From One Friend to Hundreds: How East Coast Club Built a Post-Grad Sisterhood with GroupMe

GroupMe has long been a staple on college campuses, powering study groups, club chats, intramural teams, and late-night plans. But what happens after graduation, when the campus fades and the group chats go quiet? Increasingly, we’re seeing something powerful: GroupMe isn’t just for college. It’s becoming the foundation for post-grad life too.

As graduates step into new cities, new jobs, and new chapters, GroupMe is helping them build something just as vital as a résumé: community. Whether it’s organizing meetups, sharing local tips, or simply finding someone to grab coffee with, GroupMe is where connection begins.

Meet Reese of Charleston, a recent post-college graduate trailblazing community with GroupMe. When she moved to Charleston on May 26th, 2025, just weeks after graduating college, she didn’t expect post-grad life to feel so isolating. With only two acquaintances in a brand-new city, the transition was lonelier than anticipated. But instead of retreating, she leaned into her passion for social media marketing and a deeper sense of purpose. One evening after work, she began sketching out branding for what she initially called “a girls club,” a space for connection, creativity, and community.

That idea quickly evolved into East Coast Club, a vibrant community for post-grad women in Charleston, SC to meet, bond, and build friendships. While the first Instagram post went live on June 27th, the real magic happened inside GroupMe. From the moment she created the group, it became the nucleus of the club’s growth where conversations sparked, events were planned, and friendships took root.

On July 1st, she hosted the club’s first event. Her goal was to meet just one new friend. She met four.

Momentum built fast. By the second event, five more women joined. Two months later, East Coast Club had grown to over 700 active members in GroupMe, with 1,000+ Instagram followers supporting the movement. But it’s GroupMe that keeps the community alive. It organizes beach picnics, coffee meetups, workout classes, and spontaneous hangs. It’s where members RSVP, share updates, and stay connected between events. It’s not just a chat. It’s the club’s living pulse.

What started as a personal leap of faith has blossomed into a movement. East Coast Club now brings together women from all walks of post-grad life: recent grads, newlyweds, mid- and late-twenties professionals, each with a shared desire to find friendship and belonging. The diversity of life stages has become a strength, creating space for mentorship, empathy, and learning across experiences.

At GroupMe, we’re proud to be the platform where these connections flourish. East Coast Club isn’t just a group. It’s a growing sisterhood. And it all began with one woman’s challenge to herself: just meet one new friend.

Now, she’s challenging others to do the same.