We are so excited to welcome Lisa Barroca as our new Online Community Manager to the Cultivators Community! Cultivate’s Head of Marketing sat down with Lisa to ask 15 questions in 15 minutes. Here’s what we learned about how Lisa landed in a community-centric career, her dream dinner guestlist, and her favorite coffee combination.

Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is known as the staple HR conference. Over four days, 25,000+ HR professionals from around the world participated in 200+ education sessions. When we asked Steve what was emphasized this year at one of the largest HR conferences in the world, here's what he said:

Calvin McKee is no stranger to understanding the value of community, connection, and letting people know he cares.

Why the celebratory goodbye? Pausing to honor a departing teammate shows respect for their dedication to the organization and acknowledges the personal and professional impact on the group. It is also beneficial for the individual, science says. 

Whether you lead a well-established Employee Resource Group or are just getting started, member engagement is one of the hardest parts of building community. To get the lay of the land, we spoke to a handful of ERG leaders across the globe to hear how they engage their members. 

Based on our own experiences and the research that informed this model, we know every organization can benefit from a culture that empowers its employees. Still, we've also seen that when leaders are interested in creating a more empowering work culture, they often only consider one or two of the elements, leaving other equally crucial needs unmet.

Technologies aren't standalone cures or solutions for disengaged communities; they are tools you can use to meet specific community needs. Thinking about building the right tech stack for your community needs can be a bit overwhelming at first, especially if you've never built a community before! 

The need for community & a sense of belonging doesn't just apply to large, global organizations. In a world characterized by a disparate, diverse workforce and global uncertainty, these benefits are more vital than ever before, no matter where you work.

Whenever we design a shiny new learning program, we like to give you folks a look behind the scenes. This time, I'll share a little about the work that went into our Community Accelerator, a learning program for community builders who want to do more with & for their workplace communities.