Build IRL SF Newsletter #7
we are launching today🚀, building blocks for thriving IRL communities🧱, upcoming events 🥂 and more ...
👋 Hey fam!
Saum & Colt from Build IRL 🛠️.
It’s finally here!
🚀 We are launching Build IRL Accelerator today with 25 SF clubs and 29 builders. ✨Pinch me - is this real?
Sticking to our motto of - ‘build with’ - we'll openly share our IRL convos weekly here:
🕒 How we spent our time...
💡 What inspired us...
🛑 Where we got stuck...
We invite you, the reader, to come along for this journey.
This week’s theme -
Building blocks for a resilient and thriving IRL community (or, the ‘Community Stack’)
Let’s go!
In this edition:
🏗️The Community Stack by Build IRL
🥂Mark your calendars - upcoming public gatherings in June
Join or Die documentary screening - Jun 22, 4 pm, Manny’s Cafe
Build IRL Capstone Showcase - Jun 27, 6 pm, MindsDB
💡Other frameworks we dig: Community weaving and Get together
01 / The Community Stack
Yet another community framework! Why!$#%?
We heard the top challenges of hundreds of IRL builders and searched - books, blogs, research papers, case studies, checklists.
There are incredible frameworks out there but most focus on either community philosophy or design principles. None dug into the practical IRL stuff such as business model, logistics, tools etc.
So we created one to include these.
The goal
We don’t want to re-create any knowledge. Rather, we want to
Frame the crucial questions our builders are struggling with
Create a common language for the accelerator sessions
Build a shared understanding of what excellent looks like
Be action-oriented (a guide and not a researcher)
Be an accessible entry point for exploring deeper research, best practices & other frameworks
The framework
The framework is broken into 2 levels:
Building blocks - These are attributes or outcomes that build a thriving and resilient community. This is what we aspire for, and where possible, measure.
Bricks - These are tactics in your toolbox to realize each ‘building block’ outcome.
Building blocks
Building blocks for thriving and resilient IRL community
🔥Purposeful, know who and why you gather i.e. shared purpose and identity.
✨Active & Connected, strong sense of belonging and connection in a very active member base who gather regularly
🛠️Well-resourced, you have what you need (resources) in the community to thrive
💪 Capable, ops muscle to make it happen again & again - team, tools and more …
🌱Evolving, though trial & error, shifting needs, serendipity and feedback.
🤝Build with, leaders build with the community and not for them.
“Build your community with people, not for them”
- Get Together (Bailey, Kevin and Kai)This is the core principle that transforms the way you build
"How do I start this community? → "Who are the early allies to build this with?"
"What activity should I plan? → "What activity will we enjoy together?"
"How do I talk to members? → "How do members communicate?"
🧱 Bricks - the tactics!
Each building block has an infinite list of tactics. Don’t fear. Treat them as if they are all tools in your toolbox.
You can pick just one or two to experiment with based on your community’s stage and needs. Yes, that’s right! You only have to pick 1 or 2 at a time.
Don’t believe me? Read the next section to understand why!
Communities emerge over time
Community building is a continuous journey, an infinite loop, where members put one brick after another. What may start as a few bricks can evolve into a buzzing township.
Communities emerge.
That’s good news: you only need to take a few small steps, see what emerges, adjust and repeat. You don’t need a grand plan. All you need is a fertile seed (purpose) and eagerness to act.
Be a gardener.
Community leaders are not CEOs, they are gardeners. Leaders don’t dictate, they curate and nurture.
This is the core foundation of the ‘build with’ and ‘emergent’ philosophy.
“We don’t build community. We build containers where community has a chance to emerge.” - David Spinks
💡 Tell us what you think about this framework? What’s missing? What resonates?
02 / 📅Build IRL Accelerator’s Programming
Our cohort programming will focus on the community building blocks:
June 1 - Community Dinner and Reception
June 8 - Workshop day 1 (Your community stack + Sharpening your why)
June 16 - Workshop day 2 (Design for belongingness + Business models)
June 22 - Build-with-thon (Execution tactics + getting your hands dirty)
We are pumped to also host events that will be open to public this June. You will have the opportunity to meet our cohort and join us IRL in SF!
Upcoming public gatherings in June - Mark your calendars!
Jun 22 - Join or Die documentary screening, 4.30 pm, Manny’s Cafe
Jun 27 - Build IRL Capstone Showcase, 6 pm, MindsDB
03 / Other community frameworks we dig
Shout to some other community frameworks we love -
Are there ones you love? Share with us.
Keep building 🛠️!
Until next week,
Saum & Colt
Great to see the accelerator taking off!
One brick that I would add to the framework -- although it sort of fits under multiple blocks: cooperative associations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative
I think it fits under:
1. the "Purpose" block - or at least engages most of it its bricks, especially the why/who (the essential purpose of a coop is to benefit its members, potentially in multiple ways). Cooperatives seem particularly aligned to the "build with" approach.
2. the "Well-Resourced" block - as the co-op path influences entity choice (including but not limited to cooperative corporations or limited cooperative associations), business model, and funding options
3. the "Capable" block - as it relates to choices around control, decisionmaking, and governance that are essential parts of execution. I don't see these terms in the framework, although I do see some related terms under the "Active and Connected" brick: "rules and norms", "roles and contributions"