This year has been jam-packed with inspiring customer success stories, product innovation, an acquisition, and more!

Join us as we celebrate some of our proudest moments from this year.

Hivebrite acquired Orbiit to take community engagement to the next level

From left to right: Hivebrite Founder Jean Hamon, alongside Orbiit’s Founders Bilyana Freye and Luuk Derksen. Photo by Elena Rossini.

In 2024, we made a huge advancement in transforming community engagement by acquiring Orbiit, a leader in AI-powered member matching.

Orbiit’s philosophy? Make every connection count!

Community managers can now nurture meaningful, targeted member connections at scale with Orbiit’s AI-powered matching! Members no longer need to scour profiles and information to find people and resources most valuable to them—Orbiit does it automatically!

Orbiit also takes care of all communication, meeting scheduling, feedback collection, and analytics.

Together, we’re creating more vibrant, engaged communities where everyone feels at home!

Find out more about Orbiit and our acquisition here.

We made several major platform enhancements

In 2024, Hivebrite rolled out several exciting product updates designed to enhance both user experience and administrative capabilities. Two areas we are particularly excited about are our improvements to our mentoring and analytics modules!

Here’s a quick rundown of these improvements:

Mentoring: Drive growth through powerful mentoring connections

Our updated mentoring features have revolutionized how communities connect and grow. With a more intuitive matching algorithm, mentors and mentees are now paired based on their skills, interests, and goals, making connections more meaningful. We’ve also introduced a user-friendly interface that simplifies navigation and management of mentoring relationships. Plus, participants can now set goals and track their progress, keeping an eye on their achievements over time. These changes have boosted user engagement and satisfaction, making the mentoring experience more impactful and rewarding.

Discover more.

Analytics: Manage your community with intelligent analytics

We’ve revamped our analytics capabilities to offer community managers deeper insights and more actionable data. The new dashboards provide real-time analytics with customizable views, helping administrators keep track of key metrics like user engagement, event participation, and content performance. Advanced reporting features now allow users to segment data by various criteria, enabling more targeted strategies and decision-making. Additionally, Hivebrite now supports integration with third-party analytics tools, giving a comprehensive view of community dynamics. These enhancements equip administrators with the information they need to effectively drive engagement and optimize community management efforts.

Learn more.

We launched Community Therapy season two

Community Therapy is an on-demand video series that invites you on an unfiltered journey into the world of community building, featuring candid conversations with industry experts.

Each episode offers a welcoming space where community leaders openly discuss challenges, share practical insights, and celebrate their successes.

Season two offers eight engaging episodes covering a range of critical topics for community builders:

1. Building lasting relationships with members
2. Building a networking community
3. How community generates value and ROI
4. Helping employees thrive through community
5. Optimizing community operations for maximum impact
6. Exploring the intersection of community and psychology
7. Building peer-to-peer connections online
8. Empowering community groups and chapters

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting in community management, you’ll discover valuable advice and inspiration in every episode. Tune in now! 

Our CCO, Gonzalo Cayo, named Startup CCO of the Year

Hivebrite’s own Gonzalo Cayo was honored as Startup CCO of the Year at the annual GTM Awards! This award, celebrated at Pavilion’s GTM 2024 conference in Austin, shines a spotlight on go-to-market leaders who have shown excellence in sales, marketing, and customer success.

We couldn’t be prouder of the work of Gonzalo and his team and are excited to keep pushing the boundaries of success and innovation at Hivebrite!

Discover more here!

We welcomed new customers making global impact across industries

In 2024, we welcomed an array of new clients to Hivebrite including:

Pavilion: A private membership community dedicated to accelerating the careers of high-growth professionals through peer learning, executive education, and networking opportunities.

Muscular Dystrophy Association: A community to support individuals and families affected by muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases through advocacy, research funding, healthcare services, and connecting people facing similar challenges.

Relias: a community for healthcare professionals and organizations to access continuing education, training resources, and professional development opportunities, with a focus on improving healthcare outcomes through evidence-based learning and certification programs.

World Wildlife Fund: A global community dedicated to conserving nature and reducing the most pressing threats to Earth’s biodiversity, working to protect wildlife, preserve natural habitats, and address climate change through advocacy, education, and conservation initiatives.

University of Chicago Law School: A community of legal scholars, students, and alumni committed to excellence in legal education, groundbreaking research, and the advancement of law through rigorous academic discourse and professional development.

Watching our community grow with such passionate and diverse organizations is incredibly rewarding. Each new partnership brings fresh energy and ideas, and we are beyond excited to support them in building vibrant, engaged communities in 2025 and beyond.

