Loomio is a software app, built by a worker-owned cooperative social enterprise. Loomio allows users to have discussions and make decisions together regardless of location and time.
What problem is Loomio trying to solve?
Loomio exists to reduce inequity by making it easy for anyone, anywhere, to participate in decisions that affect their work and lives.
The app supports businesses and community groups to run more effectively by focussing on encouraging better governance, and increasing collaboration and engagement in teams and workplaces.
The app allows working groups to effectively communicate between meetings, and keep a clear record of decisions made this helps improve the quality of meetings and reduces the need for them! Teams use Loomio to collaborate more effectively on projects. The app also provides ways to involve quieter people through polls and other decision-making tools, allowing the entire team to work together towards an intended outcome or purpose.
Loomio allows people from different geographical areas to engage on issues they care about, have facilitated and democratic conversations and learn from one another.
What impact is Loomio making?
Loomio’s mission is to help create a thriving and equitable future where organisations are more adaptive, citizens are more empowered and communities are more resilient.
Loomio also supports volunteer and member-supported organisations, and unfunded community groups that deliver impact and are working on solutions for the environmental, social and political problems we face today. In order to ensure the app is as accessible as possible it’s offered for free or at a discounted price to not-for-profits and community groups.
For more stories about different impactful groups that have used the platform, check out Loomio on Medium which includes articles like How Loomio helped NZ teachers win the fight for better pay and How Loomio helps build movements dealing with the world’s critical problems.
Some of the Loomio crew on a team retreat
“Loomio helps restore equity in society, enabling people to be involved in the decisions that affect them.” - Michael Elwood-Smith
What is Loomio’s business model?
Loomio has grown with users around the world. Currently Loomio has approximately 15,000 monthly active users and around 1,000 new groups that are being started each month. Users have generated over 120,000 decisions and Loomio groups exist in 30 countries. Loomio is available in multiple languages.
Loomio operates on a free trial and subscription model. People starting new groups in Loomio can choose a pricing plan dependant on the size of their group and organisation type. A competitive price is offered for commercial customers, non-profits receive discounts and an affordable price is offered for volunteer organisations (member/donor-funded). A free plan for unfunded community groups is available on application.
Where to from here?
The Loomio team has recently launched an updated version of the platform. ‘Loomio 2.0’ provides an improved user experience and more customisable message formatting with apps for mobile (iOS and Android) coming soon. Also coming soon is a feature, which allows people to define their own collaborative decision-making processes and share these with others. The goal is to make Loomio the software tool of choice for organisations practising collaboration!