Hosting guide
How to host on Offkai
About 5 minutes to read.
If anything's unclear or broken, email karl@offkai.app.
On this page
Before your event
Running your event
Changes & cancellations
Fees & payment terms
Beyond events
Wrapping up
Before your event
Set up your profile
Profile → add your preferred name (what attendees see at the door) and at least one payment method — Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, Wise, Cash, or Other (GCash, Revolut, PayPay, etc.).
You need at least one payment method saved before you can pick which methods an event accepts.
Create an event
Host → + Create. Key fields:
- Title, description, location, date/time — drop an address or lat/lng and the form shows a live map preview.
- Description supports markdown:
**bold**,*italic*,- bullet,[link](url). - Capacity — total seats, with optional per-tier caps.
- Price & currency — pick a currency, set a price, or mark Free. Add ticket tiers for named price levels (General, VIP, Early bird…), each with its own price, optional capacity, and an optional Hidden flag revealed by a promo code.
- Accepted payment methods — from your saved profile methods. Card (Stripe) appears once Stripe is connected on your Profile.
- Check-in mode — QR ticket, Roster, or No check-in (see Check-in).
- Visibility — list on Discover, show/hide the attendee list, or gate the event behind a password.
Save → you land on the event's hosting hub.
Promo codes
Manage from your event page → Promo codes. A code can reveal hidden tiers/add-ons and/or apply a percent or fixed discount, with an optional redemption cap (one use per attendee).
Seats, add-on units, and redemptions are enforced atomically — on a race, exactly one person wins.
Fundraisers
Pick Fundraiser instead of Standard event to collect donations toward a goal instead of selling seats — live progress bar, public donor wall, optional anonymous giving.
Requires Stripe connected (identity verification, and it's what enables anonymous donations).
Any ticket tier or add-on can double as a fundraising bucket with its own goal and a short “what this funds” label — or turn on "Let donors choose how much to give" for a single name-your-amount option with no tiers.
Group buys
Pick Group buy instead of Standard event to sell items instead of seats — merch, snacks, group orders, anything attendees pick and pay for rather than RSVP to. Each item has a name, price, optional photo, and an optional Stock cap, plus an optional max per order. The event's overall capacity field is relabeled Max orders for group buys — it caps total checkouts, not any one item. Attendees choose Shipping and/or Pickup at checkout — turn on at least one, and set a flat shipping fee if you charge for it — plus an optional tax rate on the order total.
Co-hosts & roles
Invite by email or @username from Host → your event → Co-hosts. Invites are two-step — the person must accept before they can act on the event. Two roles:
- Editor — full access, including cancelling a live event, except changing payout setup. (Deleting a still-in-draft event is organizer-only.)
- Scanner — door-only: look up the guest list and check people in.
Scheduling, drafts & sharing
- Set RSVPs open at / close at to run a timed drop.
- Save as draft keeps an event private (no Discover listing, no public link) until you Publish.
- Copy share link on the event page gives you a link like
offkai.app/event/your-event-title-ab12cd— no login needed to view, login needed to RSVP.
Running your event
Running your event
Your event page shows live status and revenue tiles, plus a Manage section for the guest list, walk-ins, and the payments queue. Every paid RSVP needs your approval before the ticket goes out — cash and digital screenshots both land on the Payments page; Card (Stripe) auto-verifies.
Message attendees anytime with Broadcast (pick confirmed / pending / interested / everyone), or draw random winners with Pick winners. Insights gives an at-a-glance read on RSVPs, revenue, and add-on sales.
Need to bill a vendor, collect a deposit, or hand someone a paper record? Host → Invoices (or Invoices on the event page, pre-filled with its name and currency) opens a lightweight generator — pick Invoice, Bill, or Receipt, fill in line items, tax, and payment terms, then print or save it as a PDF. Nothing is saved on our servers, so keep your own copy.
Check-in
Picked per event, changeable later from the edit form:
- QR ticket — attendees get a QR in their confirmation email. Scan it with your phone's camera through the web scanner (Host → Scan QR codes at the door) — no app to install.
- Roster — tap names off a guest list at the door. The list loads once, but each check-in tap needs a connection (unlike QR mode, which queues scans offline).
- No check-in — attendees just show up; you see a headcount.
See Your tickets & QR code for what attendees see at the door.
