Use this guide to prepare an operating model before configuring a community platform.
Community charter template
Complete these statements:
- This community exists to…
- Membership is available to…
- The community supports these activities…
- These activities remain outside the portal…
- The operating organisation is…
- Members can expect…
- Members are responsible for…
- Questions and concerns go to…
- The charter will be reviewed when…
Publish a readable member version. Keep necessary operational detail in an administrator handbook.
Decision-rights table
For membership, official publishing, group creation, moderation, support, policy change, integration, data export and service exit, record:
- accountable owner;
- authorised role;
- criteria or policy;
- escalation;
- record created;
- review or appeal where appropriate.
Configure software roles from this table, using least privilege.
Membership lifecycle
Define invitation, verification, onboarding, role change, inactivity, departure and return. Identify the authoritative eligibility source. Set review frequency for privileged roles and inactive accounts.
Explain member-visible profile information and the treatment of contributions after departure.
Standards and moderation
Address respectful conduct, privacy, confidentiality, harmful content, commercial activity and sector needs. Provide examples without trying to list every possibility.
Define reporting, initial triage, severity, evidence, decision authority, action, notice, review and urgent escalation. Support moderators with training, coverage and wellbeing arrangements.
Information stewardship
Assign owners and review dates to maintained content. Decide which interactions become formal records and how they are captured. Apply retention by purpose rather than preserving all content indefinitely.
Plan authorised, protected exports. Member privacy continues during migration and exit.
Review agenda
At an agreed rhythm, review purpose, membership, roles, reports, accessibility barriers, support themes, inactive content, processors, integrations, retention and member feedback.
Use proportionate measures. High activity is not automatically a healthy outcome.
The expanded community governance page explains the reasoning behind this template.