We reinforced our commitment to data privacy and security

Hivebrite reached some exciting milestones in security certifications that we are proud to share with you.

We successfully retained our ISO 27001 certification, highlighting our unwavering commitment to top-notch information security management and best practices. Alongside this, we maintained our PCI-DSS certification, ensuring we uphold the highest standards in payment card industry data security.

We are also thrilled to announce that we achieved the Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program (TX-RAMP) Level 1 certification. TX-RAMP-certified products are highly valued because they demonstrate a strong commitment to cybersecurity and compliance with Texas state standards.

These achievements reflect Hivebrite’s dedication to safeguarding client data and reinforcing trust with our clients and partners.

The post Our 2024 highlights appeared first on Hivebrite.

The on-demand video series offers a judgment-free zone where industry leaders can speak openly about the challenges they face.

In each episode, you’ll find actionable insights and practical advice that you can apply to your own community-building efforts. It’s not just about airing difficulties-it’s about finding solutions and celebrating victories. Whether you’re an experienced professional or just getting started, you’ll find value in every minute of these candid conversations.

Hosted by Morgan Rice, a seasoned community strategist, season two offers eight engaging episodes covering a range of critical topics for community builders:

• Building lasting relationships with members
• Building a networking community
• How community generates value and ROI
• Helping employees thrive through community
• Optimizing community operations for maximum impact
• Exploring the intersection of community and psychology
• Building peer-to-peer connections online
• Empowering community groups and chapters

The entire series is live. Binge all eight episodes at once, or savor them one at a time—the choice is yours! Click here to start watching!

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Paris, France — July 9, 2024 — Hivebrite, the all-in-one community management and engagement platform, today announced the acquisition of Orbiit, an AI-powered matching company. This strategic move underscores Hivebrite’s commitment to providing its customers with the best technology to build impactful communities.

Renowned organizations such as Santander, Euronext, the Obama Foundation, the U.S. Naval Academy, CERN, Roche, the University of Notre Dame, and the American Psychological Association trust Hivebrite to build private, branded communities for knowledge sharing, networking, mentoring, and ideation.

Orbiit’s technology will enrich Hivebrite’s offering by enabling AI-powered matching that pairs members with compatible profiles based on customizable criteria, including industry, experience, and interests. Community managers will be able to nurture meaningful relationships more efficiently, and members will experience more powerful and targeted connections, creating a more vibrant community for all.

From left to right: Hivebrite Founder Jean Hamon, alongside Orbiit’s Founders Bilyana Freye and Luuk Derksen. Photo by Elena Rossini.

Harnessing AI to amplify human connection not replace it

Artificial intelligence is being embraced throughout industries to enhance impact and simplify tasks, and the community-building industry is no different. The strength of relationships within a community significantly influences its engagement, and Hivebrite recognized the immense potential of Orbiit’s AI-matching technology to dramatically enhance the quality and quantity of connections while generating operational efficiencies.

Orbiit automates one-to-one or small group connections at scale and handles all communication, matching, scheduling, feedback collection, and analytics.

“People love meeting people, but context is crucial—especially when connections start online. Instead of sifting through endless profiles and information, our technology offers members access to the most relevant peers and high-impact resources precisely when they need them, enriching the community experience as a whole,” said Luuk Derksen, CTO at Orbiit.

Orbiit’s technology is already highly regarded in Silicon Valley for connecting operators from unicorn companies. Orbiit’s founders, Bilyana Freye and Luuk Derksen, hail from Bulgaria and the Netherlands, respectively. They met in New York, where they were inspired to create a technology that could revolutionize how people connect. Today, organizations, including Sequoia Capital, Atlassian, and the London School of Economics, use Orbiit to drive purposeful connections.

A perfect match to transform community engagement

Hivebrite and Orbiit share a strong customer base, including prominent organizations like New Enterprise Associates, Insight Partners, and Pavilion. These customers recognize the combined benefits of integrating both platforms to enrich community experiences and enhance networking opportunities for their members.

“Hivebrite and Orbiit joining forces will be transformational in improving our member experience. Together, these tools will undoubtedly amplify the value of our membership, fostering stronger connections and more meaningful interactions within our community,” said Carly Pallis, Chief of Staff at Pavilion.

“The acquisition of Orbiit marks an exciting milestone in our journey, significantly strengthening Hivebrite’s AI capabilities in a meaningful and impactful way. I love the analogy that one of our customers made recently: Hivebrite brings the home with its community platform, and Orbiit brings the soul with its AI-matching technology. It’s a match made in heaven!

