January 2026 Newsletter

Happy January, Bt+, and happy new year! Got any new years resolutions? If so, feel free to share them in the comments!

Announcing the Bt+ Forum!

First and foremost we have a big announcement: the Bt+ forum! It is a forum for members only, and is intended to be a way for members to be able to have something to do in-between events. It's also a way for members that live further away from Seattle to still be able to participate with each other. Some people in WA haven't joined Bt+ yet because they fear being a part of in-person community, and we hope that introducing them to an online space with other members will warm them up the idea of meeting them in-person. That all being said, there are risks involved with a forum, such as causing infighting, or getting people comfortable with just being online and never coming to in-person events, so if we find that the forum ends up causing more harm than good we may end up discontinuing it. Consider this a test run for the first couple months.

Help Wanted

Next up, Bt+ is seeking volunteers! We recently had some staff members leave, so we are a bit understaffed. Any help would be appreciated! We are seeking two different types of volunteer work: short-term and long-term. Short term volunteering is for case-by-case basis volunteer opportunities, like if we need people to help test out website features or trial runs for events. Long term volunteering would make you a part of our staff, where you are a part of the team and have regular responsibilities. For the former, please visit our new page on Volunteering. For the latter please check out our open positions on our Careers page, we are looking for Event Organizers at the moment, but in the future this page will be updated whenever we are seeking new staff.

Miscellaneous

Additionally, our Event Preference Survey has ended. The purpose of this survey was to poll members for their availability times, as well as what activities they are interested in. Now that we have collected all our results, we will use the information to better our events, ensuring that more members can participate, and that they'll have fun doing so. We will likely hold more surveys in the future, so, members, please keep an eye out for those. 

Lastly, we are doing a lot of work behind the scenes to strengthen the structure of Bt+, which is mainly consisting of doing research into more event venues. Between that, a change in staff, and long processes into forming a legal structure, we have a lot on our plates. As much as we'd like to be innovating and doing more for our community, we don't have the resources at the moment. So please be patient as we build ourselves up; we may stay at the level that we're at for a long time.

The End

Thanks for reading! We hope everyone enjoyed their 2025. Despite its tumultuous political climate, our org has been able to make it a good year for some people, and we hope that 2026 can be even better. Not a member yet? Join Bt+ to become one! Members get invited to events and get some other perks as well. (Being subscribed to the mailing list and being a member are two separate things. Not sure if you're a member? Sign up!) Membership is currently limited to those who reside in WA state.