From the Chat Overlay (Recommended)

The envelope button (✉) appears in the bottom-right corner of every page when you are logged in. This is the fastest way to message someone.

1. Click the ✉ button to open the compose panel
2. Start typing a name in the search box — results appear after 2 characters
3. Click a person to select them as recipient
4. Type your message in the text area
5. Press Enter or click Send

Changing recipients: After selecting someone, click the change link next to their name to search for a different person. Your draft message is preserved — you will not lose what you typed.

Multiple conversations: You can have up to 3 chat panels open at once. When all 3 slots are used, the ✉ button becomes disabled. Close a panel to free up a slot.

Drag and reposition: Grab the blue header bar of any panel and drag it anywhere on the page. Click any panel to bring it to the front if panels overlap.

Draft saving: If you start typing a message but navigate away or close the panel, your draft is automatically saved. When you reopen the same conversation, your text will be restored.

From Your Inbox

Visit My Messages to see all your conversations in one place. Click any thread to open the full conversation view with a reply form at the bottom.

The inbox shows:

• The other person in the conversation
• A preview of the last message
• Unread count per thread
• Which channel the message came from (email, chat, etc.)

Via Email

You can send a direct message to any group member by email. Send to your group address with one of these subject lines:

• dm username — send by Drupal username
• dm @handle — send by network handle (@ is stripped automatically)
• dm [email protected] — send by email address
• reply username — same as dm (alias)

The body of your email becomes the message content. The recipient receives it in their chat overlay and inbox, plus an email notification after a delay.

Our approach to privacy

Factory is built on a simple principle: your data stays yours. We don't sell your information, we don't show you ads, and we don't mine your communications for profit. The platform exists to serve your group — not the other way around.

What information Factory collects

What we don't do

• We don't sell or share your data with third parties for advertising
• We don't read your private messages or group emails for marketing purposes
• We don't track you across the web
• We don't use your content to train AI models outside of features you explicitly use (like the group creation assistant)

Group privacy levels

Groups on Factory can set their own privacy level, which controls how much member information is visible within the group:

The privacy level is set by the group manager. You can see the privacy level on the group's page before you join.

Group visibility

Separate from privacy, groups have a visibility setting that controls who can find and access the group:

Free to start

Factory is free to start. Every account — even without a paid plan — can create up to 2 groups, import up to 25 contacts, and send up to 25 emails per month. No credit card required, no trial period. The free tier is real and permanent. When your organization grows, upgrading is easy and fair.

Plan families

When you need more, Factory offers four plan families, each designed for different kinds of organizations:

Tiers within each family

Each plan family has three tiers:

What changes with a paid plan

Paid plans increase your limits for:

• Groups created — how many groups you can own
• Contacts — total contacts and monthly additions
• Invitations — total invitations and monthly sends
• Emails — monthly email volume across all your groups

All core features — group email, member directories, calendars, link libraries, sharing tools — are available on every plan, including free.

Compare plans

Visit Plans for the full comparison with exact limits and pricing for each tier.

What is Factory?

Factory is a platform for organizations, clubs, associations, and professional networks to communicate, collaborate, and grow together. It gives your group the tools that large organizations take for granted — mailing lists, member directories, shared calendars, and more — without the complexity or cost.

Who is Factory for?

• Community organizations — nonprofits, volunteer groups, civic associations
• Professional networks — alumni groups, industry circles, advisory boards
• Clubs and interest groups — hobby groups, sports teams, book clubs
• Small teams — project teams, client portals, event planning committees
• Anyone who needs a shared space to organize people around a purpose

What can you do here?

How much does it cost?

You can create up to 3 groups and invite up to 50 contacts for free — no credit card required. Paid plans start at Participation Lite and scale up through Advocacy, Fellowship, and Stewardship tiers. Each tier unlocks higher limits for groups, contacts, invitations, and emails. Visit Plans for details.

Creating an account

Sign up using your email address or log in with Google, LinkedIn, or Facebook. You'll need to verify your email before your first login. Once verified, you'll be guided through a short onboarding process to create your first group.

What is group email?

Every Group on Factory has its own email address. Send a message to it, and everyone in the Group receives it. Reply to a Group message, and your reply goes back to the Group. No app to install, no new interface to learn — it works with whatever email client you already use. (If you've used distribution lists, mailing lists, or contact groups at work, you're already familiar with the idea.)

Group email addresses follow this pattern: {group-slug}[email protected]

What to expect as a member

• You'll receive group emails in your regular inbox
• Every message has a [GroupName] subject tag so you can filter easily
• You can reply to any message — your reply goes to the entire Group (unless the Group uses reply-to-sender mode)
• You can unsubscribe or change your delivery preferences anytime — but muting or switching to digest does not remove you from the Group. Think of it like stepping out of a meeting. You're still a Legionnaire, a Scout, a Knight, or a resident in your town — and you keep all the rights and capabilities that come with being part of the Group.

Delivery options

To change your preference, send the command to the Group's +cmd address (see the Member Commands tab for details).

Posting via the web

Visit your Group page and click Post Message. Write your message with formatting (bold, links, etc.) and it will be delivered to all members just like an email would. The same delivery rules apply — members on digest will see it in their next digest.

Not every Group has web posting enabled — some Groups are email-only by design. Either way, the full Group experience (messaging, commands, archives, delivery preferences) works entirely through email. Web posting is an additional option when the Group makes it available.

Quick answers by email

Some Groups have automatic responses set up for common questions. Send an email with a keyword as the subject and you'll get an instant reply. No one needs to be online.

Common keywords include things like getting started, next meeting, or mailing address. The available keywords depend on the Group. Send help to the Group's +cmd address to see what's available.

Sharing and inviting

Every Group email includes links to invite someone to the list or to learn about starting a Group for your own organization. You can also invite someone directly by sending invite [email protected] to the Group's +cmd address.

Notifications you'll receive

The Group keeps you informed about what's happening with your messages:

• If your message needs approval, you'll be notified when it's delivered
• If someone outside the Group tries to email it, the Group managers are notified so they can follow up
• When a Group admin sends a message, they receive a confirmation with delivery details

Group notices page

Each Group can have a notices page with terms, expectations, and useful information. If your Group has one, you'll find a personalized link in your Group emails. The page shows content tailored to you as a verified member.

Email archive

Every Group keeps a searchable archive of all messages. Browse by date, search by keyword, or view full conversation threads. The archive is accessible from your Group page.