Collaborating with other communities

Most community owners think of other communities in their niche as competition. Sometimes they are. But often a neighboring community serves a slightly different group, covers a different angle or has a different kind of energy, and the two could offer each other's members something neither can offer alone. A joint event, a shared challenge or an exchange of expert hosts can bring fresh voices into your community, remind members why they belong and introduce you to people who might join.

Collaborating well takes some care. You are putting your members in front of someone else's community and vice versa, and both sides need to feel it was worthwhile. Here is how to find the right partner, choose a format and protect your members along the way.

Why collaborate at all

• Fresh energy. New faces and perspectives can revive conversation in a community that has settled into routine.
• Expertise you do not have. A partner community may know far more about a subject your members keep asking about.
• Reach. Members of a complementary community are often exactly the people who would value yours.
• Shared effort. A joint event splits the work of planning, promoting and hosting.

Collaboration is different from simply promoting each other. Swapping mentions, as in newsletter swaps and cross-promotions, is about audience. Collaboration is about members actually doing something together.

Find a partner who complements you

The best partners overlap with your members' interests without duplicating what you offer. Imagine an online community for people who commute by bicycle, run by an owner named Teodoro. Good partners might include:

• A community of home bike mechanics, whose members know far more about repairs than his do.
• A community for urban walkers and runners, who share an interest in safer streets.
• A community for parents who want to cycle with young children.

A direct competitor, another community for bicycle commuters, is usually a poor choice. The overlap is too large and both sides will worry about losing members.

Before approaching anyone, look at how the other community treats its members. Is it well moderated? Are its values compatible with yours? Would you be comfortable if one of your members joined it afterward? If the answer to any of these is no, keep looking.

Choose a format, starting small

1. Guest host exchange: each owner, or a respected member, hosts a session in the other's community.
2. Joint question session: experts from both communities answer members' questions together.
3. Shared challenge: both communities take part in the same challenge over a week or a month, with a joint showcase at the end.
4. Co-hosted event: a live workshop or panel open to members of both communities.
5. Larger collaborations: several communities come together for a bigger event, which starts to resemble a virtual summit with other experts.

Your members can take part as well as attend. Members who already run sessions, as in member-led events, often make excellent guest hosts in a partner community.

Agree the terms before you start

Most collaboration problems come from unspoken assumptions. Put a short agreement in writing, even if it is just an email both owners reply to. Cover:

• What the collaboration is, when it happens and who does what.
• Where it takes place and who will be able to see it.
• How each side will promote it and what each can say about the other.
• Whether sessions will be recorded, and who can use the recordings.
• What happens to member information, including whether either side may contact the other's members afterward.

Here is how Teodoro might open the conversation with a potential partner:

Hi Aurelie, I run a community for bicycle commuters, and our members constantly ask about basic repairs that your members clearly know inside out. Would you be interested in a joint session? I was thinking of a live hour where two or three of your most experienced members answer my members' repair questions. In return, I or one of our members could host a session for your community on planning safe commuting routes. No list swapping, just a shared event. Happy to talk it through if it sounds interesting.

Protect your members' trust

Your members joined your community, not your partner's. Protect that:

• Never share member lists or contact details without explicit consent from each member.
• Tell members when a joint space is visible to outsiders, so they can choose what to share.
• Apply your community guidelines to the joint event, and agree with your partner who moderates.
• Keep sales out of it. A brief mention of how to join either community is fine; a long pitch is not.

Measure and follow up

Afterward, compare notes with your partner. How many members took part? What did they say? Did anyone join either community as a result? Ask your own members, too. If the feedback is good, consider making it a regular event; a yearly joint challenge can become something both communities look forward to.

Plan your first collaboration

• List three communities that complement yours without duplicating it.
• Check each one's moderation and values.
• Propose a small first format, such as a guest host exchange.
• Agree the terms in writing, including what happens to member information.
• Tell members clearly who can see joint spaces.
• Review results with your partner and decide whether to repeat.