Additionally, while Orbiit adds immediate value to any existing community platform, it also works effectively with a simple contact list, offering even more possibilities to our customers,” said Jean Hamon, CEO of Hivebrite.

“Insight is thrilled to see Hivebrite and Orbiit joining forces with this acquisition. By integrating Orbiit’s AI technology into its platform, Hivebrite further solidifies its leadership in the online community market. We are confident that this partnership will drive significant value for both organizations and the vibrant communities they serve,” said Peter Sobiloff, Managing Director at Insight Partners and Hivebrite board member.

This acquisition marks a pivotal advancement in community technology alongside another milestone: a new round of funding totaling $8 million. This latest round of funding follows a $37 million Series B announced in 2023. The new capital will further fuel Hivebrite’s platform innovation and reinforce its customer support for thousands of customers worldwide.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Hivebrite to transform community engagement,” said Bilyana Freye, Co-Founder and CEO of Orbiit. “This acquisition is a natural evolution from our successful collaborations with mutual clients, where we’ve seen firsthand the incredible impact we can achieve together. At Orbiit, our mission has always been to create meaningful connections at scale, and by combining Hivebrite’s product breadth with Orbiit’s depth of expertise in community matching, we can now offer the most powerful community platform on the market.”

Click here to learn more about Hivebrite and Orbiit and upcoming platform innovations.

About Hivebrite

Hivebrite is the leading all-in-one community management and engagement platform that helps organizations build, manage, and engage their communities. Hivebrite offers a wide range of tools and features designed to enhance community interaction and foster meaningful connections.

About Orbiit

Orbiit is an AI-powered matching company that powers curated 1:1 community connections at scale. Its technology enables members to opt into regular, topic-based 1:1 virtual connections and handles all comms, matching, scheduling, feedback collection, and analytics.

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The survey enables institutions to compare their alumni engagement data with peers and regional trends, aiding in strategic planning and improving engagement practices.

You can download the full report here or keep scrolling for our three key takeaways!

What is alumni engagement?

Alumni engagement encompasses activities that foster a meaningful and measurable connection between an institution and its alumni, supporting the institution’s mission and strategic goals. CASE’s survey categorizes alumni engagement into four primary modes:

• Communication
  Communications involve interactive, meaningful, and informative exchanges with alumni that bolster your school’s mission, goals, and reputation. This includes active engagement on social media, such as likes and comments, and reciprocal email correspondence. Note that passive activities like receiving a mailed publication or email are not considered communication engagements by CASE.
• Experiential
  Experiential engagements provide meaningful interactions that inspire alumni and celebrate the school’s mission and accomplishments. These include both in-person and virtual activities like events, reunions, online book clubs, and digital forums.
• Philanthropy
  Philanthropic opportunities allow alumni to contribute financially or through in-kind support to advance the school’s mission and strategic goals. This includes various forms of monetary donations and material contributions.
• Volunteering
  Volunteer roles are structured and fulfilling positions that align with and support your school’s mission and strategic objectives. They include serving on boards or advisory committees, mentoring students, advocating publicly, and speaking in classrooms.

Each mode plays a distinct role in alumni engagement, and successful strategies often combine multiple modes to maximize impact.

3 key takeaways from CASE Insights on Alumni Engagement

1. Engagement patterns by graduation cohort

Alumni engagement patterns vary significantly by graduation cohort.

Communication engagement is highest in the first five years post-graduation and then declines.

Experiential engagement also peaks early but sees a resurgence later. Similar to communication engagement, experiential engagement is a likely precursor to philanthropic engagement.

Given the time and effort required to volunteer formally, every cohort has a low engagement rate. Essentially, one percent of alumni volunteer in every cohort.

Philanthropic engagement, however, increases steadily with alumni age.

Actionable takeaway: Develop targeted engagement strategies for each cohort. Focus on communication and experiential engagement for recent graduates to maintain their connection. Gradually introduce philanthropic opportunities as alumni age, leveraging their increasing capacity and willingness to give.

2. Regional variations in engagement

Alumni engagement strategies need to account for regional differences. For instance, philanthropy is more prominent in some regions, while experiential engagement is more common in others.

Understanding these regional nuances can help tailor more effective engagement strategies.

Actionable takeaway: Customize engagement strategies to fit regional preferences and cultural norms.

Conduct regional surveys or focus groups to gather specific insights and adjust your approach accordingly. For example, prioritize philanthropic appeals in regions with a strong giving culture and focus on events and volunteer opportunities in regions where those are more popular.