Waitlist
When a capped event fills up, new sign-ups queue on the Waitlist. Send offers manually, or turn on Auto-promote to fill open seats as they free up.
Need to stop new RSVPs without cancelling? Turn on Pause RSVPs — the page stays up and existing seats are held, but the RSVP button is disabled until you resume.
See When you can't RSVP right away for the attendee's view of waitlists, presales, and full events.
Emails & notifications
Attendees get automatic emails at each step — confirmation code, RSVP/ticket confirmation with QR, payment reminders, waitlist offers, “spot opened” nudges, cancellation and refund notices, and more — triggered by the state change itself, not something you send. You trigger a couple yourself: Broadcast messages, and a notice when you change the check-in mode on an event that already has confirmed attendees.
Every attendee also gets a matching in-app notification — the bell icon and unread badge in the nav, with full history at /notifications. It's a reliable backup: if an email bounces, lands in spam, or they've unsubscribed from your broadcasts, the notification still lands.
Unsubscribe is per event and only applies to Broadcast messages — it doesn't stop tickets, receipts, payment reminders, or cancellation notices for that event, and it doesn't carry over to any other event they've RSVP'd to.
See Email notifications & unsubscribing for the attendee's view.
Changes & cancellations
Cancellations & refunds
Cancel a single RSVP from the guest list, or the whole event from the event page — both email affected attendees. For Card (Stripe), refunds (full or partial, itemized by ticket/add-on) run through Offkai directly. Your event's cancellation policy (Flexible, Standard, Non-refundable, or Custom) sets whether attendees can self-serve a refund and by when.
Refunds return the ticket's face value only — Offkai's $0.35 platform fee and Stripe's processing fee are not refunded, matching Eventbrite/Ticketmaster norms.
See Cancel your RSVP & get a refund for the attendee's side of cancelling.
Adjusting a confirmed RSVP
Adjust order (on the Payments or Guests page) edits a confirmed RSVP's add-ons or guest count without cancelling. If the change raises the total on a Stripe RSVP, the attendee gets a "Pay $X now" link for the difference — or tick "Don't email or charge" to make it a silent correction. Every change is logged on the attendee's order history.
Fees & payment terms
Fees and payment terms
| Ticket type | Platform fee |
|---|---|
| Paid (Stripe) | ~$0.35 USD equivalent per ticket |
| Free | No fee |
| Cash / Venmo / Zelle / PayPal / Wise | No platform fee |
For Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, and other manual methods, attendees pay you directly — Offkai never touches that money. To make verification faster than digging through your own payment history, attendees upload a screenshot instead of you searching for a match; those (and all cash RSVPs) need your approval on the Payments page before the QR ticket goes out.
No subscriptions or setup costs — you only pay per paid Stripe ticket. Stripe's own processing fees apply on top (independent of Offkai; see stripe.com/pricing) — you choose per event to pass them through to attendees or absorb them. Both fee types are non-refundable once a ticket sells. You're responsible for any sales tax/VAT in your jurisdiction.
Full legal-shape detail (merchant of record, chargebacks, statement descriptor): How payments work on Offkai. What attendees see: Fees & your local currency.
Beyond events
Arigathanks Boards
A standalone kudos wall, independent of any event — Host → Arigathanks boards → New board. Anyone with the link can post a photo, GIF, or note; you control visibility (public or password-gated) and can hide individual posts.
Free for 10 posts; upgrade to 20 ($2.99) or unlimited ($4.99) as a one-time charge.
See Creating an Arigathanks Board for a deeper walkthrough.
Wrapping up
After the event
Nothing forced — events stay on your dashboard with a checked-in/capacity snapshot. Payment screenshots auto-delete 30 days after the event for attendee privacy.
Common questions
An attendee didn't get their confirmation code.
Check spam, then use Resend code on the verify screen. Codes expire after 1 hour.
An attendee paid via a method I don't have set up.
Edit the event → uncheck the missing method, add the right one in your Profile, edit again to enable it. The attendee can then send a screenshot via that method.
I want to test cash and digital flows on the same event.
Tick both methods on event creation. Each attendee picks one when they RSVP.
I added a co-host but they can't see the event.
They need to accept the invite from their Invitations page first.
Which check-in mode should I pick?
QR ticket for a scan-and-go door; Roster if the door host knows attendees by sight or the venue has poor reception; No check-in for casual free meetups.
Can I change the check-in mode after attendees already have tickets?
