The hidden cost of trying to engage everyone, everywhere all at once.

Five years into weaving communities, I was exhausted.

Maybe you know the feeling:

• Frustrated that many people only show up now and then.

• Tired from trying to get everyone to participate.

• Impatient when the community seems to stall.

I used to think the problem was others.

Now I know it was how I was trying to engage.

I thought: More participation = better community.

But trying to engage everyone the same way made it hard to meet anyone where they truly were — in energy, time, or needs.

This was misunderstanding of how community engagement really works.

Then I learned about the circles model by Michel Bachman in an article from Fabian Pfortmüller.

And it changed my perspective forever.

Meet the Three Circles of Engagement

People are always at different places in relationship to a community.

The Circles Model helps us see and honor that.

Each circle reflects different levels of:

• Energy to join.

• Time to show up.

• Interest in going deep.

Here’s the breakdown:

The shift: Meeting people where they are.

People are always at different places in relation to the communities in their life.

This model shows three circles of engagement.

People in each circle have different:

• Interest in diving deep.

• Energy to join activities.

• Time available to show up.

The better we understand these shifts, the more we can enable flow.

And the better we know our own level of engagement, the smarter we can be with our time, focus, and energy.

Let’s dive into the three circles.

1. Stewards: Who is deeply committed?

Stewards serve the larger whole.

That’s why stewards are always listening to the network.

Unlike in hierarchies, they don’t control the agenda. They listen to what wants to emerge, and then help make it happen.

For example, at the Networks Festival, there’s a core team of nine people from Greaterthan and the Fito Network.

We meet weekly to build deep trust, take action, and stay tuned to the network.

In our team, we:

• Create shared project systems and processes.

• Build templates for sessions and emails.

• Use Slack for layered communication.

• Make time for relationships and trust.

• Set clear roles and responsibilities.

Stewardship is the biggest commitment.

Here, you keep the fire burning.

2. Co-Creators: Who is actively participating?

Co-Creators dive deep for a season.

At the Networks Festival, there are five open leadership groups.

People commit to one group for six weeks.

In the groups, they learn new skills, connect with others, and get things done. They get value and give back to the network at the same time.
Each group is supported by a steward to keep things flowing.

The groups are:

• Weavers: Create connections and spark synergies across people and projects.

• Funding Researchers: Build a big database of network funders.

• Map-Makers: Design the network map and make it usable.

• Facilitators: Co-design and host one of the 30+ sessions.

• Cheerleaders: Spread the word on social media.

By organizing leadership groups around clear roles, we help people engage in ways that feel meaningful — without causing overwhelm.

3. Friends: Who is loosely connecting?

Friends stay lightly connected.

At the festival, we call this the Play Zone.

It’s a light-touch way to connect with others through things like:

• Reposting: Sharing invites on social media.

• 30+ sessions: Joining workshops based on your interest.

• WhatsApp Arcade Group: Playing games to connect and swap knowledge.

• Following updates: Getting tools, tips, and news through newsletters and socials.

Trying to pull in all friends burns you out.

But if you design easy ways for them to benefit and give back, it gets a lot more fun.

Designing Community Engagement over Time

It’s key to enable flow between the circles.

Interests, capacity, and time always change.

That’s only natural:

So, instead of clinging to static structures, keep your community fluid by e.g.

• Building transparency about the circles.

• Managing expectations across different groups.

• Co-designing how people move between circles.

• Keeping an open log of activities and ways to engage.

• Highlighting that it’s fine to step down when needed.

This way, you avoid burnout, have more fun, and build real collective impact.

Last thoughts: Power dynamics and more questions

If you flip the three circles and add weight based on influence, they can easily turn into a pyramid.

So, it’s vital not to misread this model and end up rebuilding hierarchies.

That’s why transparency, accountability, and awareness of power are key.

I won’t end with answers.

Just more questions for reflection:

• How can you use the circle model to shape engagement in your community or network?

• How can you build clear systems that let members move easily between circles?

• How do you face power dynamics together and avoid recreating hierarchies when using this model?

Let’s keep weaving—together.

In solidarity,

Adrian

If you want to see the three circles in action, you are warmly invited to:

The Networks Festival 2025 🎉

Connect, learn & co-create with 1000+ systems change practitioners.

A six-week online gathering to connect, imagine, and rewire how change happens. Join 30+ sessions on topics related to impact networks such as equity, story-telling, scaling, funding, organizing, and much more! And, access a network map with 500+ practitioners to find new allies.

🎁 Co-organized by the Fito Network and Greaterthan Collective

📅 May 12 - June 22, 2025.

If you liked this, you might also enjoy:

About the Systemic Shift Newsletter

This weekly newsletter is dedicated to exploring practices, mindsets, and strategies that make networks effective in driving systemic change. Each issue offers practical tools, real-world lessons, and curated opportunities to help you build impactful, collaborative networks & communities.

Stay tuned next Tuesday for more!