3. Challenges in data collection and reporting

Institutions report varying levels of confidence in their data for different engagement modes. While philanthropic engagement data tends to be more reliable due to established tracking systems, communication and experiential engagement data are often less robust.

Actionable takeaway: Invest in improving data collection and reporting mechanisms. Implement comprehensive CRM systems that capture all forms of engagement, train staff on accurate data entry, and regularly audit data quality.

Clear definitions and consistent tracking will enhance the reliability of engagement metrics.

Are you looking for more alumni engagement ideas? Download The Alumni Connection. It shares practical advice and personal experiences from thought leaders in the field to inspire advancement professionals to think creatively and strategically about alumni engagement.

The post CASE Insights on Alumni Engagement: 3 key takeaways appeared first on Hivebrite.

This achievement marks another remarkable milestone in our commitment to upholding the highest information security standards.

What is ISO 27001?

ISO 27001 is an international standard for information security management systems (ISMS). It provides a framework for organizations to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve data management.

Why is ISO 27001 important?

Cyber risks are constantly evolving with increasingly sophisticated tactics and targeting new vulnerabilities. Protecting your organization from cyber attacks is essential to safeguard sensitive data, maintain operational continuity, and preserve customer trust.

ISO 27001 helps organizations implement a security framework to mitigate the risk of cyber attacks.

Maintaining and improving security standards

For this year’s audit, we had to showcase not only the existence of our policies but also their practical implementation across the organization.

When considering an organization’s security, infrastructure and data storage are naturally at the top of mind, but to prevent the unexpected, you have to go much further. Various aspects of our company’s operations were scrutinized—with a particular focus on legal and HR processes. We are proud to have not only maintained but also improved our standards since the last audit.

“As Hivebrite continues to grow and innovate, maintaining the highest standards of information security is critical to protect our organization and earn our customers’ trust. 

At Hivebrite, we have built a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring that information security practices remain effective and resilient in the face of evolving threats. 

This certification demonstrates our continued commitment to data privacy and security for all our stakeholders,”  said Martin Petz, CFO and Chief Security Officer at Hivebrite.

The ISO 27001 certication is part of our impressive list of security-related certifications, including the prestigious Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program (TX-RAMP) Level 1 certification and PCI-DSS v4.0.

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TX-RAMP-certified products are highly regarded as they demonstrate commitment to robust cybersecurity practices and compliance with Texas state standards.

Supporting advancement and alumni relations professionals worldwide

Hivebrite’s community management platform powers alumni associations, campus programs, and affiliated professional networks at the world’s most respected centers of learning, including Columbia Business School, Harvard Business School, Imperial College London, Princeton University Advancement, the University of Notre Dame, U.S. Naval Academy, and West Point

This certification facilitates partnerships with Texas state agencies, K-12 school districts, and higher education institutions by reassuring them that they are partnering with a secure and reliable technology platform that meets the state’s stringent security standards.

Prioritizing innovation and security

The certification process thoroughly evaluated Hivebrite’s security controls, including access management, data protection, and incident response protocols.

“Hivebrite is dedicated to providing innovative solutions while maintaining the highest security standards. This latest security certification underlines our commitment to providing our customers with top-notch products and services – all with the best security measures in the industry ,” said Martin Petz, CFO and Chief Security Officer at Hivebrite.

TX-Ramp Certification adds to our impressive list of security-related certifications, including the world-renowned ISO 27001 certification and PCI-DSS v4.0.

Supporting advancement and alumni relations professionals to build impactful  strategies has been a significant focus of Hivebrite since its creation. Request a demo here to discuss how Hivebrite can elevate your alumni strategy.

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Fostering digital connectivity and collaboration

APA’s mission is to promote the advancement, communication, and application of psychological science and knowledge to benefit society and improve lives.

It is the world’s largest association of psychology professionals—counting more than 157,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students around the globe.

Over the last five years, APA has grown member retention and new membership rates through delivering exceptional content and professional development value for members.

With an eye towards continued growth, APA sought additional ways to invest in member engagement and connection opportunities. Consequently, APA partnered with Hivebrite to build an online community to empower its members to connect, collaborate, and access personalized content.

Breaking silos and offering personalized experiences

Networking is a critical component of APA’s community. Powered by Hivebrite, the online community’s interactive directory enables members to search and connect with peers based on criteria such as job title, area of expertise, location, and more.

