Online communities can create a powerful connection with your target audience, but they need a plan in order to succeed. They need a community charter.

What is an online community charter?

An Online Community Charter is a foundational document that outlines the purpose, values, and guidelines for your community. It defines why your community exists, who it’s for, and how it’s going to function. Without a charter, your community risks becoming aimless. With it, you're building a clear framework for success.

Here’s what a charter typically includes:

Purpose: Why does this community exist, and what’s the value it provides?
Ideal Member: Who is this community designed for, and what will they gain from being a part of it?
Defining Success: What does success look like for both the organization and the members?
Budgeting and Funding: How will the community be financially sustained, and what resources are required?
Roles and Responsibilities: Who’s responsible for managing and maintaining the community?
Community Activities: What are the primary interactions and activities within the community?
Culture and Values: What are the core values that define how members should engage?
Etiquette and Rules: What guidelines should members follow to maintain a positive environment?
Marketing and Outreach: How will the community grow and attract new members?
Technology and Implementation: What platform will be used, and how will the technical setup and launch be managed?

The charter acts as a guide for internal stakeholders, helps onboard new members, and serves as a reference point for evolving the community over time.

Step 1: Define Your Community’s Purpose

Your community’s purpose is the “why” behind everything. It defines what unique value your community offers that can’t be found elsewhere. Without a clear purpose, it’s hard to attract members and even harder to keep them engaged.

Key Insight: Your community should serve a distinct function that other marketing tools—such as social ads or content marketing—can’t achieve. Building relationships, fostering collaboration, and creating long-term engagement are where online communities shine.

Step 2: Identify Your Ideal Member Profile

Defining who your community is for helps you create a space that resonates with the right people. Rather than casting a wide net, focus on the specific needs, challenges, and aspirations of your ideal members.

Key Insight: Understanding both the intrinsic (connection, learning) and extrinsic (recognition, rewards) motivators of your ideal members allows you to design a more effective and engaging community.

Step 3: Set Success Metrics and Time to Value

Success in an online community is more than just tracking activity metrics like posts or comments. You need to set clear expectations for what success looks like for your organization and your members, and also establish how long it will take to deliver value (Time to Value, or TTV).

Key Insight: Define both tactical (day-to-day engagement) and strategic (retention, advocacy) success metrics to ensure you’re measuring the right outcomes for your community’s growth and health.

Step 4: Plan Budget and Funding for Sustainability

Every community needs a plan for financial sustainability. Whether through internal funding, sponsorships, or future monetization, having a clear budget ensures the community can continue to deliver value over time.

Key Insight: Your budget should cover platform costs, staffing, content creation, and member engagement initiatives. Be sure to plan for contingencies as your community scales.

Step 5: Assign Roles and Responsibilities

Clear roles and responsibilities are critical to the success of any community. Whether it’s the community manager, moderators, or content creators, everyone involved should know their part in making the community thrive.

Key Insight: A governance team—including representatives from marketing, customer support, and leadership—ensures alignment between the community and broader business goals.

Step 6: Map Out Community Activities

Member engagement is the lifeblood of any community. From discussions to events, it’s important to outline what types of activities will drive interaction and how you’ll keep members coming back for more.

Key Insight: A successful community balances structured activities like events or webinars with organic discussions and member-led content creation. Planning these activities in advance is key to long-term engagement.

Step 7: Establish Culture and Core Values

Your community’s culture defines how members interact and the tone of the discussions. It’s essential to create a positive and inclusive environment that aligns with your organization’s values.

Key Insight: Clearly defining your community’s core values and communication tone helps maintain a cohesive and welcoming culture, which is crucial for long-term success.

Step 8: Define Etiquette and Rules

Every thriving community requires clear guidelines. Etiquette and rules define what behaviors are encouraged and which ones will not be tolerated. Effective rules help maintain a positive, welcoming environment and make community moderation easier.

Key Insights:

Be specific: List examples of both encouraged and prohibited behaviors (e.g., “Respect diverse opinions” or “No self-promotion without permission”).
Explain the why: Give context for the rules, tying them back to your community’s values.
Make rules accessible: Pin or highlight them for new members and review regularly as your community evolves.

Step 9: Outline Your Marketing and Outreach Strategy

A community won’t succeed if no one knows it exists. Your marketing and outreach strategy should focus on making your community visible and engaging through multiple channels, such as social media, email, and in-person events.

Key Insight: The unique value of your community—what members can get there that they can’t get anywhere else—should be the centerpiece of your outreach strategy. Encouraging member-driven advocacy is also a powerful way to grow organically.

Step 10: Choose Technology and Plan Implementation

Once you’ve established the core elements of your community, it’s time to select the right platform and plan for the technical implementation. Technology decisions should be aligned with the needs of your community, and not the other way around.

Key Insight: Allow sufficient time for platform selection and implementation. Depending on the complexity of your setup, this can range from 30 days to several months. Proper planning and stakeholder involvement will ensure a smooth launch.

Step 11: Maintain and Review Your Community Charter

Your community charter shouldn’t be a static document. Regularly revisit it to ensure it stays aligned with the evolving needs of your community. An annual review is a minimum, but consider revising it more often, especially if there are significant changes in strategy or member engagement.

Involving ambassadors or core community members in these updates will foster a sense of ownership and help keep the charter relevant.

Conclusion: Ready to Begin?

A well-crafted community charter is the foundation for a thriving online community, but it’s only the first step. Ready to take the next step and build a community that aligns with your organization’s goals? Download our expanded ebook for a more detailed guide, and get started on your community-building journey.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

A community charter should clearly state your community’s purpose, outline who the ideal members are, specify success metrics, describe roles and responsibilities, set budget and sustainability plans, map out community activities, define culture and values, and explain your technology choices and implementation plan.
Review your community charter at least annually or whenever you experience major changes in membership, goals, or technology platform. Regular updates keep your community direction relevant and effective.
Clearly defined roles and responsibilities help prevent confusion, ensure smoother operations, and make sure community leaders and members know what is expected of them. This supports accountability and long-term community growth.

A step-by-step guide to creating an online community charter