Creating a Feeling of Belonging in Your Member Community

Most membership organizations find reasonable ways to deliver value. They build programs, create resources, and articulate what members get in return for their time and dues. Amanda Lea Kaiser argues that's only half of what creates engagement. The other half (the part that's often missing) is experience: how it feels to be part of the community, how people are welcomed, and whether members can find their people.

In this episode, Amanda draws on years of professional experience and qualitative research with membership organizations to explore how community leaders can be more deliberate about the experiences they create: from the story being told in a welcome email to the way a meeting room feels when someone walks in for the first time.

Connect with Amanda Lea Kaiser:

• Amanda's website https://amandaleakaiser.com/
• Elevating Engagement (book) https://amandaleakaiser.com/book
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandakaiser/

Check out more from Storylinking:

• Go behind the scenes of this episode: https://storylinking.com/blog/ep15
• https://storylinking.com (the full show site)

Key moments from this episode:

07:09 Why experience matters as much as value in member retention

17:43 The six stages of the membership journey and what leaders can do at each one

21:50 The 18-hour rule and what it reveals about how belonging is won or lost early on

37:02 A simple question that can change the way you approach any community interaction