After all, you're going to have the best idea about how to represent the community in your local area.

If you are part of a Stitch Group, for example, you might want to create fliers telling people about your group, rather than just Stitch itself. You can even include pictures of yourself and other local Stitch members to emphasize the sorts of activities you enjoy. People are much more likely to want to join Stitch when they see it's filled with real members, rather than glossy advertising material.

Those are just a few suggestions for the things you can do to help grow the community, but the only limit is your imagination. If you've got ideas of your own, give them a try and let us know how you go!