Build a Healthy Social Impact Community with these 5 Pillars

Community building has been studied deeply and widely through many different lenses. In our exploration of these perspectives, we’ve come to realize there are 5 core pillars that all healthy communities must have. 

Let’s take a look at each of the pillars and consider how they might apply to community building for your social mission. 

The 5 Pillars

Whether you’re building community online, offline, or both, these key pillars can guide your efforts to build and nurture your community of supporters.

Pillar 1: Shared Interests

Every community, from your local knitting club to a grassroots political movement, is born from a foundation of shared interests and values. A chess club only works because their members share a common interest and passion around chess.

But it’s also the glue that holds the community together long term. 

Often, belonging to a community becomes a central part of a member’s individual identity. 

Pillar 2: Forging Relationships

Individual members of a community want to know that they are part of something bigger than themselves. They want a sense of belonging. But healthy communities also lead to individual human connection and relationships. 

This is often a key reason why people join communities in the first place, and what separates communities that just hobble along from communities that thrive. 

Healthy communities recognize this core value and are structured to help nurture relationships within their community. 

Pillar 3: Collective Action

Healthy communities almost always have activities, actions, and traditions — even if that’s not the primary purpose of the community. 

A local dance studio meets regularly, puts on public performances, and hosts other community events. The core purpose of the dance studio is to help students progress as dancers. But the community element of a dance studio is built around the collective actions the entire dance studio organizes. 

Especially if a community is built primarily to enact change, then collective action should be a core part of the community's strategy and structure. 

Pillar 4: Value Creation

At the end of the day, people join communities because it provides some sort of value — whether that’s tangible or intangible value — for them. 

A book club creates value for its members by introducing them to new books, forging and deepening friendships, learning new perspectives, and so on. A classic car community provides value for its members by creating opportunities for them to share their passion with others who also care about classic cars, providing a sense of belonging. 

A mountain-biking group helps members get in shape, stay healthy, and enjoy a shared passion. But when members plan and build trails and advocate for more inclusive trail access, it creates a sense of shared accomplishment and progress — a deeper form of value creation. 

True communities tap into deeper forms of value-creation like connectivity, belonging, and even identity.

Pillar 5: Diversity

Joining a community allows you to connect with people with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Diverse communities are stronger because different perspectives lead to interesting discussions, cross-learning, and ultimately greater empathy and understanding. 

Which community would you rather join? A running club where everyone is 18-22 years old and runs sub 8-minute miles, or a running club where the age range is 16-96 and everyone runs at a different pace? In this case, the age and speed diversity of the community creates more space for members of different backgrounds and fitness levels to be part of something they love. 

How the 5 Pillars Apply to Your Social Impact Mission

Pillar 1: Shared Interests - This should be an easy one. You want to attract members who align with your mission and share some core values with your organization. 

Pillar 2: Forging Relationships - This pillar requires some deeper thinking. How can you build your community in a way that creates opportunities for true member connection? Organizing regular meetups, creating mentorship programs, and encouraging collaborative projects are great ways to create opportunities for members to spend time together and get to know one another. 

Creating regular structures for time together is a big part of helping your community create deeper connections. 

Pillar 3: Collective Action - This is where the true power of building a community around your mission comes to life. When you provide community space and structure — and opportunities for collective action — you can empower your communities to make a real impact for your mission. And this is true in person and digitally. 

Especially for social impact communities, members want to know they are making a real difference in moving your mission forward and accomplishing your goals. Make sure you’re providing clear opportunities to take action. And be sure to share regular updates on how their efforts have created impact and change. 

Pillar 4: Value Creation - For this pillar, you need to get creative. Remember, people ultimately join a community to meet a need or desire that they have. But the deeper benefits and values of your community might not be obvious to potential members before they join. 

Ensure that your community provides tangible and intangible benefits to your members, like human connection, fulfilling purpose, and being part of something bigger than themselves. Social impact communities have an outsized opportunity to create deeper value for their members compared to other communities. Leverage this superpower to your advantage. 

Pillar 5: Diversity -  This is a pillar that must be actively managed and considered. The basic goal is to create a community that is inclusive instead of exclusive; one where members feel a sense of belonging. Some communities entice their members with status and exclusivity — but this doesn’t usually translate well to social impact brands. 

You can (and should) have community standards and requirements, but be sure that they don’t unintentionally marginalize or exclude some of your supporters. For example, if your community requires a paid membership, consider a no-questions-asked free membership for those who want to join but don’t have the financial means to do so. 

Enhance Your 5 Pillars

The 5 key pillars of community building are a great place to start when you’re planning a new community or looking to improve one that you’ve already started. Examine your community building strategy through the lens of each pillar. Where can you add support? How can you strengthen each one to grow a more active and engaged community primed to ascend your engagement pyramid?

When examining the 5 pillars for community building, think about how they apply to your organization. Your mission. Your social impact niche. Tailor your community building to fit and build your brand. This will give the pillars more strength. Robust pillars build bonds with your community that creates a foundation from which brand champions and advocates for your organization and mission can emerge.