Growing Your Community
Growing Your Community
A community is only as strong as the people in it. Whether you're just getting started or looking to bring in more members, the Invite page gives you several ways to spread the word and track how people find you.
You'll find the Invite page by opening your community and clicking Members in the side menu, then selecting Invite.
Invite Link
The first tab on the Invite page gives you a shareable link that you can copy and send to anyone.
This link is tied to you, so when someone joins through it, the referral is tracked back to you. You can see your referral counts on the community's Members page.
To use it:
- Go to the Invite Link tab.
- Click Copy to copy the link to your clipboard.
- Paste it in a message, email, social media post, or wherever you want to share it.
The link works for anyone — they'll be taken to your community's page where they can request to join.
Email Invitations
The second tab lets you send invitations directly to people's email addresses.
- Go to the Email Invitations tab.
- Add one or more email addresses.
- Write a custom message to personalise the invitation — tell them why they'd enjoy the community.
- Click Send to deliver the invitations.
Each recipient gets an email with your message and a link to join the community. You can send invitations to multiple people at once, making it easy to invite a group in one go.
Social Sharing
The third tab provides quick buttons for sharing on social platforms, if available. Click a button to open the platform with a pre-filled share that links to your community.
Referral Tracking
Every invite link is tied to the member who shared it. When someone follows your link and joins the community, you get credit for the referral. You can see referral info in two places:
- The Members page shows who referred each member
- The stats section at the top of the Members page shows the total number of referrals
This is useful for recognising members who are actively helping the community grow.
Promotional Materials
Want to go beyond digital sharing? The Promote tool lets you create printable posters and business cards with QR codes that link directly to your community. Pin them in cafes, hand them out at events, or leave them at community centres.
For a full guide on creating and using promotional materials, see Promoting Your Community.
Tips for Growing Your Community
Be Specific About Who You're Inviting
Not everyone needs to be in every community. Think about who would genuinely benefit from being a member, and tailor your invitations to them. A message like "I thought of you because you're into urban gardening" is more compelling than a generic "Join my community."
Share in the Right Places
Think about where your potential members spend their time:
- Local Facebook groups — if your community is geographically based, local groups are a natural fit
- Neighbourhood notice boards — digital or physical, these reach people already engaged in local life
- Events and meetups — hand out business cards (from the Promote tool) at events related to your community's focus
- Word of mouth — sometimes the most effective way to grow is simply telling people about it in person
Write Compelling Invitations
When sending email invitations or sharing links, include:
- What the community is about — a one-sentence description of your focus
- Why it matters to them — what they'll get out of joining
- What's happening — mention an upcoming event or active discussion to make it feel alive
Keep Your Community Active
The best growth strategy is an active, welcoming community. People who join and find interesting content, upcoming events, and engaged members are more likely to stick around and invite others themselves.
- Post regularly on the board
- Create events for members to attend
- Respond to new members when they join
- Keep your landing page up to date
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can anyone send invitations, or just admins? A: Any member with the "Invite Users" permission can send invitations. By default, most roles include this permission, but your community's admin can adjust it.
Q: Is there a limit to how many email invitations I can send? A: There's no strict limit, but keep invitations genuine and targeted. Sending bulk invitations to people who haven't expressed interest isn't a good practice.
Q: Can I see if someone opened my email invitation? A: There's no open tracking on email invitations. You'll see the referral on the Members page when someone actually joins through your link.
Q: What if I share a link without my personal invite link? A: The community's public page link works for anyone, but referrals won't be attributed to you. Use the link from the Invite page to make sure your invites are counted.
Q: Can I invite people who don't have an account yet? A: Yes. The invite link and email invitations work for everyone. People without an account will be prompted to create one before joining the community.
Need Help?
If you have questions about growing your community or need advice on outreach, contact our support team. We're happy to help.