The Community Charter is like a “constitution” and a “strategic plan” mixed together: it describes what a Community is about and how it works at a high level.
Developing a Community Charter helps you think through and identify the key aspects of your Community.
Writing a Charter is a team effort and an ongoing activity: you do it with your Core Team and Core Group, and you continuously revise and refine it as your Community matures.
The Community Charter is like a “constitution” and a “strategic plan” mixed together: it describes what a Community is about and how it works at a high level. It is an internal document (to the Core Team and Core Group) that encapsulates the main points about your Community. It keeps you organized and guides your work. It is also a living document that the Core Team and Core Group should be reviewing and updating it regularly. The Charter is divided into three key areas described in the CoP Framework (purpose, people, and practice).
Why develop a Community Charter?
The Community Charter helps you think through and identify the key aspects of your Community. It is the place where you aggregate everything that you decide about your Community: the reasons why you are forming the Community, that is the what and why of Community (purpose), the members whose needs you want to address (people), and how you conduct the business of the Community (practice).
How do you write a Community Charter?
Writing a Charter is a team effort and an ongoing activity: you do it with your Core Team and Core Group, and you continuously revise and refine it as your Community matures.
Use the guiding questions for each of the three key areas (purpose, people, practice) in our Community Charter template to help you think through the most important facets of your Community. You won’t have all the answers to all the questions in the very beginning, and that is okay. Perhaps some of the questions might not be relevant for your context - that is also okay.
In the very beginning, it is recommended that you explore and use the Minimum Viable Community concept.
If you have a Core Group, engage and co-develop the Charter with the group; if you don’t have one, try different ways to engage active members, and collect and incorporate all of their inputs and ideas regarding the Community. Any decisions you make about your Community should consider your members’ needs, preferences, and aspirations.
Fill out the charter gradually, as your Community develops and grows.
Revisit and update your charter periodically, every 3-6 months; it is a living document, not something you lock away in a folder and never look at again.
Decide how to share elements of the Charter with your Community’s members. One recommended approach is to come up with a 1-pager description of your Community, based on the longer Charter, and make that public.
Blog » Developing a Community Charter
Developing a Community Charter
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What is a Community Charter?
The Community Charter is like a “constitution” and a “strategic plan” mixed together: it describes what a Community is about and how it works at a high level. It is an internal document (to the Core Team and Core Group) that encapsulates the main points about your Community. It keeps you organized and guides your work. It is also a living document that the Core Team and Core Group should be reviewing and updating it regularly. The Charter is divided into three key areas described in the CoP Framework (purpose, people, and practice).
Why develop a Community Charter?
The Community Charter helps you think through and identify the key aspects of your Community. It is the place where you aggregate everything that you decide about your Community: the reasons why you are forming the Community, that is the what and why of Community (purpose), the members whose needs you want to address (people), and how you conduct the business of the Community (practice).
How do you write a Community Charter?
Writing a Charter is a team effort and an ongoing activity: you do it with your Core Team and Core Group, and you continuously revise and refine it as your Community matures.
Use the guiding questions for each of the three key areas (purpose, people, practice) in our Community Charter template to help you think through the most important facets of your Community. You won’t have all the answers to all the questions in the very beginning, and that is okay. Perhaps some of the questions might not be relevant for your context - that is also okay.
In the very beginning, it is recommended that you explore and use the Minimum Viable Community concept.
The following steps are recommended:
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