Signs You’ve Lost Touch with Your Community

Designing Tomorrow: Creative Strategies for Social Impact

Are you losing touch with your community? It might be time to reconnect.
As social impact leaders, we pour our hearts and souls into our work. But sometimes, in the rush to create change, we can drift away from the very people we're trying to serve.
In our latest episode of Designing Tomorrow, we tackle this critical issue head-on. We explore the subtle signs that you might be losing connection with your community and offer practical strategies to rebuild those vital relationships.
We dive deep into:
• The telltale signs that you're out of sync with your audience
• Why staying connected is crucial for your organization's success
• Simple yet powerful ways to reconnect, starting today
• How to create a culture that celebrates community engagement
Whether you're leading a nonprofit, social enterprise, or mission-driven company, this episode is essential listening. We break down exactly how to stay in tune with your community without compromising your vision or watering down your impact.
Don't let disconnection derail your mission. Tune in now and learn how to harness the power of authentic community relationships to take your work to the next level.
Episode Highlights:

• [00:09] Staying connected with your community
• [01:43] The first sign of losing touch: stumbling when explaining who you serve and what problem you're solving
• [04:25] The second sign: not knowing what your community likes or wants to improve about your product or service
• [07:28] The third sign: feeling nervous about engaging with or hearing feedback from your community
• [08:13] The fourth sign: hearing disparaging remarks about your community from your team
• [10:12] Using community input to guide their design and strategy process
• [14:16] Community defined as building true relationships through authentic dialogue, beyond transactional methods
• [15:01] Importance of conversations with customers and not relying solely on structured methods
• [16:20] Create community groups for continuous feedback and deeper relationships
• [17:04] Use of journey mapping as a way to understand and connect with customers
• [18:03] Informal check-ins, like emails or coffee chats, to maintain community engagement
• [21:06] Measure organizational success based on how the community defines its own success
• [23:32] Organizational benefits of reducing churn and developing deeper relationships
• [24:00] Use community feedback can help to shape organizational value and impact

Resources:

• Journey Mapping 101
• Community Building Might Not Feel Like Your Core Work, But It Should Be
• Brand Building: An Authentic Approach to Growing a Fierce, Loyal, and Supportive Community
• Embrace the Power of Surveys to Inform Big Decisions
• The Right Way to Get Community Input on a Rebrand

*** If you liked this episode, it really helps a new podcast if you can help spread the word. Share with your friends or co-workers, post it to social media, “follow” or “subscribe” in your podcast app, or write a review

Listeners, now you can text us your comments or questions by clicking this link.

Kapitler

1. Signs of Losing Touch With Community (00:00:00)

2. Building Authentic Relationships With Community (00:13:08)