Associations need to follow their lead and develop online community committees or boards. These volunteer leaders would take an active role, becoming champions of the platform, maintaining an active presence both in the community and at face-to-face events where they encourage members who aren't yet involved in the community. They could have a hand in both content for the online community and cross-pollinating community content across other communication vehicles, both inside and outside the association.
CEO Participation
Another important takeaway from the report is how executive participation affects the success of online communities. In 58 percent of the best performing communities included in the research, the organization's CEO is an active participant. Again, this is an area in which far too many associations fall short. While the CEO may champion the idea of an online community platform and be supportive in terms of approving the expense, all too frequently he/she shies away from actually participating.
Again we can use the analogy of an annual meeting - in what scenario would it be acceptable for an association's CEO not to attend the annual meeting and other important face-to-face events? But people don't think twice about a CEO who refuses to even complete a profile in the online community. If we truly want association communities that are a member benefit and provide value to members and associations alike, then the CEO needs to maintain an active presence in the community as well as at live events. Association leaders need to lead by example, just as they do "in real life", if they want to foster active, engaged, successful online communities