Janna Crabb (@jcrabb) is director of online communications at CASE.

Last fall, CASE launched CASE Communities, a new online space for members to connect with one another, ask advice and share documents on advancement-related topics.

The platform houses nine topical communities for CASE members (login required): advancement services, alumni relations, communications, community colleges, fundraising, independent and international schools, and institutionally related foundations.

Since launch, members have been posting regularly to the communities on many different topics. Some of the most common uses are to:

• ask peers at similar institutions or in similar positions for advice on a project.
• share expertise with members by answering questions and sharing details about your projects and experience.
• share documents around a plan, policy or agreement (e.g. social media policy, crisis communications plan, donor agreement) with other members.
• search archives of previous conversations and shared documents for immediate information on a topic of interest.
• use the member directory to connect with other members—at like institutions, in specific locations or with similar titles.

Recent conversation topics include:

• Recording verbal pledges in donor databases—advancement services 
• Requirements for acknowledging a stock contribution—advancement services
• Commencement gifts at graduation ceremonies—alumni relations
• Alumni board reimbursement—alumni relations 
• Introducing branding standards at an institution—communications
• Alumni association mission statement—community colleges
• Envelope insert in alumni magazine—fundraising
• Getting enrolled students’ parents names for fundraising—fundraising
• Marketing and events for past parents—independent and international schools
• Credit cards for non-foundation employees—institutionally related foundations

While CASE’s audience is different than that of educational institutions, there are some commonalities around community engagement and management. How does your institution approach its communities? What strategies have you used to increase value to your constituents?