Guiding Principles to Create a Thriving Member Community
Here’s a modern association horror story😱: members express their wish to have an online community, so staff spend thousands of dollars and hours trying to drum up engagement, only to have lackluster participation by just a few loyal members. This sort of flat launch has happened to many associations, and the telling of this story scares away many others.
Except…
Except, there might not be anything more engaging than a GREAT online community. Imagine members always having the opportunity to dip into a constantly innovating reservoir of experiences, experiments, and support. Associations with a great online community often say the community is so engaging that it becomes THE driver of value.
While keynoting for the Nursery & Landscape Association Executives Annual Conference, a few participants said, “We want to hear more about Ontario’s member-only Peer to Peer Network because members find it so exceptionally engaging.” After hearing a few phrases from Joe Salemi, Executive Director of the Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association, like “the community members are our most engaged members” and “it is all about creating a safe space.” I knew I had to learn more. In a separate conversation, Joe shared how he and his staff do what they do.
Have a Reason for Being
Landscape companies are often small, with an owner and a small crew. Left to themselves, they do not usually have peers or colleagues to get ideas, support, or even a business-building leg up. That is until the Peer to Peer Network was formed to give these small business owners a forum to connect and share with their colleagues.
Founding Principles
An early name for the community was the “Never Alone Program.” While that name didn’t stick, the intent did. The founding principle was to create a safe space where colleagues, even competitors, could “talk about the issues they were experiencing and get support. Never being alone is the guiding force behind the program,” Joe said.
Creating a Safe Space
Joe told me this story, which is still repeated among the members, about a roundtable event years ago. The facilitator asked everyone to discuss their most complex challenges, and you could hear a pin drop. No one wanted to speak. After a beat or two, the facilitator jumped back in and said something like, “This is a safe space, and we need to share with no judgment. Sharing is the only way to grow.” And with that, people started talking.
The community is also an exclusive member-only Network for owners, not for crew. Having a community of similar colleagues also helps create a safe space.
Reinforcing the Safe Space
As the Peer Network membership constantly changes, new members must understand what behaviors create a safe space, and long-time members are reminded. A short, simple written Pledge and Commitment is required reading for each new member, and staff republish it every quarter.
Our Pledge to each other is:
· To honour confidentiality,
· To respect vulnerability,
· To offer sincere advice,
· To rise above judgement,
· To inspire peers with hope
Our Commitment to our Network is:
· To participate regularly in online discussions
· To engage in Face to Face sessions – ensuring success for all
· To follow up when we say we will
And yet, rarely, but sometimes, someone posts something that doesn’t abide by the Pledge. In that case, the community and staff leap into action. Community members will flag it for the staff, or a staff member will see it and comment on it. The poster has one day to edit their post. If they don’t edit it, their post is removed. Joe says, “It is important for staff to walk the talk – anything that acts against the community as a safe space will be removed.”
Merge In-Person and Online
The Peer to Peer Network is hosted on a closed Facebook group. The staff has considered moving the community to an online community platform with all the bells and whistles. Still, members wouldn’t have it saying they were already on Facebook promoting their companies.
In addition to the online community, the 419 Network members can attend three leadership retreat-style events a year. The Principles are reiterated at every event, and attendees agree to check their egos at the door.
The last question I asked was: What advice would you give to other associations who want to launch an online community? “Focus more on the guiding principles first and be relentless in defending the guiding principles. The members who can’t abide should not be members of the community. It’s okay if every member is not a part of the community because other people will find more value elsewhere. Bottom line: Everyone needs to be in it [the community] for mutual growth.”
When a great “story from the trenches” surfaces like this one, I’ll try to share it so we can learn from each other. Many, many thanks 😄 to Joe Salemi, Executive Director of the Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association, for sharing his experience with his association’s thriving member community!
