Can you remember life before the internet?
Be There Local was developed to help non-profit organizations promote their events and fundraisers to the local community.
The dream was simple: one website for all the organizations in each community — the same easy-to-remember address for every city. No more hunting through social media, a dozen different websites, or a newspaper you may have missed.
A place to come together as a community — friends, members, and supporters.
Since our calendars show events weeks in advance, there’s no concern that someone might miss a post on social media or a story in the newspaper that nobody saw in time. Events are organized by type, listed well ahead of time, with links directly to the organizing group for more details and to their website.
Be There Local grew from the frustration of volunteers who worked hard to plan wonderful events — but couldn’t get the word out to enough people to make them a success. And from residents who missed exhibits, sporting events, kids’ activities, or simply something interesting to do, because there was no single place to look.
To make it work, organizations become Members and list their events on the calendar. Local businesses become Sponsors — an affordable way to reach local residents while supporting the community life around them. Sponsor ads appear on local calendars for people looking for something to do nearby.
This website has been ten years in the making, built by one person who started it in retirement — with no background in technology whatsoever — and believed the idea was necessary enough to learn everything from scratch. That meant community college courses in HTML, JavaScript, and database management, starting from not knowing what HTML even was. It has been, to put it mildly, a remarkable learning experience.
The motivation is straightforward: communities are stronger when people show up for each other. Be There Local is an attempt to use the internet as a tool to get us back off our screens and into the room together — volunteering, attending, participating, and connecting.
What an amazing journey from the beginning of the internet until now. Be There.
For businesses that host events — concerts, sporting events, wine tastings, and more — at their own location, please reach out through our Contact Us page.