During my tenure, I encountered two acquisitions that brought significant changes to the community, impacting its structure and behavior. One such instance was the acquisition of Flocabulary, which led to an expansion of my role to oversee community programs for both Nearpod and Flocabulary.

To navigate these changes, I devised a plan to combine certain programs while introducing new community certifications. This approach aimed to streamline the community experience, encourage collaboration, and facilitate a seamless transition for all users.

• Launched a new Flocabulary program to mirror’s Nearpod’s existing product certification which 2019-present has accumulated 2,500 certifications

• Merged Flocabulary and Nearpod ambassador groups, ultimately boosting program’s membership by 50%

• Updated program imagery to be inclusive and representative of brands

• Developed higher certification levels to offer pathways towards more engagement and advocacy

• Created more intentional onboarding flows, increasing engagement in the product for that segment by 50% YOY

To foster a sense of appreciation and belonging, I implemented an annual virtual "PioNear Appreciation Day/s" which consists of multi-day programming to introduce product updates, create mechanism for collecting feedback, and offer opportunities for networking and connection.

Additionally, I implemented a Welcome Webinar, a month-long series of onboarding activities, and a 1:1 mentor matching program.

Despite the challenges that the shift to virtual teaching brought in 2020, 110 PioNears conducted 230 virtual trainings/sessions about Nearpod

To unify the community in their advocacy efforts, we launched a #NearpodWednesday social campaign that drove a 47% increase in Twitter engagement.

The reach of the PioNear program is vast

• Keynotes at 25 conferences worldwide

• 200+ trainings with new users

• Over 2,000 NURs (new users) generated from workshops led by this group

Challenge: The existing Nearpod Certified Educator process was outside the product and lacked a user-friendly experience, providing no added in-app value for certified users. This led to high community member volumes but low retention and usage.

Solution:

• By targeting the right users at the correct stage in their user life cycle - IN product - we achieved a 40% increase in the retention rate.

• We incorporated elements of the Community into the product by creating a new user profile and badge collection for those who completed the certification.

• The migration of this process into the product also allowed for more comprehensive and easily accessible reporting that can provide insights into the ROI of the program

Challenge: The abrupt shift to distance learning imposed by the pandemic created a challenge for educators to quickly and efficiently adapt.

Solution:

• Led task force to create a series of online courses focused on different product features and implementations, a dedicated resource site and promotional materials for Go-To-Market team

• Since 2020, we've introduced three additional product-focused badges, with over 5,000 users redeeming those badges.

In 2022 alone, our Camp Engage sessions saw:

• Camp Engage events had an influence on $4.8 million in opportunities generated and $1.2 million in closed-won opportunities in 2022

• 200,000 cumulative joins, brought in 2,000 new users, and generated 800 qualified leads.

• Of those who attended these events, 85% remained steadily active or were newly activated for the remainder of the year

Challenge: In 2021, Nearpod launched its first-ever Educator of the Year Award with 2,000 nominations and 4,000 votes. The engagement was there, but there was untapped opportunity to align the awards with Nearpod’s values in 2022.

New Approach:

• With the aim of spotlighting the community in a more equitable and authentic manner, we divided the awards into five different categories, each mirroring Nearpod and Flocabulary's values.

• By creating multiple awards that aligned with different values, we were able to gather user stories that could be repurposed for content marketing.

• The result was 2,500 nominations and 6,800 votes, indicating an increase in both nominations and votes from the previous year.

• Press coverage:

  • WAND TV Illinois

Nearpod and Flocabulary host several student contest series throughout each school year, with the goal of uplifting underrepresented histories and student voices.

These contests celebrate the creativity of teachers and students by providing them with a platform for recognition. They also engage our educator audience in using Flocabulary and Nearpod to support various heritage-dedicated months.

• I worked with our PR team to pitch to local news outlets and garnered several media pieces:

  • ABC7 News

  • The Press Democrat (Sonoma)

  • Tap Into Hoboken

  • Indianapolis Recorder

  • Fox 59