Yes, from the edit form at any time. If the event has any confirmed attendees and the change involves QR mode (switching to or from it), you're asked whether to notify them. The default choice is to email everyone their new ticket now if the event is within 14 days; further out, it defaults to skipping (deferred to your next reminder).
Two people go for the last seat (or the last use of a promo code) at the same instant — what happens?
Caps are enforced atomically at confirmation, not at checkout start. Exactly one person wins; the other sees a "sold out" or "code limit reached" message. A started-but-unpaid checkout doesn't hold the slot.
I made a data-entry mistake on a guest's order — can I fix it without bothering them?
Yes — open Adjust order and tick "Don't email or charge" before saving. The fix is recorded in the audit log only; no email or payment link goes out.
An attendee has a paid top-up on their order — why won't Refund work?
Multi-charge refunds aren't supported yet. Refund the top-up charge separately in the Stripe Dashboard first, then use Offkai's Refund button for the original charge.
Fundraisers
How does the donor wall, progress bar, and anonymous giving work?
Each bucket with a goal gets a two-segment progress bar (verified vs. pending); the total can read past 100% unless you cap it with "Stop accepting at goal." The donor wall lists every verified donation with name, amount, and an optional message — donors can give anonymously if paying by Card, and you can hide an inappropriate message without removing the donation. See Donate to a fundraiser for the donor's view.
Are fundraiser donations tax-deductible?
No — Offkai is a platform, not a registered charity. Receipts are payment receipts, not charitable tax receipts. If you're running a genuine charitable drive, handle tax documentation yourself.
Group buys
How do fulfillment and promo codes work on a group buy?
Attendees pick Shipping (to the address they enter) or Pickup (show their QR at pickup) per order. Promo code discounts apply to the goods subtotal only — not shipping or tax. See Order from a group buy for the buyer's view.
Promo codes & Insights
Can one promo code both reveal a hidden tier and apply a discount?
Yes — a single code can unlock hidden tiers/add-ons and apply a percent or fixed discount at the same time. Each attendee can redeem a given code once; "Max redemptions" caps total uses across everyone.
What exactly does Insights show me?
RSVPs and revenue over time, a status breakdown (confirmed / pending / waitlisted / interested), your payment-method split, add-on sales, refunds, and capacity used — useful for catching a slow week early or seeing which add-on is carrying the event.
Fees & refunds
What will attendees see on their card or bank statement?
Your Stripe account's statement descriptor, with * Offkai App appended — e.g. JOHN DOE EVENTS* OFFKAI APP. Change your descriptor in the Stripe dashboard (Settings → Public details) if you'd rather show your event brand than your legal name.
Exactly what do I get back on a refund?
Just the ticket's face value. On a $20 ticket with the default +1% buffer, an attendee pays $21.55 total; a refund returns $20.00, and your Stripe balance sees a ~$0.60 net loss (Stripe's non-refundable processing fee) while Offkai keeps its $0.35 platform fee.
What's the difference between the cancellation policies?
Flexible refunds up to 7 days before the event; Standard (the default) does the same with a 48-hour window; Non-refundable blocks attendee self-cancel (you can still issue manual refunds); Custom lets you write your own terms, and attendees are routed to message you instead of self-serving.
Formatting & boards
What markdown formatting can I use in my event description?
**bold**, *italic*, - bullet / 1. numbered lists, [link](url), ### headings, and > blockquotes. Plain text works too — markdown is layered on top, not required.
Can I moderate or remove a post from my Arigathanks board?
Yes — open the board's wall or management page and click Hide on any post. Hidden posts stay attached to the board (for your records, or to unhide later) but drop off the public wall. See Creating an Arigathanks Board.
Adjusting orders
How does an attendee actually pay for an add-on I tack on after they've RSVP'd?
If it's a Stripe RSVP, saving the change (with "Don't email or charge" unchecked) creates a Checkout Session for just the difference and emails them a "Pay $X now" button — the same link also shows as a Payment due banner on their /my-rsvps page. Non-Stripe rails (cash, Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, Wise) just get a notification email; you collect the difference yourself.
More
My event isn't showing on Discover even though I turned it on.
Discover requires a minimum combined count of going/pending-payment attendees plus interested ones (currently 10) before it appears — a quality bar so the catalog doesn't look empty.
Where do I report a bug?
Email karl@offkai.app with the event ID (from the URL) and what you saw.