Activate your Community — Make people feel welcome and safe
People need to feel safe and that they have permission to share. Otherwise they may sit on the sidelines and never really know how they can get started.
On WONDR, there are three key areas where your members can contribute:
- Posting links, images, podcasts, videos and more into your Spaces
- Talking and sharing in your group chats
- Discussing and networking together in Rooms
To increase engagement amongst your community create:
- A clear welcome message for them 🚪
- A set of values and principles on how they can contribute 📬
From left to right, these are examples of how you can help your community feel welcome and celebrated:
- Left — Generation impact have a space dedicated to letting members share their own personal introductions, profiles and stories
- Middle — Sustainable Society have created topics to section out 1) Who they are, 2) Highlights members and 3) Values of the community
- Right — The Call to Conserve have put together a welcome post explaining their mission, their purpose and how they want to collaborate with their members.
Below are example paragraphs to give you a starting point for how you can piece together your own posts and Spaces when welcoming new members.
At the bottom we’ve also put examples of values, so people know how they can help make your community a wonderful place to be!
A) Welcome your new community members
Welcome to [Insert Community Name], it’s wonderful to see you join us 👋
We’re a community of people who are passionate about the [insert topics you’re covering] 🔂
Pro tip: Emojis have been found to cause similar good feelings in the brain, as emotions shown in person. Make sure to include them.
B) What can you find here?
This is an exclusive members space for you to find exclusive interviews with industry innovators and thought leaders, course material to upskill and general resources from industry research and trends.
You’ll also be able to connect with your peers and fellow professionals who are working towards [regenerative design and circular models within business and society] 🌍
C) How can they get involved?
We want each and every one of you to make this community your own, so we want you to co-create and share freely.
We encourage you to:
1) Update your profile and introduce yourself in the #Introductions chat — tell the group where you are in the world, what projects you’re working on and what you’re looking for support on
2) Share resources, links, videos and blogs to the topics you’re researching, learning about or just generally curious about
3) Join any of the spaces that grab your interest. When you’re a member of a space on WONDR you can post links, ask questions and join the group chats in the space.
Message the main page if there’s a topic you’d like to create that isn’t currently here.
D) What shall we create together?
We’re bringing this community together to create real world impact. So, we’d love to hear what you’d like to get from being a part of the group.
What would you like to gain from the community and how can we add value to your personal journey or career?
On a scale of 1–5 (1 being most important), how important are the following to you?
- Quality of information 📚
- Information that’s personalised to me 👍
- Ease to find new information 📲
- Access to other professionals and networking 🌏
- Feeling supported by other community members 💚
E) What does the future hold?
We have big plans for you and the [Community Name]. We’ll be connecting you with thought leaders, networking across the industry and opportunities for your business and career. We’ll be hosting events and sharing lots of new information — feel free to add posts to links you find too.
Tell us what you’d like to see in the community and what value you’d like to get from being a member — welcome to the group and feel free to start connecting or sharing.
Share your Community Values & Guidelines
Posted these in the main Space for your community
For the best results, offer members an education more than policing.
Help your members bring their best selves to the community by highlighting the right behaviours rather than presuming they’ve already done something wrong.
Saying what not to do can be a powerful tactic for the most abhorrent behaviours — be explicit about serious violations.
House Rules & Community Guidelines 🙏
We’re a community of people passionate about [insert key topics]️ 🌱. We know you’re passionate about these topics too as so we’d appreciate it if we could all hold each other to these set of values.
Value #1 — Inclusivity & Togetherness 💚
We are a collective. No individual is better than the whole.
We may come from all over the world, from different backgrounds and even some different views but we are united by our belief in [a sustainable future]. A future that understands the power of community. We will not tolerate individuals disturbing that harmony.
Value #2 — Open and safe to explore our curiosity 💭
We are all learners on our own journeys. Bring your best selves to the community.
Avoid judging or publicly humiliating anyone. This isn’t a constructive way for us to support each other and take action together.
If you have advice, message them directly and help understand something better.
Value #3— You’re an essential part of this community. You have a role to play in making it great 👍
This community will only be as good as we make it for ourselves. By doing [A, B & C] you can make this an excellent environment to learn about these topics.
If someone is in danger of disturbing these values, keep each other safe and keep this a friendly zone for exploring. Message any of the admins if someone is in serious breach/violation.
Value #4 — 🤘
Continue creating the values you want for your community.
We recommend anywhere between 6–8 as a maximum, so that people don’t have too much to take in and can remember these values.
We’re building WONDR to support the impact-driven creators of the world. The future educators and the community builders who want to create a positive change for people and planet 🌎🤘
If you’d like to apply to the Creator Network of Communities — visit here.
My team and I are on hand every step of the way:
- Direct Message me on WONDR here
- Hop on a 15min call in with me here
