DigiShift 86: building online communities

In this session, we’ll explore how to create vibrant, supportive online spaces that foster engagement and loyalty for your cause. Whether your goal is to offer support to service users, grow your donor base, or rally advocates for your cause, creating a well-managed digital community is crucial for long-term success.

Our expert speakers, Lynne Houmdi (Flexible Working Scotland) and Serena Snoad (Good Community and previously Alzheimer’s Society), will guide you through best practices for building and managing a thriving online community. This includes identifying your community’s unique needs, choosing the right platforms, and creating engaging content that resonates with your audience. You’ll learn how to leverage tools such as social media groups, forums, or specialized community platforms to foster deeper connections between your members, volunteers, and supporters. We’ll also explore how user-generated content and peer support can drive growth and loyalty within your community.

We’ll address common community management hurdles like moderating discussions, managing conflict, and keeping users engaged over time.

The session will provide real-life examples of charities that have successfully built and sustained online communities, from creating small, focused groups to scaling up large, impactful networks. You’ll leave with actionable tips for nurturing a community that is not only active but also aligned with your charity’s mission and values

Serena Snoad is a highly experienced community manager with a proven track record of building and sustaining engaged networks. As the founder of Good Community, she helps organizations create thriving, purpose-led communities both online and offline. Her expertise includes community strategy, member engagement, and facilitating meaningful interactions that align with organizational goals. Serena’s extensive experience includes working with the Alzheimer’s Society, where she led community initiatives that provided vital support and resources for individuals affected by dementia. She developed and managed peer-to-peer networks, ensuring members had access to the information and community connections they needed. This experience, coupled with her work in sustainability and social impact, has positioned her as a leader in fostering resilient and impactful communities across various sectors.

Lynn Houmdi is committed to peer support and peer learning. She is passionate about connecting people and ideas as well as to helping people access meaningful, fulfilling work that fits with all the other commitments and enjoyment of life. She does the latter through Making Work Work, an award-winning suite of women returners programmes she designed and now delivers with The Challenges Group and also through her community, Flexible Working Scotland. Flexible Working Scotland is hosted on Facebook and has grown to 20k members since April 2021. She is also half of the duo behind Catalysing Connections, a bi-monthly gathering of people with good ideas for good at The Melting Pot in Edinburgh, celebrating its 2nd anniversary in November 2024.

As always, there will be plenty of opportunities for questions during our interactive Q&A. You don’t need to work in digital to join us—Digishift is open to all.

This session is a must-attend for anyone involved in digital projects within the voluntary sector. Gain practical insights and strategies to enhance your charity’s digital journey.

DigiShift is a collaboration between SCVO and Third Sector Lab, supported by the National Lottery Community Fund (Scotland), The Robertson Trust and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.