Most resource groups are good at events. The programming gets planned, people show up, the energy is there. What’s harder is everything that happens in the six weeks between them , and that’s where groups either build a real community or quietly lose the members they worked to recruit.

Engagement between events requires maintaining enough of a presence that members feel connected to something ongoing, not just reminded of the next event when it’s coming up.

The Core Problem

When a group’s only touchpoints are events, members start to think of themselves as attendees rather than members. Attendees show up when something looks worth their time and drift away when it doesn’t. Members feel some ownership over the community and are more likely to stay involved through quieter periods.

The difference between the two is usually how much the group communicates and creates opportunities for participation outside of formal programming.

Communicate on a Cadence

Irregular communication is almost as damaging as no communication. If members only hear from the group when there’s something to promote, they start filtering it out.

Pick a cadence you can actually sustain (monthly is usually the right frequency for most groups) and stick to it. The content doesn’t need to be elaborate. A brief update that covers what’s coming up, something worth reading or watching, a member spotlight, and a volunteer opportunity is more than enough. The goal is consistent visibility, not a production.

On Belonging Groups, you can schedule announcements, post updates, and share resources directly with members without relying on email chains or hoping the intranet post gets seen.

Create Ways to Participate That Aren’t Events

Events require time, scheduling, and showing up. A lot of members who care about the group genuinely can’t make that commitment as often as they’d like. Give them other ways to be involved:

• A discussion prompt posted to the group’s channel
• A short poll on what topics members want to see covered next year
• A resource share where members contribute something useful to the community
• A call for member spotlights

None of these require significant volunteer effort to produce, and they give members a reason to engage on their own time.

The participation doesn’t have to be deep to be meaningful. Someone who responds to a discussion prompt three times a year is more connected than someone who attended one event and never heard from the group again.

Recognize People Specifically

Generic appreciation, such as “thanks to everyone who participated, ” lands flat. Specific recognition lands differently. You can:

• Call out the volunteer who handled logistics for the last event by name
• Feature a member who just hit a career milestone
• Share a quote from someone whose feedback shaped a programming decision

These moments signal that the group pays attention to individuals, not just headcounts, and they give members a reason to stay engaged even when they’re not in a leadership role.

Keep Conversations Going

Some of the most valuable connection that happens in a resource group occurs in informal exchanges: someone shares a resource that helps a colleague, two members continue a conversation from an event, a question gets asked and answered by someone with firsthand experience.

Create the conditions for that. A dedicated channel on whatever platform your organization uses, a regular discussion prompt, or an open thread after events where people can continue the conversation. The infrastructure matters less than the habit of using it.

Ask What Members Actually Want

Groups that stay relevant over time are the ones that keep checking in with members rather than assuming they know what the community needs.

A short survey twice a year – five questions, ten minutes – tells you more than you’d learn from tracking attendance alone. What topics do members want to see covered? What would make them more likely to participate? What does the group do well, and what’s missing? The feedback is useful, and the act of asking signals that member input actually shapes what the group does.

Less, But Better

The temptation when engagement dips is to do more: more events, more communications, more programming. Usually the opposite is more effective.

Members disengage when they feel like the group is producing content at them rather than creating genuine connection with them. Pull back, focus on fewer touchpoints that actually earn attention, and make sure every communication has something worth reading in it.

A group that sends one genuinely useful update a month will hold member attention better than one that sends four forgettable ones.