APA has 54 member component groups it calls Divisions, which are interest groups organized by members. Some represent subdisciplines of psychology (e.g., experimental, social, or clinical), while others focus on topical areas such as aging, ethnic minorities, or trauma.

Divisions were previously managed through Facebook groups and disparate mailing lists. With Hivebrite’s group feature, leaders from each division can create sub-communities within the wider community. The sub-communities offer more targeted content and exchanges, boosting engagement and fostering a more profound sense of belonging among members.

The sub-communities operate independently while giving APA visibility into their efforts and impact on the organization’s overarching mission. APA can share events and content from the different divisions within the wider community to boost reach—all while encouraging collaborations and sharing best practices between groups.

“We are confident that Hivebrite’s innovative platform will elevate our community, providing our members unparalleled opportunities for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and professional growth”, said Tabitha R. Brown, JD, Deputy Chief, Membership at American Psychological Association

Elevating member experience with targeted content

Access to premium content is a compelling benefit of APA membership. The team can centrally manage content in the online community’s media center. Hierarchical folders and tags make content easy to find. Features to share and comment on resources help to increase engagement.

All communication is centralized via the online community. The team can send members responsive and personalized email campaigns based on their interests.

“We are honored to partner with the American Psychology Association to support their vision of a vibrant and connected online community. With Hivebrite’s sophisticated, user-friendly platform, APA will offer its members value through facilitating connections and quality engagement initiatives to grow its community on a global scale”, said Usha Iyer, Chief Revenue Officer at Hivebrite.

By leveraging Hivebrite’s intuitive platform, APA will further elevate its member experience. Hivebrite is dedicated to offering the best user experience for its customers and their end users. The company recently raised $37 million in Series B funding; the new capital will be used to strengthen the platform in relation to deeper customization possibilities, smart connections between community members, and, of course, member experience.

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G2 is the world’s largest software marketplace. Its annual Best Software Awards rank the world’s best software companies and products based on authentic, timely reviews from real users.

A market leader in the community-building space

We are immensely proud to receive this award, recognizing and reinforcing Hivebrite’s position as a market leader in community-building software. At the same time, we remain humble, acknowledging that there is still much ground to cover to achieve our vision.

Our commitment to innovation and customer success

Over the past 12 months, we shared a series of significant product releases designed to enhance engagement and foster lasting impact within the communities we power.

We embraced our commitment to purpose-driven innovation by delving deeper into understanding our customers’ challenges and goals. Amongst other things, we launched our customer community and organized Hivebrite User Groups (affectionately known as HUGs) to tap into the collective wisdom of our hundreds of customers.

What’s next?

In 2024, we remain firmly focused on product innovation, especially deepening customization options, improving automation, and enhancing the user experience.

With $37 million in fresh funding, fantastic customers, and a stronger team than ever, we feel confident about the road ahead and are poised to take both customer relationships and product innovation to new levels.

Cheers to community!

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Celebrated every fourth Monday of January, Community Manager Appreciation Day (CMAD) highlights community managers and their often behind-the-scenes efforts in building impactful and vibrant communities that members coming back!

In the spirit of appreciation, we asked community managers to share what they value most about their roles and the communities they manage.

“Empowerment is my primary source of motivation—enabling everyone to get involved, play a role, serve a cause, or contribute to a project.

I enjoy creating the steps and processes within the community that make it possible and easy for members to take action. This feeds my need for meaning and social utility.”

Sébastien Erard, Community Manager, Alptis

“In my role as a community manager, I cherish the opportunity to cultivate meaningful connections and foster engagement. Building relationships with diverse individuals energizes me. Witnessing the community flourish through shared experiences and open dialogue brings me immense satisfaction. It’s the synergy of these connections that makes my role fulfilling and drives the vibrant heartbeat of our community.”

Debbie Bird, Community Manager, APM

“Being a BlueBioMatch Community Manager means bringing together diverse experts working in the blue bioeconomy. BlueBioMatch is a convergence point for startups, SMEs, researchers, policymakers, and funders committed to promoting a sustainable use of blue bioresources.

What excites me most is seeing insights and opportunities shared daily and witnessing how BlueBioMatch is supporting our transition to greater environmental sustainability and economic resilience in blue sectors. I especially enjoy the possibility of supporting mentoring and matchmaking between different actors for business and project development.”

Silvia Tosatto, Community Manager, BlueBioMatch

“The Bosch Alumni Network is a very lively network of more than 8,000 members – organized in various sub-communities and driven by their own dedication and wish for positive social change.

