How many membership organizations or university alumni programs could claim the following problem statement?

• Our Alumni/Members should be better connected to support the organization and each other’s businesses.
• Our organization overall needs a more effective outreach effort to existing and prospective members

Well yes. Those things should happen. Got some spare budget?

Concept

Let’s say you’re due for a redesign on your website.

Well, okay not you. Your website rocks. Because of you. That other guy though. He needs to redesign the website.

Pieces are already there, it's a question of assembling the structure

In our new website, we’re going to build one that can support an online community and user-generated content. The core of this site should be a searchable online directory of member businesses.

We essentially have three elements in play on the website to address the needs outlined above:

1. The user-generated content (with some quality controls, obviously) creates interactivity and engagement among the alumni/members. This satisfies a business networking need and allows contributors a platform to establish expertise and thought leadership.
2. This content over time creates a deeper footprint online (i.e. Google) and establishes a valuable business-oriented resource. An expanded footprint means more prospects, and a better served alumni/membership base.
3. The online directory provides a useful resources for all participants – a directory of relevant service providers and vendors – that a more tangible, easy-to-understand entry point than “thought leadership articles”. It also generates an ongoing revenue stream as companies will pay to list in the directory.

So, to accomplish all this awesomeness we require a website with a content management system so it can grow without requiring continued investment in programmers and development.

User Generated Content

Quality and consistency is the key here. We need to find a few leaders who understand the vision, and are willing to take a leadership role because of the benefits it will bring them professionally. They will be volunteers, but their reward for all the work required will be to develop a fantastic business network and reputation. There are such leaders in any group. They will identify themselves.

Really.

You can’t pick them. You can try to recruit them, but you’ll be surprised by the ones who run with it. However, they are already there in your base. Somewhere.

Outreach

Your alumni or your members have practical needs, and little time to meet them. If you can produce tightly targeted, relevant, high-quality content, then your members will use it. The smart ones will also contribute to it.

For example, if I run a T-shirt shop and I write a short article explaining how you can take that T-shirt idea and make some money from it, then I am by definition the reader’s go-to resource to make it happen and I didn’t need to sell myself at all. My ideas made the sale.

As long as we have a review process for contributed articles to maintain the quality, everything else falls into place (included an enhanced image for the brand).

Online Directory

This will be a Yahoo!-style directory. That means that listors are NOT buying an ad. This is an online directory that offers a high-quality inbound link to the listor’s website. If it generates leads as well that’s a nice side benefit, but the main goal is that link.

Listors pay a recurring annual fee (say $100 or $200) for consideration – not a listing, just the possibility for a listing. This allows you to control the quality. Quality is critical.

That goes beyond just barring certain inappropriate listing types. It makes an enforceable requirement that the listing be well written, clear and descriptive. No junk. No freebies. The value for this directory is that we vigorously enforce quality guidelines so that it means something to be included. That means slower initial growth, but far greater long-term value. It also means recurring revenue.

Resources Needed

1. Website with a Content Management System

• Login and user profiles
• Content approval system (editors)
• Content options such as blogs, video embed, articles, etc.
• Searchable online directory
• Ecommerce enabled

The End Result

1. An activated alumni/membership base, useful in your recruiting, fundraising and growth.
2. Enhanced brand position to support everything else you do.

Generate recurring revenue so you can build this community you need without having to go begging to the CFO.