How many founding members should I aim for?

The ideal number for a founding member cohort is between 10 and 25. This range is large enough to provide diverse feedback and spark initial conversations, but small enough for you to maintain personal relationships and manage the co-creation process effectively. Any smaller, and you risk an echo chamber; any larger, and you lose the intimacy that makes the programme special.

Should I charge founding members?

Yes, you absolutely should charge founding members, even if it's at a significant lifetime discount. Payment establishes a transaction of value and ensures commitment. People who pay for something, even a small amount, are more likely to show up and contribute. A 'free' founding member often behaves like a free user, whereas a paying founding member acts like a stakeholder.

What happens if a founding member is disruptive?

It's crucial to have clear behavioural expectations from the very start, ideally co-created with the founding members themselves. Their special status does not exempt them from the community's code of conduct. If a founding member becomes disruptive, you should follow the same private, respectful process for handling difficult members as you would for anyone else. The health of the entire community always comes first.

How to Design a Founding Member Programme

Stop just selling memberships. Learn how to recruit and empower founding members to co-create your paid community's culture, value, and initial momentum.

Published: 1 September 2026
Topics: founding members, community launch, community strategy, membership model, creator economy

How to Design a Founding Member Programme

A founding member programme recruits a small, dedicated group of early adopters to co-create your community's value proposition and culture before a public launch. This isn't about selling memberships; it's about partnering with ideal members to build a strong foundation, validate ideas, and generate initial momentum and social proof.

Your community is not a product to be shipped. It is a garden to be tended. And you cannot plant a garden alone. Stop trying to sell the first tickets to a finished theme park and start recruiting the crew to help you build it.

By Francisco Opazo · Reviewed by the Led by Community editorial team

What is a founding member programme?

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