The Power of Community: Three Habits That Turn Supporters into Active Participants

Meta and Google have switched off political ads across the EU. The question is no longer how much reach you can buy, but how many people will act for you without being paid to see you.

In this new reality, the campaigns and movements that succeed will be those with the strongest communities. And a community isn't held together by content, slogans or badges. It's held together by the habit of acting together.

Three habits make the difference.

1.⁠ ⁠A ritual, not just another message

Another message asks for attention — something people have increasingly little of. A ritual gives them a rhythm instead.

Strichka, a global community of Ukrainians abroad, had more than 10,000 people in its app but struggled to keep them active. In December, it introduced an Advent calendar: one small quest every day, a prize for completing all the tasks, and points awarded even for reaching 25% or 50% of the goal.

The result? Daily activity grew tenfold in just two weeks. And 80% of that growth came from members who had previously gone quiet.

Your next active supporters may already be on your list. The challenge is to give them a reason to return.

To build your own ritual:

•⁠  ⁠Choose an action that takes less than five minutes.

•⁠  ⁠Give it a clear, predictable rhythm.

•⁠  ⁠Set a visible finish line.

•⁠  ⁠Reward progress, not just completion.

2.⁠ ⁠Give people a real vote

Members who only receive instructions are an audience. Members who make decisions become owners.

Give people a meaningful say in the things that matter. You can use a one-person-one-vote model for questions of shared values, or weight votes according to contribution, giving more influence to those who do more.

But there's one essential rule: follow through. Deliver what people voted for and show them the result. A vote that changes nothing teaches people that participation is just theatre.

Voting can become a habit, too.

Democratic Axe, a Ukrainian movement where members vote on the organisation's own decisions, consistently mobilises its community around online elections for civic oversight councils. In 2025, its candidates received 590,000 votes, compared with 20,000 for the candidates supported by the Ministry of Defence supervisory board.

And the habit has outlived its original purpose. The same community now makes regular contributions to the Ukrainian army, raising ₴2.58 million in July alone.

When people see that their decisions matter, they have a reason to stay involved.

3.⁠ ⁠Close the loop

Someone takes action. You respond quickly. They see the result. And then they act again.

This is what a closed feedback loop looks like.

Publish voting results on the same day. Report back on what has changed. Show people what their contributions made possible. Make the connection between their actions and real outcomes visible.

When people trust that their actions will be noticed and lead somewhere, constant reminders become unnecessary.

In one Ukrainian drone regiment, at least half of the members complete tasks without any follow-up reminders.

The lesson is simple: people don't need to be pushed to participate when they know their participation matters.

Communities rarely die from criticism. They die from silence.

Design community engagement on purpose

Two frameworks can help turn these principles into a practical strategy.

Octalysis, developed by Yu-kai Chou, distinguishes between different types of human motivation. "White hat" drives — such as meaning, accomplishment and progress — encourage sustainable engagement. "Black hat" drives — such as scarcity, urgency and fear of missing out — can generate quick action but often lead to exhaustion.

Many campaigns rely too heavily on the second. Strong communities are built on the first.

The Community Canvas offers another useful framework, mapping the three foundations of a lasting community: identity, experience and structure. Together, they help answer three essential questions: Who are we? What do we do together? And how do we organise ourselves?

Where to start

This week, ask your team three questions:

1.⁠ ⁠How many people have taken action for your cause in the last 30 days without seeing a paid ad?

2.⁠ ⁠What is the one recurring ritual that brings your community together?

3.⁠ ⁠What meaningful decision did your members make last month?

If you struggle to answer these questions, it may be time to rethink how you build and engage your community.

Build the community before you need the votes.

The strongest communities don't emerge overnight, and they aren't built through communication alone. They grow when people have meaningful reasons to return, opportunities to shape decisions and visible proof that their actions make a difference.

Whether you're building a political campaign, a civic movement or a community around a shared cause, the principle remains the same: don't just ask people to support you. Give them something meaningful to do together.