How to Start and Scale an Epic Community & Master the Business of Belonging with David Spinks

Greetings and welcome back to The DNA of Purpose Podcast, the place where we empower you to build trust, champion adaptability, and cultivate the courage to unleash your unique DNA of Purpose. Here, we provide the insights, tools, and mindset shifts essential for sparking conversations, leading teams, rallying communities, and influencing cultural shifts to steer humanity towards the innovative solutions shaping our future today.

So, today we're diving into this pressing question: What does it truly take to spark a thriving community? How can you foster that magnetic pull that attracts and nurtures a community's growth? And, importantly, how do you build momentum while maintaining the delicate balance of igniting a community's passion without stifling the very essence that brought these individuals together in the first place?

If you identify as an innovative change-maker, a leader fuelled by purpose, or an entrepreneur propelling an idea forward, leading a values-driven team, or managing a business, today holds the potential to transform your approach to rallying individuals around a core mission. I’ll let you in on a secret: the key to effective mobilisation is not about a grand and lofty statement of why. Remember, purpose is not just a noun; it’s a verb—an action with the potential to bring people together.

Meet David Spinks, a passionate expert in the world of communities. He dedicates his time to studying communities and educating others on how they function. David is known for his insightful weekly newsletter, where he delves into community theory. He is also the author of 'The Business of Belonging,' a book that has literally not left my desk. David has personally advised and trained hundreds of organisations in community strategy, including Facebook, Waze, Salesforce, Airbnb, and Google.

Previously, David was a co-founder of CMX, the renowned annual conference and community boasting over 20,000 community professionals. In 2019, CMX was acquired by Bevy, a platform specialising in hosting chapter-based community ecosystems. For three years, David served as the VP of Community at Bevy. For two years, David also hosted the podcast 'Masters of Community,' where he interviewed the world's leading community builders and experts.

Today some of themes we explore include: 

• The importance of belonging and community, delving into the biological and neurological basis for our need for community with a focus on how we create social health. 

• Discuss how leaders can ignite and strengthen communities, highlighting key elements and avoiding common pitfalls.

• Outline the SPACES model for community success, exploring the interplay of social identity and meaning-making.

• David shares strategies for managing behavioural change and guiding communities through transformations.

• Contemplate the role of Artificial Intelligence in community building and its potential to complement human efforts.

• And we explore the intersection between remote working, communities and what it takes to nourish our social diets…and that my friends is just the start. 

With a wealth of experience and a passion for bringing people together, David is here to share his insights and guide us on the journey of building meaningful, thriving communities. So, let's dive in and explore the art and science of community building with David Spinks.

Sign Up To David's Newsletter Here: https://davidspinks.com/

Purchase The Business Of Belonging: https://davidspinks.com/book/