What does a fractional community manager do?
A fractional community manager runs your community on an ongoing, part-time basis, so you get an experienced lead without a full-time hire. In my Fractional Community Manager service that means monthly planning and regular member communications, day-to-day engagement and moderation during agreed hours, member onboarding and activation, one recurring engagement programme, one online community event per month, and a monthly performance report with recommendations.
How much does a fractional community manager cost?
My Fractional Community Manager service is £2,000 per month for one community on one primary platform with agreed service hours. A one-off Community Foundation (strategy and setup) starts at £1,500, and the Fractional Head of Community partnership starts at £3,500 per month. Additional platforms, communities, intensive events and extended coverage are priced separately.
What is the difference between a fractional community manager and a fractional head of community?
A fractional community manager runs one established community consistently: engagement, moderation, onboarding, events and reporting. A fractional head of community adds strategic ownership on top: community growth and retention strategy, collaboration with marketing, customer success or product teams, feedback analysis and customer insight reporting, advocacy programmes and quarterly strategic reviews.
Do I need a community strategy before hiring a community manager?
If you already have a community but no clear strategy, or you are about to launch one, start with the Community Foundation. It covers a community and audience audit, purpose, positioning and member journey, an engagement and programming plan, community guidelines and moderation procedures, and a measurement framework with a 90-day roadmap. It typically takes 2–3 weeks, and ongoing management is separate.
Which companies do you work with?
I work with technology companies and SaaS businesses in the UK, USA, Australia and Canada. The people I usually work with are founders, Heads of Marketing and Customer Success leaders who want to onboard users, encourage product adoption, build customer communities, gather feedback and improve retention.