How can you build a community of practice with like-minded community organizers?

1 Define your purpose

The first step to building a community of practice is to define your purpose. Why do you want to create this group? What are your shared interests, challenges, and goals? What do you hope to learn and achieve together? Having a clear and compelling purpose will help you attract and retain members, as well as guide your activities and interactions. You can use a simple tool like the SMART framework to define your purpose. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, your purpose could be: "To improve our skills and knowledge in digital organizing by sharing best practices, resources, and feedback every month for six months."

2 Identify your members

The next step is to identify your potential members. Who are the like-minded community organizers that you want to invite to your group? How will you reach out to them and convince them to join? How many members do you want to have, and how diverse do you want them to be? Ideally, you want to have a core group of members who are committed, motivated, and respectful. You also want to have some diversity in terms of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, to enrich your learning and creativity. You can use various channels to find and recruit your members, such as social media, email, word-of-mouth, or events.

3 Establish your norms

The third step is to establish your norms. Norms are the rules and expectations that govern your group's behavior and culture. They help you create a safe, respectful, and productive environment for your community of practice. You should co-create your norms with your members, and make sure they are clear, explicit, and agreed upon by everyone. Some examples of norms are: how often and how long will you meet, how will you communicate and collaborate, how will you give and receive feedback, how will you handle conflicts and disagreements, and how will you celebrate your successes and failures.

4 Plan your activities

The fourth step is to plan your activities. Activities are the ways that you learn and interact with each other in your community of practice. They should be aligned with your purpose, relevant to your needs, and engaging for your members. You can use various formats and methods for your activities, such as workshops, webinars, discussions, peer coaching, mentoring, case studies, or projects. You should also have some variety and flexibility in your activities, to accommodate different learning styles, preferences, and availability. You can use tools like Google Calendar, Zoom, Slack, or Trello to plan and organize your activities.

5 Evaluate your progress

The fifth step is to evaluate your progress. Evaluation is the process of assessing how well your community of practice is meeting its purpose, and how it can improve and grow. You should evaluate your progress on a regular basis, such as after each activity, or every few months. You can use different methods and indicators to evaluate your progress, such as surveys, feedback forms, testimonials, or metrics. You should also involve your members in the evaluation process, and ask them for their opinions, suggestions, and feedback. You can use tools like SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, or Typeform to collect and analyze your data.

6 Celebrate your achievements

The final step is to celebrate your achievements. Celebration is the act of acknowledging and appreciating your community of practice's accomplishments, learnings, and impacts. It helps you foster a positive, supportive, and fun atmosphere for your group. It also helps you motivate and retain your members, and attract new ones. You can celebrate your achievements in various ways, such as sending thank-you notes, sharing success stories, giving awards or recognition, or hosting social events. You can use tools like Canva, Mailchimp, or Eventbrite to create and share your celebration materials.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?