6 Community Building Trends From 6 Community Builders
And two new podcast episodes
Last Saturday, I hosted my third Community Builders and Creators mini-conference “C3” this year. I am obsessed with these mini-conferences.
I have already heard lots of cool stories about new events, new experiments, new side hustles and much more!!!
When like-minded people gather for an extended time, magic happens.
I thought you might want to know what was discussed, on people’s minds, etc.
So here are 6 community building trends from 6 people who attended C3:
Rising expectations for community experiences
Intimate Gatherings
Cross-Community Collaborations
Creative uses of a Member Directory
Private, curated communities
Great Artists Steal / Combinatory Play
1. Rising expectations for community experiences from Saba Ahmed
People have become increasingly discerning with how they choose what IRL experiences to attend. This is likely driven by lingering effects from the pandemic and the growing availability of digital options. Either way, the bar for ‘what am I willing to leave my home for’ is much higher than it once was. This means community builders need to be thoughtful about offering experiences that are truly worthwhile - and many of them are rising to the challenge. (Looking at you David!) These ‘worthwhile’ experiences usually feature one or both of the following: 1) meaningful connections 2) transformative experiences. People prioritize and return back for experiences that help them connect more deeply with others or with their inner selves. I think it's because these experiences energize us in ways that are hard to replicate on our own.
You can connect with Saba on Instagram here and read her Substack here.
2. Intimate Gatherings from Aaisha Bhuiyan
We’ve all heard the saying before - quality over quantity. The ability to thoughtfully curate the guest list can go a long way. Having a shorter guest list also allows the gatherer to pay more attention to detail; perhaps a handwritten note, a longer 1:1 conversation, a personalized gift bag, or the best one yet - allowing space for vulnerability. Intimate gatherings are a way to form deep meaningful connections.
You can learn more about Aaisha’s Letter Writing Soiree event on 8/30 here, connect on Instagram, and read her Substack here.
3. Cross-Community Collaborations from Rachel Saslaw
Collaborating with other communities is a great way to experiment, reach new audiences, and learn more about your existing audience.
Collaborations can drum up unexpected excitement for communities with consistent, repeatable programs. Think about a complimentary community and how you might mesh your values and experiences together. Connectedness through storytelling and a dinner party? Self care through journaling and yoga? Speed “dating” for founders seeking co-founders? Community builders are often motivated to team up when there is an exchange of value: bringing something new to their community, in addition to reaching new audiences, and learning more about their existing audience through one-off experimental collaborations.
You can follow StoryTell on Instagram here, join their WhatsApp community for updates and event invites here. Their next collaboration is an evening of connection, journaling, and storytelling on Monday, August 19 with Emily Chertow of Journaling Classes. You can sign up here.
4. Creative uses of a Member Directory from Daniel Zahler
I’m seeing growing interest in member directories that make it easy to search a group and find people with specific backgrounds or interests. This could be for professional networking, finding a job, or for making friends and activity partners. The easiest way to start is by getting members to fill out a basic profile so you know a bit about them: Photo, name, location, what they’re working on, their hobbies and interests. At a basic level, you can give members an easily searchable directory. Some community leaders are using AI for matchmaking - giving members suggestions on other members they should meet - for networking, friendship, or dating purposes.
You can follow Daniel’s community here. They have a Summer Soiree coming up August 21 in Venice and a Beach Party coming up Sept 19 in Santa Monica.
5. Private, curated communities from Marion Siboni
Private, curated communities build genuine, powerful connections that can go a long way. Creating a space where members share the same values and are open to vulnerability foster deeper connections. Finding your tribe can be hard, so joining a group with like-minded individuals where you can be true to yourself and benefit from a strong support system is key to success.
You can connect with Marion on LinkedIn here, and read her Substack here.
6. Great Artists Steal / Combinatory Play from Jenna Masi
In art, there is a concept, ‘Great Artists Steal’, which essentially claims that no idea is new. Instead, every new idea is a combination of previously existing ideas. In the innovation world, this concept is referred to as ‘Combinatory Play’.
In the NYC community world, it is FASCINATING to see this concept play out! In the same way tech ideas spread across Silicon Valley and songwriting ideas spread across Laurel Canyon, community ideas are spreading across NYC. Inspired by a culture of collaboration and abundance (which, in my opinion, is largely informed by David Nebinski’s community events including C3), community builders in NYC are sharing ideas openly with one another, collaborating on / co-sponsoring events with each other, and encouraging one another to apply concepts from one community to another to create new and unique experiences. It is SO FUN to see and experience!!
You can connect with Jenna here and listen to her Lessons in Creativity podcast here.
What community building trend do you see? Reply back and let me know!
🎧 Portfolio Career Podcast Episodes
#333: Turning Moments
What was a turning moment for you?
Recently, 6 friends and I each talked about a turning moment for us on the podcast. People shared stories about a book, a course, hobbies, and so much more!
In some cases, people felt the turning moment quickly. So, your next turning moment might be around the corner too.... keep exploring!
#332: Community Building Inflection Points
In this episode, I chatted with Ruthie Berber, Jori Bell, and Marion Siboni about community building inflection points.
You will hear about: 1) how an event series took off, 2) how people may be looking for smaller events these days, and 3) how hitting product-market-fit has been an inflection point.
Alright, that’s it for me. I am thinking more about what I want to do in the rest of 2024. How about you? What’s on your mind?
Reply back or leave comment below to let me know!
PS: want to learn more about hosting a mini-conference? Read here!
Great summary of trends in the community space. I had a blast meeting and learning from all the inspiring leaders at the C3 conference - thanks so much for organizing, David!
What an incredible gathering of community builders. Thank you for creating a space for people that want to create spaces for other people, David!