It’s always inspiring, and a lot of fun, to work with these humble people all over the world and to enable their exchange via the Hivebrite platform. To me, this is the biggest emotional incentive.”

Tobias Gerber, Community Manager, Bosch Alumni Network

“I feel it is a privilege to be helping to build a community of people across Wales who are all tackling climate change in different ways in their communities, such as starting upcycling or food-growing projects, implementing an energy retrofit on their community building, and many other fantastic ideas that can be shared with others.”

Matt Swan, Community Manager, Egin

“At the helm of the Global Young Leaders Alliance (GYLA), I am deeply appreciative of
the transformative power of our global community.

The synergy within our network fosters leadership development, professional growth, and impactful collaborations.

Every success story reflects our commitment to empowering young leaders, fostering. strength, influence, and global impact in a transformative space. Community Manager Appreciation Day is a celebration of the profound impact our community creates.”

Boniface Mahulo, Community Manager, GYLA

“I’ve been lucky enough to be in this profession for 10 years. The Institut de l’Engagement’s community is young, committed, and dynamic.

Witnessing the evolution, growth, and success of this community, as well as the forging of close relationships and members helping each other, reaffirms my dedication to my chosen career path and strengthens my commitment to the community.”

Matthieu Schenk, Community Manager, Institut de l’Engagement 

We love the fact that our community has an immediate connection because of our shared love for loud music. This makes it easier to help each other out on a business level. Our job as community managers is to encourage members to connect on a deeper level and share their knowledge, which is awesome.

David Brinks and Tom Schilders, Community Managers, Metal Business Club

“I love the fact that our community is all about empowering and supporting each other. And that’s what makes a community in my opinion: Being strong together for each other, whether that’s in person or digitally, and working towards a common goal. In our case, that would be 50% women in leadership.”

Maria Maske, Community Manager, PANDA

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We’ve had one heck of a year–from securing $37 million in series B fundraising to our brand-new look and everything in between.

Let’s take a closer look at some of our 2023 highlights.

We raised $37 million in Series B funding

This latest funding highlights the growing demand for our product and our leadership in the community-building industry.

The new capital will fuel our continued platform innovation and expand our global team to further support our customers worldwide.

Read more.

We got a makeover

When we started Hiverite almost a decade ago, we never imagined the incredible transformation we would undergo as a company.

We decided it was high time to refresh our look to better reflect the company we are today.

Earlier this year, we revealed our new look that reinforces Hivebrite as an enterprise brand and leader in community-building technology.

Get more insights on the “why” behind our new look.

We were ISO 27001 certified for our information security management system

We were awarded the world-renowned ISO 27001 certification, recognizing our commitment to meeting the highest security standards for all customer data we handle.

Discover more.

We launched our customer community

We believe that innovation is always more impactful when purpose-driven. Consequently, in 2023, we strived to get an even deeper understanding of our customers’ challenges and goals.

Our customer community offers a space for our customers to connect, share ideas, access resources, and support each other to build thriving communities. 

Since launching in April, the community has grown by an impressive 94%! We have organized 18 events, including Q&A sessions and virtual meetups, to drive community-building efforts.

If you’re not already a member of our customer community, you can join here. 

We loved connecting customers IRL

Our HUG (Hivebrite User Group) events offer an opportunity for our customers to meet face-to-face, share success stories, and learn from their peers–all while getting exciting updates on Hivebrite’s product roadmap!

This year, we organized 5 HUGs around the globe, meeting our customers in Paris, Basel, NYC, Washington and Barcelona!

We launched our new podcast, Community Therapy

Community Therapy offers a fresh and authentic deep dive into community building with industry experts.

In each episode, industry thought leaders candidly discuss their challenges, share personal experiences, and offer practical advice that listeners can apply to their communities.

It’s a wrap for season one—guests included Carrie Melissa Jones, Christina Garnett, Deb Schell, Jenny Weigle, Nikki Thibodeau, and Adrian Speyer.

Listen now.

Season two will be live in the first half of 2024.

We published The Alumni Connection: Insights and Strategies from Experts

The Alumni Connection was created to inspire advancement professionals to think creatively and strategically about alumni engagement.

The guide has ten chapters, each dedicated to an overarching theme and featuring an interview with an advancement expert.

Get your copy.

We delivered a CMX keynote on navigating feminization and amplifying value

Usha, our president and chief revenue officer, explored occupational feminization and how to navigate historical influences, like the gendered division of labor and societal attitudes towards “soft skills,” that have led to the undervaluation and precariousness of community building.

The keynote was designed to equip community builders with strategies to influence change.

