# Community onboarding checklist for new members

> A community onboarding checklist lists what organisers do before and after each new member arrives, so nobody joins and drifts away unnoticed. The checklist runs in four stages: set-up before you invite anyone, day one, the first week and the first 30 days. Copy it as plain text, delete what doesn't apply, and add the names of the people responsible for each step.

Source: https://milvao.com/templates/community-onboarding-checklist · Updated 2026-11-05

## 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

Onboarding checklist:

```text
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](https://milvao.com/templates/whatsapp-group-rules-template), [welcome message templates](https://milvao.com/templates/community-welcome-message) and [community onboarding questions](https://milvao.com/templates/member-profile-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

1. Add your skills and cities, so members can finish their profile.
2. Add a group in Milvao for each WhatsApp group and create a join link.
3. Add your own profile questions, with a reason for each.
4. Pin the join link in the group with a short announcement.
5. Watch new members arrive in the member directory and verify the ones you know.

Milvao's [pilot setup checklist](https://milvao.com/help/getting-started/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.

## Frequently asked questions

### What should a community onboarding checklist include?

The set-up work before anyone joins (purpose, rules, welcome, profile questions), what happens on day one, a useful introduction in the first week and a private check-in after about 30 days.

### How long should community onboarding take?

Joining should take a minute or two. Onboarding in the wider sense, until a member has been helped or introduced, usually runs through their first few weeks.

### Who should own community onboarding?

One named organiser or operator, even if several people help. A checklist with no owner tends to stop after the first busy week.

## Related pages

- [Pilot setup checklist (Help Center)](https://milvao.com/help/getting-started/pilot-setup-checklist)
- [Community onboarding questions](https://milvao.com/templates/member-profile-questions)
- [WhatsApp group welcome message templates](https://milvao.com/templates/community-welcome-message)
- [Community churn](https://milvao.com/glossary/community-churn)