Key takeaways
- Prepare the purpose, rules, welcome and profile questions before the first invite goes out.
- Aim for one useful introduction in a new member's first week.
- Check in privately after 30 days and ask what would make the community more useful.
- Give every step an owner, or it becomes nobody's job.
Community onboarding checklist to copy
COMMUNITY ONBOARDING CHECKLIST: [Community name] Owner of this checklist: [name] BEFORE YOU INVITE ANYONE [ ] Write a one-line purpose for the community [ ] Write the group rules and pin them [ ] Decide what to ask new members, and why [ ] Write the welcome message [ ] Decide how members ask for help: in the group or privately [ ] Name the admins and who answers questions [ ] Check your privacy notice says what you collect and why DAY ONE (each new member) [ ] Add them, or share the join link [ ] Welcome them by name (in a batch if several join) [ ] Ask them to introduce themselves [ ] Point them to the rules [ ] Check their profile is complete FIRST WEEK [ ] Make one introduction that fits what they said they need [ ] Check they know how to ask for help [ ] Answer their first question quickly FIRST 30 DAYS [ ] Check in privately: is the community useful so far? [ ] List members who haven't posted, asked or been introduced, and reach out [ ] Ask what would make it more useful [ ] Update this checklist with what you learned
Before the first member joins
Most onboarding problems start before anyone arrives: no clear purpose, rules written after the first argument, or a welcome that asks for too much. Write these first. The WhatsApp group rules template, welcome message templates and community onboarding questions cover the three documents you need.
Decide too how members will ask for help. If requests go in the group, give them a format. If they go somewhere private, set that up now so the welcome can point to it.
Why the first week matters
New members decide quickly whether a community is worth their attention. A single introduction to someone relevant in the first week shows the community works better than any announcement. Use what they wrote in their profile or introduction, and check with both people before connecting them.
Running the checklist with Milvao
- 1Add your skills and cities, so members can finish their profile.
- 2Add a group in Milvao for each WhatsApp group and create a join link.
- 3Add your own profile questions, with a reason for each.
- 4Pin the join link in the group with a short announcement.
- 5Watch new members arrive in the member directory and verify the ones you know.
Milvao's pilot setup checklist tracks these steps on the Overview page. Introductions after that happen through private requests, so the first-week step needs no manual matching.
Onboarding steps that waste effort
- Long intake forms before someone has seen any value.
- Welcome calls for every member in a large community. Save them for members who ask, or who go quiet.
- Asking new members to read a long document before they can post.
- Tracking onboarding in someone's head. Write down who has been welcomed and introduced.