Watch it now.

The post Our 2023 highlights appeared first on Hivebrite.

Established in 2010, InnoEnergy strives to build sustainable, commercially viable, and highly competitive energy solutions.

Driving green energy innovation

The Battle of Green Talent is a virtual entrepreneurship competition organized by InnoEnergy.

The annual initiative offers a unique experience where entrepreneurs pitch green ideas, form student teams to create detailed business plans, and compete for investor attention. Investors also vie to build the most impressive investment portfolio.

Spotting an opportunity to drive even more value for competitors, InnoEnergy teamed up with Hivebrite to create an online community to enhance participant involvement and facilitate meaningful connections.

Enhancing connections and collaborations

With Hivebrite, InnoEnergy offers an exclusive branded space for its participants to connect.

Members can create profiles detailing demographics, expertise, and interests.

Participants can search the interactive directory to get a glimpse of the competition and connect with people of interest before, during, and after the contest.

Team members can collectively collaborate on their business plan in the project section of the community. Investors can view plans, share advice, and ask questions before the team finalizes their strategy.

Increasing impact and reach of future competitions

The individuals behind the community guide teams through the process using Hivebrite’s survey tool to deploy a checklist to ensure that teams complete all critical steps. The survey tool is also used to keep a pulse on members’ community experience and identify improvement opportunities.

“With Hivebrite’s platform, we can build on and leverage our community every year to increase the impact and reach of future competition editions.”

Paola Ruttkowski, Program Manager Battle of Green Talent, InnoEnergy

In 2018, EIT InnoEnergy was the first Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) under the European Institute of Innovation and Technology to partner with Hivebrite. This new community represents a deeper partnership between EIT InnoEnergy and Hivebrite, along with five other EIT partnerships that have been established over the past six years, including EIT Health, EIT Food, EIT RawMaterials, EIT Climate, and EIT Urban Mobility.

“We are excited to partner with this incredible community, driving innovation and sustainability in the energy space. 

With Hivebrite’s platform, InnoEnergy will be able to provide more value to its participants while leveraging their passion, expertise, and experience to help build a greener energy future.”

Gonzalo Cayo, Chief Customer Officer, Hivebrite

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You’ve got a lot of moving parts to deal with. Your donors are inundated with requests for contributions from multiple groups. You’re constantly tasked with thinking of new ways to cut through the noise and stay relevant. 

This is where your fundraising strategy can help.

Your fundraising strategy guides you on how to plan and execute successful fundraising campaigns to achieve your organization’s goals.

Brandon Tabor, Senior Director, Annual Giving at the University of Notre Dame, is our featured expert for The Alumni Connection’s fundraising chapter. In his interview, Brandon shared creative tips and actionable insights for building an effective fundraising strategy.

Here are some highlights from his interview to help you maximize your fundraising efforts.

What are the critical elements that every fundraising strategy needs to cover?

I would recommend a five-step process where you answer these questions:

1. Audience
Who is your audience?

2. What’s the walk-away?
Meaning, what do you want them to walk away thinking, feeling, and/or doing?

3. Channels

What are the channels you´re using to reach out to them? Is it an email? Is it a text message? Is it social media?

4. What does great look like?
Is it 10 donations? Is it 15 donors? Is it lots of clicks? Define it upfront.

5. Stories
The last piece is the most important and most commonly overlooked, and that is, what are the stories you’ll tell that audience that will make them think, feel and do?

I’ll walk you through this in a simple scenario!

Let’s pretend we’re targeting an audience of young alumni that we want to ask to give back to the University. When communicating with them, we’ll define what we want them to think, feel, and do before going further. In this case, we want them to think their gift matters, feel it’s important to give to others who follow in their footsteps at Notre Dame, and make a gift. When considering channels, direct mail may not be the best. We move around a lot when we’re young. What if their address has changed? Maybe texting, email, or social media are better channels for this audience. Now, we need to define what great looks like. Is it five gifts? Is it 50 gifts? Is it a percentage or dollar amount? You decide!

Now, here’s the fun part. We need to explore what stories we’re going to tell to this audience of young alumni that will make them think, feel, and do what we defined at the beginning of this exercise.

Will a story about the impact of financial aid inspire them to give to financial aid? Maybe it’s a story about Notre Dame’s Catholic mission and service to the world or simply speaking to the tradition of giving back to your alma mater. Whatever it is, we beat up these story ideas, always asking ourselves if they would inspire young alumni to think their gift matters, feel it’s important to give to others who follow in their footsteps at Notre Dame, and make a gift.

