Dear Bri: Community Strategy, Fiascos, and Drama

Murtaza Bambot, Founder & CEO of Heartbeat, shares insights on building niche communities, especially around sensitive topics. He emphasizes empathy and communication for attracting initial members. Murtaza discusses grassroots strategies over paid ads, the power of a paid waitlist, and the necessity of constant research and testing. He highlights the importance of focusing marketing on transformation and advises on leveraging tools like ChatGPT for support. This conversation is a goldmine for anyone looking to foster genuine community connections!

In this episode, we hear from Negativity in New York. Today’s letter deals with the nuanced line between keeping your community positive while making space for people to be honest and real about the struggles they are experiencing.To better help Negativity in New York, I invited Mallory Contois as my guest expert. She has lots to contribute today because as the creator of one of my FAVORITE communities, Old Girls Club — a virtual community for working women with over 1,800 members that’s been running for 2.5 years on Slack.Mallory has seen some sh*t, so tune in for some tactical advice and practical strategies for navigating the difficult task of allowing tough conversations to take place in your community but not letting them take over.In this episode:(04:33) Moderating difficult topics and maintaining a safe space(12:08) The Politics channel: a test(16:28) Different responses for different sizes of community(19:31) The communitea: Negativity in New York’s letter(20:58) What to do when a community member is trauma dumping(27:35) Practical advice for having those tough conversations(33:39) The importance of creating some distance from community members(37:37) The wild success of the Yell in Caps Here channel in the OGC communityExpect: Thoughtful community engagement tactics and community management coaching.Resources Mentioned:👩‍🦰 Join the Old Girls Club jointheogc.com.🎧 Past episodes mentioned: Episode 7 with Andrea Middleton and Episode 9 with Jae Washington.❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. All-in-one community platform.💛 Join Ember. The place for community creators building community-powered businesses.Mallory Contois🖥️ Website📱 LinkedinBri Leever🖥️ Website📩 Newsletter📹 Youtube📱 LinkedinAnd before you go…💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 💚 Leave a review on SpotifyThat helps the podcast more than you know and I deeply appreciate it. 🙏Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Carrie Melissa Jones, an award-winning community builder and CEO of the CMJ Group, discusses conflict resolution in community settings. She emphasizes the importance of proactively addressing potential conflicts and reassessing community values regularly. Carrie shares insights on navigating drama during events, trusting intuition, and fostering transparent communication. Additionally, she explores the balance between competition and collaboration within communities, encouraging leaders to foster trust and integrity for stronger connections.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Hopeful in Houston. Our letter today deals with a community builder who wishes they had better guided their community through diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).To better help Hopeful in Houston, I invited Jae Washington as my guest expert. She is the perfect person to bring us new insights because she is a community consultant, curator, and connector with experience at Zeenefits and as Head of the Global Client Community at Headspace, where she revolutionized engagement and community-building within B2B organizations.So, tune in for a truly insightful and profound episode, with frameworks and tactics to help you build a community full of belonging, diversity, equity, and inclusion.In this episode:(04:00) Some harsh realities of being a community manager for an organization(10:07) The communitea: Hopeful in Houston’s letter(12:18) The 3 GRs: gratitude, grace, and growth(14:38) The value of belonging(18:38) Steps to bring a better DEIB initiative to your organization’s community(23:21) A new state of B.E.I.N.G.(25:48) Celebrating differences in your community(28:16) How to start your community on the right track with DEIB(31:09) When the community is asking for something you can’t deliver(34:47) Support, not save(37:55) A surprise: the letter’s originsExpect: Community strategy and community engagement tactics focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.Resources Mentioned:❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.Noteworthy quotes:“Just because an organization hires you to manage or institute community does not mean they value community.“ - Jae Washington“If our similarities are the spark for connection, our differences beget growth and education.” - Bri LeeverJae Washington🖥️ Website📱 LinkedinBri Leever🖥️ Website📩 Newsletter📹 Youtube📱 LinkedinAnd before you go…💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 💚 Leave a review on SpotifyThat helps the podcast more than you know and I deeply appreciate it. 🙏Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Alli Ball, founder and CEO of Food Biz Wiz, shares her decade-long expertise in marketing successful community programs. Dive into the challenges of balancing free and paid communities, and discover the importance of setting clear expectations. Alli discusses navigating feelings of entitlement versus empowerment among members. She emphasizes effective engagement strategies, including innovative pop-up groups and targeted marketing techniques. Learn how to foster a collaborative environment while managing community dynamics!

