Scott Heiferman, co-founder of Meetup, told us during a workshop, “people show up for the meetup but they come back for the people.”

Step one in attracting new members is crafting your origin story. Your origin story will give both existing and prospective members the language they need to explain what your community is and why it formed in the first place.

For any community to flourish, it’s essential that members have a space where they can speak directly to each other, without having to depend on a founder or leader to play intermediary.

You can find your team of allies by asking yourself a series of more targeted questions: 1. Who do I care about? 2. Who do I share an interest, identity, or place with? 3. Who do I want to help?

Although communities feel magical, they won’t come together by magic. In this early stage, there’s no substitute for a courageous leader (like you!) who takes the first step.

The most vibrant communities offer members a chance to act on their passions with one another.

Each pocket of people could flourish into a community. So, who do you start with? Focus on two criteria: 1. Who brings the energy—who are the people who already engage, contribute, or attend? Don’t try to conjure motivation out of thin air. Start with keen participants. 2. Assuming that the community flourishes, who will you stick with?

RCC Global is one thing, but when you see the RCC badge of your city on a rider across the globe, it’s near mandatory to strike up conversation.”