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Home » Methods » Community Building Tool

Community Building Tool

Project members, citizens or other multipliers
easy
3 hours
  • Digital whiteboard: Miro or Mural OR shared document (e.g., MS Teams)
  • Video conferencing: Zoom, Microsoft Teams etc.
Best Practices

Explanation of the method

To help individuals and teams map out their efforts to cultivate a community the Community Building Framework can be used

  1. Identify and engage individuals who bring energy and actively participate in the project, determine the reasons for continued participation and understand the specific needs of the group
  2. Engage in collaborative activities— are purposeful, participatory, and repeatable? Encourage member interactions online with prompts, structured conversations, and leader support.
  3. Identify and cultivate the community's identity by recognizing the signature expressions
  4. Monitor community engagement closely and establish effective tracking methods for member retention, understanding how they return and contribute
  5. Cultivate additional leaders and empower existing ones — develop strategies for support throughout leaders' journeys
  6. Join in celebration! Explore ways to collectively acknowledge and celebrate shared accomplishments.

Advantages

  1. Emphasizing identity and key members fosters inclusivity and belonging for sustained collaboration
  2. The framework encourages the creation and empowerment of leaders at varying levels
  3. Teams can collaboratively visualize various versions of the community they might invest in building
  4. The focus on celebrating together enhances morale and reinforces a positive community culture

Disadvantages

  1. Time-consuming add-on to project planning
  2. Static nature, as leaders and community members may change throughout a project
  3. In larger or complex projects, the framework may be less effective due to challenges in managing community dynamics at scale

Advice from practice

  1. The framework is especially well-suited for modern environments or small teams where a strong community culture is essential for collaboration and innovation
  2. Use the framework as a complement to project focused management methodologies
Please note that the tools and methods were created as of August 2024 and all Miro Boards are editable.
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