Associations = Community of Practice

If you are part of an association, you are part of a “community of practice.” At their very core, associations are communities of practice. What is a community of practice you may ask? The idea comes from the 1991 book Situated Learning by cognitive anthropologist Jean Lave and educational theorist Etienne Wenger (Lave & Wenger 1991). The concept is that communities of practice or CoPs, "share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly." I believe that is the heart and soul of what many associations are trying to accomplish. 

Naturally there is no better place nurture this shared interest and help members accomplish their goals than an online community. Many associations focus on in-person gatherings. They may be hosted locally, nationally, or even globally. These events only create a sense of belonging for a short time. The connections and interactions may be more intimate initially; however, it takes a lot of commitment for members to follow up and continue these connections without an infrastructure in place to support or nurture these relationships. This is something online communities can help your members do more seamlessly. 

I have many close connections that I have never met face-to-face. Marjorie Anderson is a great example! Engaging in online communities has many advantages to developing and nurturing a CoP. Everything you do as an association community builder should be building a “community of practice.” That’s a core part of your job in driving engagement across your association. Here are some ideas about how to nurture your community of practice digitally. 

Rituals 

Every group has its own activities that help build trust and continuity. Community rituals are a great way to do that. Rituals are something the members get into a habit of doing. They get used to participating at X time of the month or on X day. It’s also a great touch point or prompt for members to interact with each other without having to put too much thought into their level of engagement.  

Mentoring programs

Creating one-on-one or group mentoring programs is a great way to build a CoP. Mentoring programs help members pass on their knowledge and help members work towards solving specific goals. The essence of mentoring is passing down knowledge or experience based on a certain topic. Nothing embodies a CoP more! You don’t need a formal program to create mentoring opportunities. However, (like a community) a formal program helps you scale the task of connecting your members. 

Encourage knowledge sharing 

I’m privileged to be part of many communities where knowledge sharing is key. However, this is not the case in all communities. If you really want to foster a CoP, you need to develop a culture where members feel comfortable and even obligated to share their knowledge and learnings. Being generous with knowledge is a huge element of a CoP. This behavior needs to be encouraged and fostered for the CoP to succeed. 

Engaging in committee work 

What are your committees working on? The content, products, and events they develop are of interest to your organization and members. Provide them spaces to share and highlight what they are working on as a committee. Can you ask them to write a blog about their findings and research? Can some of the members participate in virtual events or host an “Ask Me Anything?” These are great ways to engage your committee leaders and highlight their programs while providing quality value to your members and the CoP.  

Virtual Meetups 

Creating opportunities for members to have real-time interactions is important. However, they don’t always have to be in-person. Schedule events for your members to meet virtually so they can have more informal interactions to build their relationships and develop trust with one another. 

In closing

As an association professional, you are already engaged with a membership that is passionate. Now it’s up to you to guide them to continue to engage digitally so they continue to grow their knowledge base and support one another and the industries they so proudly support!