When I joined Factory Berlin in April 2017, the community had roughly 500 members, and the company was entering a substantial growth phase. As we approached the opening of a second campus, the acceptance rate increased, attracting many new members. This growth caused concerns among existing members about maintaining connections with familiar faces, highlighting the necessity to listen and seek out solutions.

If you have the opportunity – design programs together with your colleagues.

Joining forces with the amazing Anna Sundukova, the skilled Experience & Service Designer at Factory at that time, we dove deep into this challenge, leveraging her expertise to guide the process. Our focus was on understanding the members' concerns, their expectations, and what made them feel a sense of belonging to the community. Simultaneously, we also observed the natural formation of several member groups centered around specific interests, such as design and writing, where members exchanged insights and sought feedback. To explore these groups further and understand the overall Factory member journey, we conducted interviews and researched the experiences of members across different phases of their membership.

Understand the pain points before you offer the painkiller.

Diving into our community's dynamics at Factory revealed some interesting insights, and here's one big takeaway. Right after joining Factory, new members often felt somewhat lost. Even though the onboarding session was held as a warm welcome, blending in and making connections wasn’t as straightforward as we hoped. In the early days, with fewer members, it was easier to meet and remember people. But as the community grew and Factory locations spread out, seeing familiar faces regularly became harder.

We also noticed that members naturally liked to connect with others in their field. These observations led us to develop the Circles program, aiming to make it easier for everyone to find their niche and feel at home.

The official definition says: “Growing organically from our members’ desire to connect with one another, Circles are self-organized sub-communities at Factory Berlin, gathered around shared interests, industries, and projects, where members exchange ideas, inspire and support each other.” (source: Factory Berlin)

In most cases, you don’t need too much to start.

At the start, we had only four Circles. The program kicked off with a basic structure. In the beginning,

Initially, we started with just four Circles. The program began with a basic framework – it was enough to define what made a group "a Circle," to set up its leadership framework and lay down the rules for gatherings.

For the group to be called Circle, it underwent the trial phase to determine the community interest. Slack was the main communication and promotion tool, and the group had to organize gatherings or meetups. Leadership roles were assigned to proactive community members ("superfans") who led content creation in specific industries. These individuals were known as Captains, and each Circle ideally had 2 to 3 members steering its direction. After 6-8 weeks, if the Slack channel exceeded 50 members and the group showed a commitment to continue meetings and create valuable content, it was promoted to an official Factory Circle.

We periodically reassessed the Captains' interests every few months. As a gesture of appreciation, they received a complimentary or discounted membership, among other benefits.

Continuously improve and involve members at every opportunity.

After the initial program design phase, the focus shifted to implementation. My role was to be the Program Manager and primary contact for Captains. Following the program launch, additional sub-communities began organizing themselves, and the initial simplicity was no longer enough, leading to continuous program development.

In the next phase, my efforts were directed toward creating a solid knowledge base, organizing regular catch-ups, and providing educational materials. For instance, the Circles section within the Community Handbook became the central repository for information and guidelines. To professionalize the program’s appearance, we tasked the Designers Circle with developing the program's branding.

Designers Circle logo brainstorming (source: Designers Circle)

Invest in relationships – community leaders have a vital role.

In addition to frameworks and instructions, building strong relationships with Captains was a key aspect. These community members, motivated to go the extra mile for the community, were invaluable. They invested a significant amount of time and energy to enhance community life, not only by organizing Circle activities but also by mentoring new members and providing continuous feedback to the Team. To keep them motivated, we worked to eliminate obstacles and find supportive ways to make their role as enjoyable as possible. Over time, each Circle was assigned an Event Manager, in addition to myself as their main point of contact, to assist with event organization.

Support your superfans with education, information access, and understanding during challenging times.

Circle Captains were gathering members, and the Team was gathering Circle Captains. As a sub-community of their own, we took extra care by organizing light brunches every few weeks, known as "Captains Coffee." These sessions were dedicated to discussing their concerns and issues, and sharing advice and ideas. Additionally, we held brainstorming sessions to enhance the program and held educational workshops on topics like increasing engagement or running events. We introduced them to the C-level team and, whenever possible, provided insights. To add a personal touch, we even organized a photo shoot to ensure they had unified and attractive visuals for community tools, events, and more.

Despite these efforts, it's important to acknowledge that Captains were volunteers. There were times when Circle members became inactive or Captains' motivation waned due to personal circumstances. In such situations, it became vital to offer our support and patience, allowing them the flexibility and time needed to work through their challenges.

Captains Coffee with Factory’s CEO Nico Gramenz as a special guest in 2020 (source: personal album)

Captains Education with Tom Bouin who was Community Events Manager in 2020 (source: personal album)

Even though the program was designed in 2017, it continues to thrive, inviting members to join sub-communities like Designers, Developers, Artists, Blockchain, Sustainability, Womxn, and more. While some aspects have evolved since my departure, others remain unchanged. One is certain – this program remains one of the highlights of my Factory career. Connecting with these wonderful individuals, here known as Captains, not only enriched my professional life but also fostered lasting friendships. I still keep in close contact with many of them, regularly catching up or sharing a warm hug whenever our paths cross on the streets of Berlin.

Going back to the start, the feedback we received after launching the program showed how much Circles had helped. Finding your way around got easier, and it didn’t take long for new members to feel like they belonged. In fact, 53% of them joined a Circle right after their welcome session, and 31% stuck with their Circle for months.

And one last piece of advice: pay close attention to your community to identify what truly resonates with them — it might be the formation of sub-communities, or it could be something entirely different.

Crafting Community: The Power of Sub-Communities