Building a Thriving, Engaged Community: How CommUnity Powers Member Connection and Action

Behind the scenes, hospital administrators and IT pros are the ones ensuring everything runs smoothly — and Digital Health Canada seeks to educate, connect and empower them. Digital Health Canada is a not-for-profit, member-based organization offering advocacy, professional development opportunities and a place for members to network and build community. Perhaps the largest draw for members is the organization’s variety of in-person events. With smaller regional conferences held throughout the year and one major annual conference, many members join to take advantage of the networking opportunities these events offer.

In between conferences, however, DHC needed a way to retain member engagement, foster an online community and provide ongoing professional development opportunities for roughly 700 members. To find out how CommUnity has helped DHC fulfill these needs — and more — we spoke to DHC Member Programs Coordinator Amanda Delorey. Amanda filled us in on how CommUnity provided the perfect members-only platform to promote upcoming events, share and store webinars and other resources, and host a vibrant online community where conversation and connection thrive.

Creating Communities of Action

When it came to building an online community, DHC didn’t want theirs to be just another corporate-branded social media. Instead, DHC wanted their community to be a tool for driving change. Amanda envisioned vibrant online spaces where members could gather to exchange ideas, delve deeply into important topics, and even mobilize people to action. The only challenge? These communities weren’t just quiet—they were stagnant.

“There were two pre-existing communities when I joined,” Amanda said. “One on diversity, equity and inclusion, and one on nursing. But neither was particularly active. You could see that there were only about 37 group members, which just means that somebody joined at some point — they followed a newsletter link or something like that. But the groups were mid when it came to actual participation.”

The question then became: how could DHC transform passive members into active participants? Amanda knew that CommUnity had the tools to help bring life back into these groups, so she set out to convert “lurkers” into contributors. Using the platform’s features—polls, forums, and discussion boards—she set in motion a series of strategies to boost engagement.

To start, Amanda began posting a new discussion question each week to encourage members to jump in.

“I engage them with questions every week,” Amanda said. “People comment on the thread, but they’ve also started their own threads. There are a couple of members who have taken the lead on this, which was a pleasant surprise. I had no idea who would step up, but it’s been fun watching the discussion grow.”

Building on this momentum, Amanda introduced specialty forums for niche topics, giving members a platform to share ideas and even have their contributions published. “One of the most popular forums I launched was a working group on an AI and healthcare lexicon,” Amanda recalled. “I prompted members to submit terms, provided them with a structure, and their submissions would be published on our website. People were excited about the opportunity to be featured, and we received 25 pages of contributions.

It wasn’t just one person posting repeatedly — it was a diverse group sharing their knowledge.”

In addition to creating engaging content, Amanda learned that a little nudge could go a long way. “I did send a somewhat ‘threatening’ email once, saying that if they didn’t participate, I’d have to remove them from the group,” she said with a laugh.

“I got 79 actions in one day after that email. Sometimes, you need a little push to get things moving!”

Rather than taking a “set it and forget it” approach, where members join a group only to disengage, Amanda succeeded in fostering an active, ongoing dialogue. With a steady rhythm of new posts to look forward to, members now log in regularly to engage, even creating their own threads and posing new questions. The chance to discuss cutting-edge topics and see their contributions published sparked enthusiasm, while the possibility of being removed from the group encouraged consistent involvement. Amanda’s strategy effectively tapped into CommUnity’s tools to create a dynamic, member-driven space that fosters meaningful connections and continuous engagement, ultimately turning a stagnant community into one of action.

Members-Only Benefits

One of the key features Amanda repeatedly highlighted during our conversation was the exclusive, members-only access that CommUnity provides. The paywall surrounding the platform isn’t just a barrier — it’s a strategic choice that benefits both DHC and its members. As Amanda explained, “I’ve found that when people don’t pay anything for a membership, they don’t value it as much, so they don’t really engage.” This insight prompted a shift toward maximizing the value of paid membership by offering tangible, members-only benefits that drive both engagement and retention.

A standout example of this is the weekly webinar series, Webinar Wednesday. Each week, Amanda records a presentation on a topic of interest to the community and makes it available exclusively to members through CommUnity.

“It’s free for members only, and we record it every week. It’s not available on a public platform like YouTube. It’s all private. So, if you want to watch a previous webinar Wednesday, you have to log into the CommUnity. You cannot access it on our website whatsoever,” Amanda shared.

