By Kate Wilson, Head of Community & Membership at Manchester Digital
I love an ROI. I’m a natural seller, but I also love understanding the value of everything I spend my time, money and energy on (I’m an obsessive cost-per-use calculator!).
In a world of metrics, we want - and deserve to know where our money should be spent and how well things are performing. Budgets have to be stretched and worked hard.
I was chatting to new members, Buymedia, about this recently and Fergal and I were smiling at how far we’ve come since our early careers in newspaper advertising. The days of exaggerating circulation figures and embellishing readership stats are over - arguably thanks to platforms like theirs! We can’t rely on gut instinct anymore when it comes to marketing and partnerships.
If I’m honest, I sometimes get a bit wound up that Manchester Digital membership is still viewed by some as a nice-to-have and that unless you’re growing your team and using our jobs board, there’s little value. I probably spend more time now than ever showcasing what that value actually looks like: new business opportunities through networking, raising profiles through thought leadership, attending senior-level roundtables (sometimes with Ministers), and building real rapport, credibility and trust through our community.
In fact, we’re about to launch a new content series around community collaborations to shine a light on the member-to-member work that happens all the time.
I love it when members ask me if I know someone who can help them deliver a project, recruit a new team member or join forces on a bid. I’m here for all of that - and it genuinely makes me fuzzy. Last week, a member cancelled a call with me because they had an RFP to submit that day for a job I’d referred them for. Pure joy. What can I say? I’m a people pleaser and I wholeheartedly love the natural expansion of our community.
My second love - which might seem like a juxtaposition to a cost-per-use mindset - is the members who say yes without calculation or expectation of a direct return.
If I’m honest, I think this ethos is what makes our community so special. Those small yeses are what enable our ecosystem to thrive. Is it northern charm? A generosity of spirit? Or just brilliant people who believe in lifting others as they climb? Probably a bit of all three.
When we need a software engineer to support T Level students with website design, someone volunteers. When we need senior female and non-binary mentors for Mentor Her, we’re inundated. When we ask for recruitment support for out-of-work STEM graduates, members give their time and expertise without hesitation.
We are always grateful - and we never take that generosity for granted.
Without sounding like a Jerry Springer final thought, I do believe the members who get the most from our community are those who strike the balance. They enjoy the direct return from content, events, networking and profile-raising - but they also get stuck in when they can, through volunteering, mentoring, presenting and sponsoring.
Anyone who knows our community knows we’re never short of asks. We’re a passionate bunch, striving for a more diverse, accessible and inclusive digital and tech ecosystem. Saying yes helps us all understand the needs of that ecosystem and in return, it builds visibility, trust, reputation and a deep sense of belonging, in bucketloads.
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