The State of Community Management research series is the online community industry's longest-running and most widely read resource for online community management professionals.
Since 2009, the annual State of Community Management reports, supplemental ebooks, and infographics, set the benchmark for online community management practices, as well as identifying trends and documenting best practices. Published in the Spring of each year, the State of Community Management report is often referred to as the "bible of community management" by practitioners in the industry.
Based on a survey of hundreds of community managers (and other professionals working in community management roles), the State of Community Management reports provide insights into trends, challenges, and best practices in the community field.
Each annual report covers a wide range of topics, including community strategy, engagement, measurement, technology, and career development. They provide data-driven insights and actionable recommendations for community managers and organizations looking to build and grow successful online communities.
The State of Community Management 2022 - Community: The New Normal
The State of Community Management 2021 - Communities Accelerate Impact
The State of Community Management 2020 - Changing the Way the World Works
The State of Community Management 2019 - Communities Ascend: Growing Success, Growing Risks
Download the latest State of Community Management report:
Community: The New Normal
Now in its 13th year, our annual State of Community Management report provides strategic ideas and tactical benchmarks for global community management professionals.
The State of Community Management 2022 explores the state of the community management industry through the lens of the eight competencies in the Community Maturity Model.
Each section includes data, ideas, and expert practitioner perspectives to give you new insight into the community management industry.
Upcoming Workshop - October 4, 2023
Join FeverBee’s Richard Millington and learn how to gather and deploy data to systematically increase engagement, prove their worth, and build a successful community strategy. Learn more.
Download the Meaningful Change Management ebook:
Explore how online communities improve customer satisfaction, provide fast and easy support, and create powerful brand advocates.
2021 marks the 12th edition of The State of Community Management, our industry-leading research. It is the critical information source for community decision-makers, who use it to support their business cases and inform their annual strategic planning.
"The annual research from The Community Roundtable has, indeed, been a major force for advancing the field. I've used each Report to help educate and move forward our leaders’ understanding of community.”
- Jeff Ross, Humana
"The perspective I’ve gained [from the State of Community Management research] has been invaluable in making the case for community-related budget and resources.”
- Alex Blanton, Microsoft
The State of Community Management 2020
In 2020, online communities and digital engagement took on dramatic new relevance. We have made considerable progress in translating the generative business model of communities into financial benchmarks, which are critical for organizations as they consider using community approaches to transform their organizations. We can now communicate the generative creation of value in financial terms.
2020’s three key findings:
- Advanced Communities Create Generative Value
- External Communities Elevate the Customer Experience
- Internal Communities Reveal Untapped Potential
In 2020, we added more comparison segments, which revealed new insights and allow us to report how external, customer community programs are differentiating themselves and maturing more quickly than internal, employee community programs.
The State of Community Management 2019
The State of Community Management is our annual research platform that tracks the performance of communities and community management across the eight competencies of the Community Maturity Model.
Now in its tenth year, The State of Community Management report is the most referenced and trusted resource in the community industry.
The State of Community Management 2019 explores the question: why aren’t all organizations racing to adopt community approaches? Building and operating successful, productive communities requires a radically different mindset – one that does not put the organization at the center. It also requires community builders who can translate what they know into the language of business. Finally, it requires courageous executives willing to invest time and resources in a very different model of success, a challenging proposition even with hard data and evidence.
Access Previous State of Community Management Reports
The State of Community Management Toolkit includes downloads of all 12 years of the SOCM research, as well as additional related models and content for $99.
