Best Practice
This page summarises our agreed best practice for running a Freegle community. Each point links to more detail on Best Practice Notes.
Summary
Freegle promotes reuse. We need to make sure that using Freegle is as quick, easy and enjoyable as possible, for us and for our members.
Our Aims outlines what Freegle and its volunteers can expect of each other. The intent is to support Freegle and members, and to safeguard our reputation. All the advice below sits within the context of the local rules communities are allowed to set.
The points
Emergency arrangements
Have backup arrangements in place, to safeguard your community and give you peace of mind.
- Make sure your whole volunteer team knows they can contact Mentors for help - email mentors@ilovefreegle.org.
- Exchange contact details with other volunteers, locally and/or nationally, in case of a crisis.
The 2025 AGM passed a resolution making it compulsory for every Freegle group to have at least two owners. They don't all need to be fully active on every group, as long as they're active somewhere and can cover any absence by the usual active owner.
First impressions
Home pages (Freegle website, Facebook etc.) should be welcoming, quick and easy to read. Every homepage should have a logo or local picture, a tagline, a welcoming message and, optionally, local rules. Set these up in Settings in ModTools.
New Freeglers need an easy start
- Deal with all posts, especially first posts, swiftly and sympathetically.
- Don't overwhelm members with lots of admin emails.
Quick posting
Ideally, moderate messages at least every few hours. Put members who post correctly onto unmoderated status in Group Settings.
Simple and minimal rules
Keep rules short and to the point. Apply them fairly, always politely, and with flexibility where appropriate. Your community's rules are for your community only - it's not acceptable to try to enforce them on other communities, such as asking a member to leave another community.
Don't knock enthusiasm
It isn't a sign of ill intent if a member is a 'multi-joiner' or makes lots of requests. Freegle is about encouraging reuse, so people who are able to travel or need things aren't going against our aims. They don't need to be removed or restricted unless there's a very good reason to do so. Occasionally someone will try to exploit Freegle, but this is rare - assume people are innocent and kind until proven otherwise.
'Wanted' posts are a good thing
Accept requests and offers equally, as first posts and subsequent ones. Our primary purpose is to keep things in use, so members who reuse items are essential to Freegle. Encourage requests, with no restriction on the number of wanted posts or number of items requested.
Avoid rejecting messages
Members have made the effort to post a message, so unless it breaks a core rule (free and legal), try not to reject it. Editing a message, and sending a friendly personal message to explain the rules if needed, works better in the long run than rejecting outright - and it's a good moment to point the member towards the website and app as an easy way to compose posts.
Impression of you and Freegle
We're providing a service that helps your members get in touch with each other to keep stuff out of the waste stream, so let's be good hosts.
Member problems
Handling problems and complaints from members is tricky. Finding the balance between running your community the way you'd like it run and the way members would like you to run it isn't always easy, but it's important to get right.
Use tools/services to make it easier to run or use your community
Take up some or all of the helpful tools and services Freegle makes available to you and your members.
Ask for help
You're not alone. All Freegle volunteers are in this together - we have a shared mission, so take advantage of others' experience, friendship and advice.
Publicise your community
The more people who know about your community, the better it will be for freegling. Use the national publicity tools available to spread the word and get more members.
Supporting Freegle
Freegle is run collectively by all of us, so make sure you're involved and informed about Freegle nationally.
Get to know other Freegle Mods
Chatting to other Freegle volunteers can help put a face to people, and builds better rapport for the good times and the bad.
Note: the guidelines on Best Practice Notes were last formally discussed and amended on Development Group in 2021.
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