In this episode, we’re hearing from Toxic Member in Toronto. Our letter today deals with a toxic community member stirring up trouble to revolt against the community manager.To better help Toxic Member in Toronto, I invited Andrea Middleton **as my guest expert. She is a seasoned veteran of the community space who loves finding paths to productive and powerful collaborations with opinionated and skeptical communities, which is perfect for our letter today.So, tune in for a lot of wisdom from someone who’s dealt with a toxic community member or two and some really practical tools on what to do when your community turns against you.In this episode:(03:34) When Andrea fanned the flames without a gameplan(06:21) 3 strategies for conflict de-escalation(11:57) The communitea: Toxic Member in Toronto’s letter(15:08) How to protect yourself against toxic community members(17:49) Having a strong code of conduct in place and tips to get there(28:32) The diagnostic phase and possible plans of action(34:44) Fighting fire (conflict) with a vacuumExpect: Community management best practices and community strategy for conflict resolution.Resources Mentioned:❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.Noteworthy quotes:“You don't need to agree with someone to understand where they're coming from. But without understanding her goals and motivations, you're never going to be able to form a strategic plan for how to address her behavior.“ - Andrea Middleton“You don't need to arm yourself with all of these rigid guidelines and rules when really, as “the protector” of the community, your job is to bring forth the spirit of the community, not to just enforce the things people aren't supposed to do.“ - Bri LeeverAndrea MiddletonAndrea is a veteran community organizer who loves finding paths to productive and powerful collaborations with opinionated, skeptical communities. She spent 10 years working in community efforts in the WordPress open source project, and joined Reddit in 2021 — the last 3 years at Reddit she’s had lots of exciting moments, including working with mods and communities through the API protests of last summer. In her spare time, she loves reading sci-fi/fantasy, cooking, fine wine, and goofing with her teenagers.🖥️ Website📱 LinkedinBri LeeverBri got her start building a community and growing it to a multi-million dollar revenue stream for a social enterprise in Portland, OR. Now, she supports folks used to running their business on content, coaching, and consulting to create their community offer. She's a Community Strategist by day and a Campervan host by night on the Big Island of Hawaii and you'll usually find her on, in, or under the water.🖥️ Website📩 Newsletter📹 Youtube📱 LinkedinAnd before you go…💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 💚 Leave a review on SpotifyThat helps the podcast more than you know and I deeply appreciate it. 🙏Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Jelani Memory, the VP & Publisher at DK, dives into the art of balancing community and business goals. He emphasizes the power of creating genuine connections and leading by example in community culture. Jelani shares his process for helping others access their stories and discusses strategies for fostering authentic engagement. He outlines three key principles for community caretaking and reflects on aligning community initiatives with core values for sustainable growth. Tune in for valuable insights that inspire a fresh perspective on community building!

Ami Defesche, Community Director at Wildcard Alliance with a rich background in Intuit and Blackbaud, shares her expertise on managing critical community feedback. She dives into the emotional challenges faced by Discord community managers and offers practical strategies for handling negativity. Ami emphasizes the importance of clear mission statements and setting boundaries while encouraging self-care practices to aid community managers. Tune in to discover effective moderation techniques and how to transform criticism into constructive dialogue!

Noele Flowers, a community strategy consultant based in New York's Hudson Valley, dives into the intricacies of community platform selection. She discusses the chaos of online interactions, touching on the pros and cons of using Slack and Facebook versus all-in-one platforms like Heartbeat. With insights on intentional onboarding and the learning-to-connection ratio, Noele emphasizes the importance of choosing the right platform for genuine engagement and connection, offering a roadmap for effective community building.

Taylor Harrington, Head of Community at Groove, shares insights on avoiding burnout as a community leader. She emphasizes the importance of setting clear boundaries to protect your time and energy. The conversation touches on navigating tough decisions, managing community expectations, and releasing the need to be everything for everyone. Taylor also discusses practical strategies like the 'Yes, and/No, but' concept to help assert limits while still fostering meaningful connections. It's all about giving yourself grace and making smart choices!