This members-only format not only protects the content but also encourages ongoing participation and engagement. By having this content hosted within the app, it becomes an integral part of the member experience — one that they must log into CommUnity to access.

“The weekly webinars are a great way to drive engagement, discussion, and education — all of which are central to DHC’s mission,”

Amanda explained. Beyond offering value to members, these exclusive webinars create a deeper incentive to join and remain engaged in the community.

After each session, Amanda archives the webinar in the app’s resource tab, ensuring members can revisit past sessions at their convenience. New members also gain access to the full back catalog of webinars, further enhancing the appeal of joining DHC.

“Specific programs tend to drive engagement on our end; people are not spontaneously involved. So, if they have a specific thing to do, then they’re a lot more interested,” Amanda observed. “It’s a great way to run a members-only program and to have it be behind a paywall.”

In addition to the webinars, email plays a pivotal role in maintaining regular communication with members. Through a well-established weekly email schedule, members are prompted to register for webinars and stay up-to-date on upcoming events. This regular communication ensures that members are always aware of key initiatives and allows them to plan their participation in advance.

“The regular schedule and prompts in the emails really help our members know what to expect,” Amanda said.

“Most of them are familiar with our initiatives before they even engage with them in CommUnity.” This consistency strengthens member engagement and helps build anticipation for each event, ensuring a high level of participation when the content goes live.

Lifting the digital barrier

For overworked and overstressed hospital employees, in-person events are more than just a fun getaway — they’re a highlight of the year, a chance to recharge, connect, and gain inspiration. Understanding this, DHC is dedicated to ensuring its members make the most out of their experience before, during, and after the conference ends.

In the weeks leading up to each event, DHC’s CommUnity platform becomes a bustling hub of activity. Members post introductions, share their excitement, and hype each other up in anticipation. The platform provides an exclusive space where members can promote their expertise, highlight their ambitions, and spark interest in their speaking engagements or projects. This level of interaction doesn’t happen on broader, impersonal platforms like LinkedIn, where connections often feel superficial. Instead, CommUnity fosters meaningful engagement by focusing on shared goals and the unique camaraderie of DHC’s members.

Amanda noted that this pre-event interaction has a tangible impact on the event itself:

“When members come to the conference already feeling connected, it changes the entire atmosphere. People are more engaged, more likely to approach each other, and more comfortable jumping into conversations.”

During the conference, connection deepens as members interact in person and continue conversations through the CommUnity app. Members use the app to coordinate meetups, share updates and keep the excitement going. This digital engagement complements the face-to-face experience, ensuring attendees maximize every moment of the event.

But the value of CommUnity doesn’t end when the conference wraps up. As Amanda put it, “Often, you don’t get a chance to meet someone, or you meet them for two seconds and forget their name. That can be frustrating, but not when you have a chance to reconnect online the next day.”

CommUnity provides an accessible post-event hub where members can rekindle missed connections, collaborate on shared ideas, and continue brainstorming.

More than just a networking tool, CommUnity bridges the gap between in-person and digital interaction, ensuring that members feel supported year-round. Whether they’re sharing insights from the conference, planning future collaborations, or simply catching up, the platform ensures that connections formed at DHC events aren’t fleeting — they’re the start of something much more impactful.

CommUnity has proven to be an indispensable tool in Digital Health Canada’s member engagement strategy. By combining the power of exclusive, members-only benefits, a dynamic platform for ongoing conversation and seamless integration with in-person events, CommUnity has created a thriving online community that fosters meaningful connections, sparks discussions, and drives real-world action.

Amanda Delorey’s strategic use of the platform — from weekly webinars and specialty forums to consistent email engagement — has helped turn passive members into active contributors, ensuring that DHC’s members are engaged, educated, and supported year-round. The result is a community that not only survives between events but thrives, providing members with the tools they need to drive change and stay connected with their peers in the healthcare industry.

Are you ready to elevate your own organization’s member engagement? Schedule a demo today to see how CommUnity can help you achieve similar results and build an online community that drives action, engagement and lasting impact.

Looking to read more about CommUnity? Check out these resources:

• What Is An Online Community?
• How to Build an Online Community
• Association for Women in Science Reach More Members with CommUnity