Folk Thing is a simple home for community organisations of every kind — NGOs, co-ops, mutual aid groups, clubs, congregations and collectives. The name is an old one: a thing was an assembly where people gathered to decide together and get things done. That is who it is for — everyone who keeps an organisation moving: whoever is planning the next meeting, checking on a programme, tracking the funding, following up with members, or simply trying to keep everyone informed without losing things in chats and spreadsheets.
A community organisation has a lot of moving parts. Public pages, contact forms, member lists, programmes, sessions, reminders, minutes, files, tasks, finances and reports all need a place to live. Folk Thing brings the public face and the back office together, so the organisation can be set up properly and the people responsible can see what needs attention.
Pick the shape that fits. Folk Thing turns features on or off so the space stays focused.
NGOs and non-profits
Programmes, beneficiaries, reports, partners, volunteers and follow-ups in one place.
Co-ops
Members, meetings, shifts, stock, decisions and payouts that stay visible.
Community groups
A public site, simple signups, shared calendars, tasks and member communication.
Mutual aid and local projects
Requests, teams, routes, check-ins, donated stock and delivery notes.
Training and support programmes
Recurring sessions, attendance, reminders, participant history and shared documents.
And everything in between
These are starting points. Every feature can be toggled on or off, so Folk Thing fits the real shape of your organisation instead of forcing you into a corporate template.
Publish a clear public site for your organisation, add pages in plain language, and collect contact, signup or support requests through forms.
Create programmes or projects, assign owners, track status, add notes, attach files, and keep a full history of what happened.
Break things into tasks on a shared board, or keep a personal to-do list of everything that needs your attention across your organisations.
Put proposals to the group. Run a simple vote, or use consensus mode where members can agree, stand aside or block — and decisions are recorded with the reasons behind them.
Share what your community knows. Build courses, run them as circles with facilitation that rotates, and fork good material from other organisations to make it your own.
Programme and project chat rooms keep the discussion next to what it is about, instead of buried in old message threads.
Plan meetings, workshops, training, appointments and recurring activities on a shared calendar with reminders.
Add organisers, volunteers, staff and committee members. Give each person the right role and their own login.
Track donated goods, equipment, supplies and materials. Log what gets used so the team knows what is available and what needs replenishing.
Define the activities you offer: advice sessions, training, collections, workshops, support appointments, or community events.
Members and participants can use passwordless login by email to see relevant sessions, requests and history. No app to install.
Every organisation gets a public site for programmes, contact and pages you write yourself. Point your own domain at it when you're ready.
Keep financial records, income, expenses and supporting documents close to the work they belong to.
Folk Thing works well on phones and tablets, so organisers can update things at a meeting, in the field, or from home.
Made in Cape Town and run on our own servers, not the big-tech cloud. Pricing in Rands, with support that actually responds.
Ready to get your organisation sorted?
Start with the structure you need now. Add the rest as you grow.