It's not about ROI. It's about making it make business sense

I don't know about you, but the term "ROI in Community" freaks me out.

I don't know how to deal with it. I automatically freeze up and get overwhelmed with how to "calculate it" or "measure it". It feels like an impossible task and one where the results are probably never good enough.

We all talk about the intangible-ness of community. We're building up trust and relationships. We have deeper conversations than anyone else in the business. And all of this is amplified even more when members replicate the community culture we lovingly create.

We often initially grow with little budget, through minimal marketing and thrive on word of mouth. Ideas are brought to the table. Great conversations lead to amazing outcomes.

And you want us to measure and quantify that? Do you want us to justify every aspect of our existence? And be forever proving that we are worth our value? How are we supposed to do that? What kind of a life is that to live?

How are we supposed to measure that deep insight? Or that person who secretly invited 100 of his friends? Or that influencer who brought an influx of members that just ended up being a distraction to the community?

The more I think about it, the more I think: "You gotta be kidding me!"