Understanding Your Organizational Community

When you think of the word “community,” what do you picture?

Your definition probably involves geography, and your visualization most likely includes a school, church, or neighborhood. You probably aren’t picturing the organization where you spend a third of your waking hours. The truth is, just like a church, a school, or a neighborhood, every organization is (in and of itself) a community with a unique culture. If you’ve ever spoken to me for any length of time, you’ve probably heard me talk about how culture develops one way or another, and organizations run more smoothly when they intentionally nurture the culture they want. A sense of community is the cornerstone of intentional culture, but who is a part of your organization’s community? Where should you focus your efforts? Identifying the groups that form your wholistic community is the first step in identifying where and how you can create meaningful change.

The very short answer is this: Your community consists of anyone with a vested interest in the work of your organization. The venn diagram of “community” and “stakeholders” has a lot of overlap. The main difference, in my mind, is that “community” looks at individuals through a lens of relationships, while “stakeholders” looks at individuals through a lens of transactions.

So… who are we talking about?

For the sake of this exercise, I’m going to break organizational community down into six categories. Grab a notebook, divide a page into six sections, and label each section with the title of a category (listed below). As you read through this, visualize your organization and jot down groups or individuals that come to mind. This is will give you an overview of your community! We’ll then work though some follow up questions and considerations that will help you further flesh out your conceptualization. This exercise is by no means comprehensive, but it will give you a good foundation for the organizational reflection required to create intentional improvements.

Team

The team may be the most obvious and urgent answer on this list, and for good reason: Those employed by your organization are largely responsible for planning and carrying out the work you do. If you use any of the following words to describe someone’s relationship to your organization, they fall into this category: team member, staff member, employee, leader, director, manager, coordinator, assistant, associate, administrator, technician, specialist. In your specific industry, this may include more specific terms like player and coach, writer and editor, teacher and principal, doctor and nurse, etc. To put it bluntly, anyone who received a W2 from your org is on the team. (Regardless of whether they are paid or unpaid, let’s not forget the interns!)

Board(s)

Many organizational structures are overseen by a board of directors. Regardless of whether the board is in charge of governance, fundraising, or carrying out programming in the absence of a hired team, this group of individuals is an integral part of the organization. Let’s also include founders, owners, and board emeritus members, who most likely feel the same level of connection to the organization. In addition to the board of directors, there may be other groups defined as “boards” that take an active role in supporting the work: advisory boards and associate/auxiliary/junior boards.

Supporters

You may be using one of the following names to describe the people who give your organization financial support: investors, shareholders, funding bodies, funders, foundations, donors, or members.

Because we don’t see their individual names and faces every day, it might be a little harder to conceptualize them as a part of the community, but it’s essential that we do. Supporters are both literally and figuratively invested in the work we are doing, and the key to stewarding these relationships is welcoming them to truly feel like a part of the community.

Volunteers and Champions

Quite simply, these are the people who show up when there is a need and ask for nothing in return.

Your volunteers may consist of tutors, mentors, parents or PTA members, food handlers, and any other position that shows up time and again. There may also be individuals that take on unpaid roles at one-off events, companies that plan service-work days for their own teams, and professionals that offer their services pro bono. Whether you’ve known them for years or you met them once, these are people who believe in what you do enough to donate their time.

Your champions are a less formal group. These are the people who sing your praises, encourage others to attend your functions, read your newsletter, share your posts on social media, and generally cheer you on. For a publication, this may include the readership. For a sports team, this may include the fanbase. In any case, this group demonstrates a chosen loyalty that should be celebrated.

In the case of both volunteers and champions, investing in these relationships is invaluable. When they feel like a member of your community, they see themselves as a PART of the organization, rather than simply doing something FOR the organization. When a person is a part of something, the successes feel like their own successes and the relationship is more likely to continue: When they feel a sense of ownership, they aren’t giving their time and efforts away; they are investing in an asset.

Population Served

The population served (an umbrella term from the nonprofit sector) refers to the individuals on the receiving end of the work your organization does. I’ve chosen this term over “target population” because I want it to reflect who is actively on the receiving end, rather than who could potentially be on the receiving end.

This group provides the need that makes the work necessary. Depending on the type of organization, this may include customers, members, clients, patients, students, audience members, followers, users, patrons, subscribers, congregation members, fans, program participants, and service recipients.

There are a number of reasons why it is important to intentionally make this group feel like a part of your community. The most obvious (from a sustainability perspective) is that it encourages individuals to become “regulars,” “return customers,” and “repeat visitors.” The more important reason, however, is that it (when done well) makes the organization more inclusive and less prone to saviorism.

Collaborators

The final group, collaborators, consists of any individual or organization with whom you have (or could) engage in a mutually beneficial endeavor. This could be a shared program, a cross promotion, or membership in a coalition or alliance. Making them feel like a part of your community is key to future collaborations. It can also expand your visibility to a larger audience of potential supporters and clients.

Other

There are bound to be other groups or individuals that are unique to your organization because your organization is inherently unique. They may fall outside of these categories or straddle the line between several. Consider these questions and see if anyone springs to mind:

• Who else contributes time, resources, or energy to your organization?

• Who else benefits from or is affected by the existence of your organization?

• Who else expresses repeated interest in your work?

Once you’ve developed an overview of your community, put some thought into how you can encourage each group to feel like a valued part of it, as well as how your organization will benefit from strengthening these relationships.

For each group, ask yourself…

Why are these relationships important to your organization?

• Do they perform essential functions?

• Do they increase revenue, raise awareness, etc?

From your estimation, how does this group view their connection to your organization?

• Do they understand the value of their contributions?

• Do they feel appreciated?

• Do they perceive themselves as an important part of the organization?

How would deepening that connection make your organization stronger?

• Could you increase efficiency and productivity?

• Could you grow your audience or create a more sustainable customer base?

• Do these relationships have the potential to make you more effective in general?

What additional steps can you take to let this group know that they are a valued part of your community?

• How could you make these groups feel more “in the loop” about the work you are doing and the work you plan to do?

• How could you encourage these groups to engage with each other and deepen their understanding of your work and its value?

• How can you express appreciation for this group?

What’s next?

Honestly, that’s up to you. You’ve begun the process of better understanding your organization, and you’ve built a tool that can aid in further contemplation and planning. Share this with other members of your team, and start a conversation about how you can use it to make forward progress.

• Consider which of the groups in your community require more attention.

• Consider which of the groups should be prioritized.

• Think through your ideas for building community and decide which ones would be the most meaningful.

• Think through which of your ideas are the most practical. There may be changes you can implement now, while others may require planning and budgeting.

Community building is not a quick process, and there is always more work to be done. It is also tremendously valuable to unlocking the full potential of your organization and building a culture that does right by the individuals that make up your community. The scale of this topic and the effort it requires to create change can sometimes feel overwhelming, but remember that progress is progress. Incremental change is well worth the effort. Invest in your people and your community will thrive.

Not sure where to start? Have an idea but need a thought partner? Need an ally with the capacity to take on some of the legwork? Let’s connect and talk about what’s next!