Professional Certification
A rigorous, peer-reviewed credential that validates skill and experience across the discipline of community leadership.
Founding Members Program · Est. 2026
The Professional Home for Community Builders.
Advancing the profession of community leadership through research, education, certification, and meaningful peer connection.
Be among the founding community leaders shaping CLA. No spam — periodic updates only.
Built in partnership with community leaders from
Global SaaSOpen SourceHigher EdNonprofitsMembership Orgs
Why CLA Exists
A profession without a professional body.
Community building has become one of the fastest-growing professions of the past decade. Organizations across technology, education, healthcare, and the nonprofit sector now depend on skilled community leaders to drive engagement, retention, and collective impact.
Yet the field lacks what every mature profession has long taken for granted: a recognized body of knowledge, a credential employers trust, rigorous research, and a place where practitioners come together to define and elevate their craft.
The Community Leadership Association is being formed to be that home — an enduring institution dedicated to the people who build and lead the world's communities.
Future Offerings
The infrastructure of a mature profession.
CLA is being built to provide the standards, knowledge, and connection that community leaders deserve — and that the organizations who employ them increasingly require.
Industry Research & Reports
Original benchmarking studies, compensation surveys, and frameworks that establish the evidence base for the profession.
Community Leader Directory
A verified directory connecting practitioners, employers, and partners across organizations and sectors.
Events & Roundtables
An annual summit, regional chapters, and intimate roundtables for senior practitioners to convene and exchange practice.
Career Development & Jobs
Curated career pathways, mentorship, and a trusted job board built for community leadership roles at every level.
In Development
Help shape what comes first.
Founding members vote on which standards, programs, and research initiatives CLA launches in its first year.
The State of the Profession
Data that elevates the field.
CLA's inaugural research program will establish the benchmarks the profession has long needed. Figures below are placeholders for forthcoming studies.
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- Community professionals globally
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- Median tenure in role
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- Organizations with a community function
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- Annual market for community programs
Forthcoming, CLA Industry Census
Forthcoming, Compensation Study
Forthcoming, State of the Profession
Forthcoming, Industry Report
Voices from the Field
What founding members are saying.
"Our discipline has reached a level of maturity that demands shared standards and a credible professional body. I'm encouraged to see CLA take this on."
Senior Community Leader
Global Technology Company
"A certification grounded in real practice — and recognized by employers — would change how our field is understood inside organizations."
Director of Member Experience
International Membership Association
"Community work has needed an institutional home for years. The opportunity to help shape one from the start is exactly why I'm in."
Head of Engagement
Open Source Foundation
Quotations are representative placeholders pending publication consent.
Frequently Asked
Questions about CLA.
Don't see your question? Join the waitlist and reply to our welcome email — we read every message.
Founding Waitlist
Help establish the professional home our field deserves.
Add your name to the founding waitlist and be among the first invited to shape CLA's research agenda, certification standards, and inaugural programs.
By joining, you'll receive occasional updates on CLA's formation. Unsubscribe anytime.