We're Back! AI, Community, and the Engagement Conundrum

Hey there.

I know, it’s been a while. 2022 was the beginning of a big shift. I went to Dubai for the Dubai Association Conference, I chaired an in-person event for community professionals immediately post-pandemic, I started a new job…and then left that job. Then I started another new job at the beginning of 2023 and spent all last year learning the business, forming a team, and working to set a brand new org up for success. And now that we’re on the other side of all of those transitions, we’re back.

And boy, the things we came back to.

First, AI is again at the forefront of community conversations (remember a few years ago when we went through this cycle and it fizzled out a bit?). But this isn’t just about creating efficiencies and automations. There is an aspect of this technology that changes the way we think about content strategies and controls around those strategies that ensure that misinformation and disinformation doesn’t erode the credibility of our online community spaces. Associations, nonprofits, and social impact organizations cannot afford to become a casualty of the misuse of these tools. There’s immense opportunity in the current wave of this technology to move us into the future, but there is massive risk to take into consideration.

Second, community programs continue to become casualties of organizations that invested heavily in online communities during the pandemic as a means to “increase engagement” without strategizing appropriately for the success of these programs in the long-term. That also means that they failed to understand the impacts to hired professionals with a wealth of knowledge to grow these spaces that have the potential to contribute to the success of the business. That also means they failed to take into account how the deprecation of these once considered safe spaces for dialogue and connection would affect members and the level of trust and loyalty they have to these organizations. And while we’re not seeing the layoff flood gates open like we did starting at the beginning of 2023, it’s still happening. Organizations must be more mindful about how they think about the purpose of these programs. And if you’re an executive or founder in these organizations thinking this through now, this responsibility lies with YOU. 

Lastly, organizations are screaming from the rooftops that waning engagement is a problem. But I think waning engagement is a symptom of a larger issue, not the whole issue. And you cannot blame community programs for those issues. Maybe your membership benefits are terrible. Maybe the events you hold are mediocre (regardless of who you have performing at the opening night gala). Maybe what you say you stand for is not how you show up to your members. People rarely disengage because they had nothing better to do on a Tuesday so they just up and decided to check out. And yet we continue to see community being used as a crutch - or a scapegoat - to avoid making necessary changes.

So what do we do about it?

If you are an executive or founder in an association, nonprofit, or social impact organization, you have a responsibility of ensuring you strategize for these areas holistically as part of your business operations, not just as one off programs. Develop clear and concrete strategies for how AI and community enhance your business value, develop tight governance around how people are using and engaging with these tools and platforms for their ethical use, and be clear on how you will identify the root cause of engagement issues to enhance your member’s experience with you. If you haven’t defined any of this, take two steps back before you take the next one forward and have hard conversations with your leadership teams and hold them accountable. Understand AI’s risk and benefits as it pertains to YOUR business and organization. Understand the language of community and how that translates to YOUR strategy and mission (and get comfortable with the fact that community work takes time). Define what engagement means and how to measure it so you can identify when the tactics that you activated to make it happen are or are not working.

Put in the work and take accountability.

Instituting these strategies require just as much rigor, care, and dedication as your thinking around your membership, events, or other mission-driven strategies. Because neglecting to be intentional about how you think about these initiatives will eventually affect your reputation and your bottom line.