Bringing Intimacy and Power to Community Building: Insights from a Food Community

How Project Potluck is gathering people of color in food

Community is often about creating structure around conversations that are already happening. As community builders, our job is most effective and human when we tap into how and why connections are already forming within a group.

A prime example of this is the Project Potluck community. It’s a network of People of Color in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry coming together to support one another in building successful companies and careers.

Last year, our team collaborated with Kathleen Casanova, the Founding Executive Director of Project Potluck, to design and develop a community that captured the informality and power that already existed in group chats, late-night drinks, and private dinners.

This is what you can learn from this uniquely human community.

Getting clear on the world you are creating together

Most Project Potluck members are either creating a product as part of the company they work for or through their own CPG business. Kathleen explains, "That can be really lonely for them. Whether you're starting a business alone or one of the few POC in your company, trying to move forward and overcome barriers, everyone is striving for something big and important while often feeling alone and isolated."

Communities are always about growth and change. Members are coming together to collectively become something more.

Project Potluck's vision has always been crystal clear. "We're striving to create a world where consumers can walk down a store aisle and see themselves reflected on the shelf. It's about ensuring that, no matter who they are, they recognize their importance as consumers and feel included. And it all starts with the people creating these products, who need to feel valued and included as well."

As you build your community, your community doesn't have to be tied to a social mission. Yet it’s often the case that reflecting on your reasons for gathering people will reveal a desire for broader change that you'd like to see.

Consider these hypothetical examples:

• A world where accountants can be home in time to put their kids to bed, even during tax season (a community for accountants).

• A world where humans experience deep connections with nature (a bird-watching community).

• A world where women's ambition is celebrated (a community for working moms).

What kind of world is your community aiming to create together?

Gathering inspiration

In any situation or industry, those who are outsiders tend to naturally find each other. This holds true within the CPG community. Project Potluck sought to recreate the vibrant atmosphere that arises when POC in the food industry come together. Their goal was to amplify and formalize networks that had always existed.

Kathleen explains, "Marginalized groups have historically united to create social capital. Building togetherness within an oppressed community can generate power and strength."

Rather than approaching Project Potluck primarily as an online portal, they found it valuable to view it through the lens of grassroots movements, labor unions, and the immigrant experience that many of their members could relate to. "In immigrant communities, when someone is new, there's always someone who shares their experience and shows them the way. That's incredibly powerful."

Community is a concept as old as time! There are so many places to pull inspiration from.

How can you learn from the ways people (like you and your members) have gathered for generations? What examples can you study?

Consider these examples that may offer insights into your community structure:

• The Women's Club Movement.

• Pick-up basketball games at the park.

• Company picnics.

• The PTA (Parent-Teacher Association).

• Bowling leagues (shoutout to Bob Putnam).

• Church.

• The School Newspaper.

Which historical or current way people gather in real life is most similar to your community? What insights can you gain from it?

Creating structures that work online and in real life

A vital structure that helped kickstart the Project Potluck community was Potluck Parties. These small group events served as introductions for new members to get to know each other and the community.

Potluck Parties, initially virtual, drew inspiration from the familiar and intimate concept of gathering around food. This experience fostered intimacy and quickly sparked connections among food entrepreneurs and professionals.

Starting this summer, Project Potluck is bringing Potluck Parties into the real world by providing volunteer hosts with a small budget to organize gatherings in cities across the US. They are leveraging the same structures built online, and the volunteer leaders who have stepped up to bring members together in person.

Kathleen notes, "For us, online and in real life are deeply intertwined. They support and enhance one another. We use the portal to create opportunities for people to meet face-to-face. Online and in real life go hand in hand."

When developing your signature community structures, consider how they can transition seamlessly from online to in-person interactions.

Project Potluck serves as a great example of a community deeply rooted in its members' humanity and growth journeys. They possess a clear purpose for their existence and never lose sight of that vision when making decisions and bringing members together. The result is a tight-knit network of members who formally and informally help one another.

I asked Kathleen what she’s learned since the community launched. Her answer is a beautiful piece of inspiration for community founders:

"Community work is something I already know how to do. The BACB community taught me that. Did I know a lot about the tech piece? No, I didn't. But anyone who has been part of a community knows what it means to be in community with others, and that is much more accessible than I initially thought."

Our team worked with Kathleen to launch Project Potluck community last year. It was a really fun project that involved talking a lot about food memories, building community as an immigrant, and the loneliness of ambition. I’m really proud of how much soul we were able to infuse into the community. It has been beautiful to see the way Kathleen continues to lead it.

This is the type of work we love doing. If you could benefit from community launch support or a revamp of your strategy to connect your people, check out the options for working with us this summer. Filling out the form on that page is the best way to start the conversation. We’ll be in touch ASAP.