Who should start a Flote?

Anyone can start a Flote. Often it is someone one step removed: a friend, a sibling, an adult child, a neighbor who wants to do something useful. The person who is sick, or whoever is caring for them day to day, can start one too.

It takes about five minutes and it is free, and nothing you set up is locked in. You can bring other people in to run it with you at any time.

Starting a Flote for a friend or family member

This is one of the most practical ways to show up for someone. Organizing everyone who wants to help is a job in itself, and starting the Flote takes that job off their plate.

Get their okay first, if they are able to give it. Tell them before you share the link, and agree on what they are comfortable with people seeing. If they are too unwell to weigh in, go ahead and act in their best interest, ideally alongside the people closest to them. You also choose who can see the Flote: private, so only people you approve can see it, or public, so anyone with the link can.

Use your own name and email for your account, since that is what you sign in with. The Flote is what carries their name.

When you are ready, How to create a Flote walks through every screen, from entering their name to choosing who can see it.

Starting a Flote for yourself

On the first screen, tick This Flote is for me and your own name goes on the Flote.

The rest of the setup is the same for everyone, and How to create a Flote walks through each screen.

You do not have to manage the Flote alone

Whoever starts the Flote becomes its owner, but that is a starting point, not a commitment.

• Add other admins. Invite someone and give them the Admin role, and they can do almost everything you can. Siblings in different cities, or a friend and a partner taking turns, can all run the same Flote.
• Add the person it is for. If you started it on someone's behalf, you can invite them in as an admin too, so they can see what is happening and steer it.
• Hand it over. If someone else takes over the organizing, you can make them the owner. You stay an admin.

To bring people in, see How do I invite people to my support circle?. Roles and permissions covers what an admin can do, and handing it over is Transfer ownership of a Flote.