Every fundraising strategy has to start with a defined audience and what you want them to think, feel, and do. You have to define the channels that you’re going to use to reach out to them. You have to have some sort of goal and define what success looks like. And then you just gotta take a pile of stories and beat them up against the wall. Which one of these stories is going to inspire them to respond?

How do you go about defining the story you need for your audience? 

One way that you can do this is by using data. I’ll give you a very simple story that’s all data-driven. We looked at an audience of donors who donated $200 or less last year. We wanted to ask them to make that gift again. We wanted them to walk away knowing that their gift mattered—even if it was $10.

So the story we told them was,¨Last year, gifts of $200 or less fully funded the full cost of tuition for 57 deserving Notre Dame students. Your gift is powerful and makes a direct impact on the lives of students who need you. Please make this important gift again.¨

That’s a powerful story of impact that data can tell you.

For other stories, you have to get your boots on the ground and ask around.

At Notre Dame, we have a student engagement center called ND Listens that calls members of the Notre Dame Family to listen to them, learn from them, and love them. Student call centers are common in American universities—and the majority call to ask for donations. But we found that student turnover in these call centers can be high. More importantly, it’s not a fun job for students to “dial for dollars,” and we want our relationship with these students to be nothing but positive. So, we said, let’s stop asking for money and instead listen, learn, and love. Now we’ll call to say, “Hello from Notre Dame,” “Happy birthday,” or even let folks know that Notre Dame is thinking about them.

During COVID, we called older alumni—thinking some could be feeling lonely or disconnected from the things they love. That was our audience. The walk away was¨Notre Dame knows me, thinks about me, and loves me.¨   What great looked like was phone calls over 20 minutes—that meant we were having a good conversation. And so the story we told them was: ¨Notre Dame loves you and we’re thinking about you. How are you doing?¨ Our pickup rates went from about 3% to almost 25% and we had thousands of calls over 25 minutes.

We had many people ask us to call them back each month. I love this—and we do it! We’ve gotten so much more from listening, learning, and loving the Notre Dame Family, and it has been really powerful.

Now we have a group of students who understand fundraising from the standpoint of love, engagement, and connection. Additionally, they understand how their own stories—or their friend’s stories—can be inspiring for others.

For example, a student named John enrolled at Notre Dame, following in his dad’s footsteps who also went to Notre Dame. John’s dad was recently diagnosed with ALS, which causes body functions to start shutting down. He can’t walk, struggles to speak, and is bound to a wheelchair. When John considered what he wanted to do with his time at Notre Dame, he decided to study robotics to help build better living conditions for those in situations similar to his father’s. It became his life’s purpose.

John received a scholarship from funds directly tied to grassroots donations—gifts of $500, $50, $20, and so on. Now, as John is finishing his degree, he’s invented a mechanism that you can mount to a motorized wheelchair to guide it with your eyes. If you lose functionality with your hands from diseases such as ALS, you can use the motion from your eyes to steer. His dad uses this technology in his daily life and many more will soon, too.

When we hear about a story like this, we let people know that gifts of all sizes help students like John not only make life better for his own father but for everybody like his father. That’s what our students do. They’re not just coming here to get a degree for themselves. It’s to get a degree in service to others.

What is the biggest challenge in collecting donations once you’ve engaged someone with a story?

Reducing friction at every step, making giving the easiest part of their day, and then stewarding them with powerful stories of impact so they know their gift mattered.

We cannot thank people enough for choosing to direct their hard-earned money to noble causes that provide for a world that is deeply in need. Thank them authentically and often while letting them know how their contributions are making a difference.

What are some of the virtual engagement or stewardship tactics that you implement that are successful? 

COVID accelerated a lot of things for a lot of people. Before COVID, our number one engagement tool was in-person events at football games. Every weekend, we have 80,000 people in our football stadium and tens of thousands surrounding it. So we throw events. You get invited to various activities and we make your weekend experience top-notch. When COVID happened, we had to pivot.

So, we started “Live Chats from Notre Dame.” During Live Chats from Notre Dame, we tell the stories of the amazing things happening at Notre Dame and invite our donors to tune in via YouTube livestream.

Our Vice President is a great storyteller and even better listener. For 30 minutes every other week, we’ve asked him to interview someone on campus who’s doing something really awesome. It could be a coach for a sports team, a design professor taking students to remote areas in Africa to help design awareness campaigns, or a student, like John, who I mentioned before.

We hope our audience, our donors, walk away feeling that they have a part in all the good that’s happening here, because they do!

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