[Workshop] How to increase member engagement with an online community?

Do you work for a trade or professional association? And have you had building a digital community on your to-do list for a long time, but never got around to it? We often see trade and professional associations that have a lot of digital ambitions, but don’t know where to start, or don’t have the time due to the demands of the day.

To help you get started, experienced community strategists and DNA trainers Mathijs Vleeming and Dennis van Aalst have set up a workshop in which you will get a flying start on your community strategy in two hours. That way, you can still take steps towards a digital community this calendar year.

Interested? Then read on quickly!

Practical information

• Date: Thursday 20 February
• Time: 10.00-12.00 hours
• Location: online
• Cost: €59 excluding VAT

There is room for a maximum of 4 participants. This way we guarantee personal attention for everyone. Full = full!

Don’t wait any longer, register now!

What will you learn?

During our inspiring and interactive online workshop, you will learn from experienced association community strategists Mathijs Vleeming and Dennis van Aalst how an online community adds value for your members.

You will discover how to use digital channels to increase the involvement of your members and connect them more quickly and easily. You will also work on a concrete step-by-step plan for your target audience.

In short, you will learn how to activate and connect your supporters via an online community in a smart way.

What to expect?

An interactive online workshop, in which you work on the foundations of an online community plan for your member organisation with personal attention and in small groups.

Program

• What do the changing needs and expectations of members look like?
• What role do digital channels play in (re)engaging members and how do you use them successfully?
• Practical examples of successful association communities.
• How do you activate your supporters? How do you facilitate and enhance existing processes and use content, conversations and events to get members actively involved?
• Create practical roadmap for your constituency (target group, motivation, need, behaviour).
• Definition of success: discover success and failure factors and useful frameworks to identify community ROI and organise your online community.

Inspiring examples from practice

More and more associations are already making smart use of a digital clubhouse so that members can find each other, help, cooperate and share knowledge more easily.

The workshop will focus on the examples of the associations listed below:

• Knowledge platform KUBR successfully connects professionals in the Installation Industry around industry themes.
• The KNVB makes it easier for club officials to find each other and share knowledge with Een tweetje
• VBO estate agents successfully integrates events into online regional groups for members.

Experience of others

“We have a tool with Yunits that connects our members witheach other and gets their knowledge ‘rolling’. In addition, we as an organisation get good insight into what is currently going on within our target group. This enables us to provide relevant services and increase member engagement!’

– Michel van Ginkel

Other organisations before you with an online community

For who?

Association professionals responsible for activating and connecting their members. Consider the following roles: association manager, communications manager, membership manager, programme manager, sector, or department manager.

About the trainers

Dennis van Aalst: Community strategist & CEO at Yard | Digital Agency

Dennis believes in the power of digital. With passion, he and his passionate colleagues support civil society organisations in achieving digital impact. Dennis is an experienced online strategist within the association sector. With his in-depth knowledge of associations, he acts as a sparring partner and advisor for associations looking to grow digitally.

Together with the KNVB and Yard | Digital Agency, Dennis won the Dutch Interactive Award (DIA) 2021 in the communities category. They won this award for the platform One Two, for which Dennis developed the strategy in collaboration with the KNVB. ‘The community represents a gamechanger in the way the KNVB communicates,’ said the jury. ‘A shift from top-down to peer-to-peer.’

Dennis is also a trainer in digital communities at De Nederlandse Associatie (DNA). Through open and in-company workshops, he helps trade and professional associations discover the value of an online community. He also guides them in launching an online community and encouraging interaction and engagement within the community.

Mathijs Vleeming: Community expert at Yard | Digital Agency

Mathijs believes in the power of communities to create change. He is passionate and enthusiastic about helping membership organisations increase their impact through digital communications. As an experienced online strategist in the association sector, Mathijs has in-depth knowledge of associations, events, marketing and online communities.

With 20 years of experience ‘at the heart of the professional community building sector’ in the international association and events industry at ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) as Director of Marketing and 3 years as Community Strategy Consultant, he is on a mission to increase the impact of mission-driven communities.

In his role as Associations Consultant and Digital Communities Trainer at De Nederlandse Associatie (DNA), he helps professional and trade associations discover the value of an online community. Together, he develops online community strategies, guides the launch of online communities and encourages interaction and engagement within these platforms.

Mathijs is also a board member of the Community Consultants Collective (https://www.communityconsultants.life/) and ‘Expert Contributor Online Communities’ for Association Meetings International (https://amimagazine.global/).