Connected Communities Exceeds 1,000 Members: Now Engagement is Job 1

Connected Communities has "officially" reached 1,000 members and we are ecstatic! We've achieved our first goal of connecting coalition leaders from across the U.S. and around the world. It is not a small achievement and each member plays an integral role in building and maintaining a strong network.

To many, Connected Communities would seem a successful venture. Our metrics show that our members spend an average of more than five minutes in the community each time they visit; that they view an average of six pages and that they come back and bring their colleagues along. As far as metrics go, Connected Communities is a rousing success.

But we aren’t ready to rest on our laurels. Connected Communities exists to help build stronger relationships among our members and to empower collaboration among coalitions. Social media, after all, are about relationships, personal connections. That's the biggest difference between traditional and social media—taking the message from a one-way, top down declaration to a multi-dimensional give and take where everyone contributes to creating a complete story.

During the next several weeks, we’re going to conduct a survey of Connected Community members to see what you think about the network—what you like and what we can improve to help make Connected Communities a better resource. Please take a few minutes to take the survey when it is available. It helps us help you.

In the coming months, we’ll also be working with you to help build engagement on Connected Communities. To helping those of you who are watching from the sidelines to becoming active players. We’re going to start by conducting a variety of contests which we will announce at and launch following CADCA’s National Leadership Forum in February. From submitting a photo that tells a specific story to producing a print ad for your coalition, the activities will be aimed at getting more people involved.

What are your ideas for getting more coalition members and leaders involved on Connected Communities? Tell us what you think in the comments section below and we’ll use one of your ideas to create a contest in the coming months. Remember, Connected Communities is here to help coalitions connect…communicate…collaborate!

This post was submitted by Sue Stine, Sr. Manager for Dissemination and Coalition Relations for CADCA's National Coalition Institute. You may contact Sue at sstine@cadca.org or through her member page on Connected Communities.