Sustaining Community Energy Without Burning Out

Transcript

2. Sustaining Community Energy Without Burning Out Members Mfonobong, Umondia Community Manager @ She Code Africa
3. Community energy = the collective enthusiasm, participation, and sense of belonging members feel. Burnout = physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress or over-engagement.
4. Why This Matters • Communities thrive when members are active, motivated, and connected. • But pushing for constant high energy can cause both leaders and members to feel drained.
5. Keep this in mind Member fatigue is the gradual disengagement due to overexposure or overload of activities. Sustainable engagement is a level of activity that can be maintained without harming member well-being. Community health = the ability of a community to maintain active, meaningful participation over time.
6. Signs of Burnout in Communities Burnout isn’t always obvious, watch for subtle changes in participation and tone. Like: • Decline in event attendance. • Members avoiding volunteering. • Conversations feel forced or silent. • Organizers feeling “obligated” rather than excited.
7. The Energy Curve Member engagement often follows a natural cycle: 1. Initial High: Excitement from joining something new. 2. Dip: Over time, novelty fades, fatigue may set in. 3. Plateau: Steady, manageable engagement.
8. Core Principles to Follow
9. Engagement wave: A planned cycle of activity followed by a period of reduced demands to allow rest. #1: Balance Activity & Rest
10. Shared leadership: Empowering members to take initiative and responsibility. #2: Distribute Ownership
11. Value-based engagement: Interaction focused on learning, networking, and resources, not just attendance. #3: Create Value Beyond Events
12. Tools & Practices That Help Planning tools: Notion for mapping engagement waves. Feedback loops: Surveys, polls to understand member needs. Content bank: Repository for evergreen and user-generated content. Automation: Email reminders, scheduled posts to reduce manual workload.
13. Always remember… • Community is like an evening campfire • Engagement is a marathon, not a sprint. • Balance activity with rest. • Share leadership. • Provide value beyond events.
14. THANK YOU! Twitter: @the_ladybella