Imagine looking back on 2025 and celebrating a year of remarkable growth, engagement, and goal-crushing for your community. Sounds like a dream, right? In this episode of Your Community Strategist, I take you from "I hope this works" to "I made this happen" with a step-by-step guide to setting powerful, actionable goals for the new year.

We’ll dive into SMART goals tailored for community builders, aligning each with your mission and breaking them down into achievable milestones. Discover how to use the insights from last year to build a 2025 roadmap that keeps you inspired, focused, and moving forward.

Ready to create meaningful, purpose-driven goals for a thriving community? Grab your notebook, tune in, and let’s make 2025 a year to remember!

Timestamps:

• 01:14 Understanding Your Community's 'Why'
• 04:05 Crafting SMART Goals for 2025
• 09:06 Breaking Down Goals into Milestones
• 14:28 Building Accountability and Tracking Progress
• 19:38 Conclusion and Invitation to Strategy Lab

Resources & Links:

• Get started with Circle: Your go-to platform for building community
• Join The Strategic Community Co-Op: For more tips, strategies, and a space filled with like-minded creators
• FREE Lunch & Learn: Launch Your 2025 Community Vision: Save My Seat

Welcome back to Your Community Strategist! In this first episode of our six-part goal-setting series, we're diving deep into your 2024 community journey. Close your eyes and think back to January—what were your goals, and how did things turn out? Today, we’re reviewing the highlights, the hurdles, and everything in between, giving you a clear picture of where your community stands at year’s end.

I’ll walk you through setting up your "community report card," breaking down goals into tangible insights, and using a SWOT analysis to map out strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Plus, you’ll learn how to turn challenges into stepping stones, identifying what worked and what didn’t, and setting the stage for 2025.

Ready for more? Join me at the Strategy Lab, our upcoming three-day retreat, where we’ll dive even deeper into reflection, planning, and creating a winning strategy for the new year. Let’s get intentional about building the community you and your members deserve.

Tune in and start paving the way to your best year yet! 🎧

Timestamps:

• 02:02 Setting Strategic Goals for 2025
• 02:38 Reviewing 2024 Goals and Outcomes
• 06:19 Analyzing Successes and Challenges
• 11:42 Conducting a SWOT Analysis
• 13:08 Identifying Community Strengths
• 13:49 Addressing Weaknesses
• 15:09 Exploring New Opportunities
• 16:29 Recognizing Potential Threats
• 17:55 Comprehensive SWOT Analysis
• 19:02 Reflecting on 2024: Successes and Challenges
• 23:52 Planning for 2025

Resources & Links:

• Get started with Circle: Your go-to platform for building community
• Join The Strategic Community Co-Op: For more tips, strategies, and a space filled with like-minded creators

In this episode of Your Community Strategist, Rachel dives deep into one of the most effective ways to boost engagement in your community: running a challenge! Learn how to design a challenge that starts strong, keeps your members engaged throughout, and continues the momentum long after it ends.

Timestamps:

• 01:36 Meet Your Host: Rachel Starr
• 03:14 Why Challenges Drive Engagement
• 06:04 Designing Effective Challenges: Setting Goals
• 09:24 Free vs. Paid Challenges: Which to Choose?
• 12:04 Paid Challenges: A Stepping Stone to Success
• 13:18 Choosing Between Free and Paid Challenges
• 14:09 Structuring Your Challenge with Milestones
• 16:05 Keeping Engagement High Throughout the Challenge
• 18:35 Maintaining Momentum After the Challenge
• 20:44 Top Mistakes to Avoid When Running a Challenge
• 21:52 Wrapping Up and Next Steps

Resources & Links:

• Get started with Circle: Your go-to platform for building community
• Join The Strategic Community Co-Op: For more tips, strategies, and a space filled with like-minded creators
• Get The Challenge Blueprint: Ready to take your challenge planning to the next level? The Challenge Blueprint is your all-in-one solution to seamlessly design, launch, and manage your challenge. Whether you're looking to boost audience growth, deepen engagement, or create a profitable experience, this blueprint gives you everything you need for a smooth and successful launch.