Back to Basics - Supporting Member Needs

I was recently scanning LinkedIn and I noticed a conversation about community metrics from some corporate leadership of a community I participate in. They made a lot of really great points about what metrics should be tracked and how it relates to the business value of the community.

The next point was about MVP programs and appreciating active users. I stared at the screen. I didn’t feel like I belonged. Their interpretation and perception of the community was much different than mine as an active user. What they are tracking isn’t the value I’m getting as a member. Their purpose and goals for the community is much different than mine as a community member. 

It made me start to think, maybe in 2022 it’s time to get back to the purpose of communities.

We’ve spent the past year trying to establish business value and get the resources we need to build thriving communities. We need to remember why we build these communities. The only reason to get funding is to better support your members. More resources empower you to help them achieve their purpose and goals. That’s why we’re here! As non-profit community professionals our number one obligation is to our members and what value they receive from our organization. Why does your non-profit organization exist? How does it serve your members or the community? What can your community do to help your members succeed? 

Recruiting Panelists and Leaders

Whether you are recruiting champions to help moderate forums or volunteers to help organize events or panelists or speakers, I encourage you to drop the bar...and that may seem a little strange. The backbone of community is that every member of the community has something to contribute and give back to the conversation. If you are working with active members that are willing to step into these roles, give them the tools they need to fill them and empower them to use this opportunity to lead and expand their network. Not only is it a great learning opportunity, it can also help members expand their network. 

Providing Mentoring Opportunities 

Connecting members is the catalyst of community building. I like to use the term “corner bartender.” The idea behind the concept is that bar regulars will come to a bar to talk to the bartender. Most bartenders will try to “build an audience” by just establishing a relationship with the person so they come back. But, community building 2.0 is “corner bartending.” Introduce the person to another person so they have a stronger sense of connection and belonging and more reason to return. Some people are really good at introducing themselves and making friends. However, most of us prefer to have someone help us make that connection that will lead to a stronger sense of belonging. Corner bartenders help build mentoring relationships. 

Programs Designed for Needs 

I’ve been trying to look at groups very critically lately. There are a lot of groups with great content and programming. But, does it meet the needs of the person participating in the community? It seems like a lot of us as community professionals, have a playbook or checklist and we go through that checklist and say, “BOOM! I’ve built the community!” But, have we? Just because you start an introduction thread, new member spotlight, and create badges doesn’t mean you’ve created a community. Community isn’t a checklist, it’s about meeting people's needs. I would encourage you to get to know members and their problems and figure out how the community can help solve their problems in a way that is scalable for the organization and the other community members. I’ll bring up an example from our community.

Our Code of Conduct encourages all posts to ask a question or start a conversation and not be promotional. For that reason, resumes are not published in the discussion forums (we have some private groups where they can be shared). I noticed that this was a huge need for our student members who wanted to share resumes and get feedback on them. We started a “Resume Workshop” that was an AMA style workshop with Resume Coaches that would be assigned resumes and review them on the thread. So if you didn’t feel comfortable posting, you could still benefit from the comments. Also, potential employers could skim through the list and recruit if they wanted too. We offer this opportunity twice a year and it is one of our most popular community programs. But, it’s where members are and it’s what they need and it’s important to provide them with resources that they find helpful, not just what we want to offer them. 

Looking Ahead

It’s easy to get sucked into business objectives and metrics and all the executive noise. I believe it is important that community professionals recognize the importance of community and can provide the analytics to senior leaders to get the support and resources we need. We need to remember, our number one goal is supporting members and their ambitions. My personal goal for 2022 is to focus on supporting member needs! I’ve lost that somehow and it’s time to get back to the basics of community building! 

I hope you will  join me in 2022 to focus on community members!