Best practices
Working draft · September 2026
Work in progress

Local presence best practices

How a local Baha'i community shows up online and in person so that a curious neighbor can find it, make contact and come to a gathering.

01

Why a local presence is worth the investment

When someone in a city becomes curious about the Faith, their first step is almost always a search. What they find, or fail to find, shapes whether they take a second step.

Most clusters have no local presence online, or one that is out of date. A seeker lands on a national page with no path to a person or a gathering near them. The opportunity is lost before anyone knows it existed.

A local presence closes that gap. It answers where, when and who in plain language, gives the seeker one clear way to make contact, and leads to an in-person space where a real conversation can begin.

Three channels work together: a website as the durable home, social media to raise awareness of what is happening this week, and in-person gatherings as the destination.

02

Website

The durable home. It answers where, when and who in plain language and gives a curious neighbor one clear way to make contact.

Target audience

draft

Write for the neighbor who has never heard of the Faith, not for the community.

  • The primary reader is a curious person in your city who searched for something and landed here. Assume no background.
  • Members are a secondary audience. Give them a separate members page or use Town Crier so the public site stays uncluttered.
  • Every page should answer three questions in the first screen: what is this, where and when does it happen, how do I get in touch.

Examples

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Tone

draft

A warm community member talking to a curious friend over coffee.

  • Sentence case everywhere. No exclamation points.
  • Say "free", "open to everyone" and "come once" early.
  • Lead with seeker language. "Prayer gathering" before "devotional". "Discussion group" before "study circle".
  • No diacritics. Write Baha'i, not Bahá'í.

Examples

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Imagery

draft

Real photos of real gatherings, with consent, over stock.

  • Use photographs of actual local gatherings and places. A recognizable neighborhood does more than any stock image.
  • Ask before publishing a face. Keep a simple consent list.
  • No filters, overlays or gradients on photos. Full-bleed and unadorned.
  • If you have no photos yet, use a plain accent-colored block rather than a placeholder image.

Examples

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Contact forms

draft

One form, one person answering, within 48 hours.

  • Ask for name, email and an optional message. Nothing else.
  • Route submissions to the first point of contact, not a shared inbox nobody watches.
  • Reply within 48 hours with a specific invitation to a gathering that week.
  • State on the form who will reply and how soon.

Examples

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Landing pages

draft

One page per program, with the city name in the first sentence.

  • Each weekly space gets its own page: what it is, who it is for, when and where, how to come.
  • The city or neighborhood name appears in the first sentence and the page title.
  • One call to action per page. "Get in touch" or "RSVP".
  • Keep the URL stable so ads and posts can point to it for months.

Examples

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Events calendar

draft

Open question: is a calendar worth maintaining, or do recurring listings do the job?

  • A calendar that goes stale is worse than none. Only add one if someone owns it.
  • Town Crier can publish public events to the site automatically. Prefer that over manual entry.
  • For most localities, a short list of recurring weekly spaces is enough.

Examples

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03

Social media

Raises awareness of what is happening this week and points people back to the website and to a gathering.

Platforms

draft

Pick one platform and do it well before adding a second.

  • Choose the platform your neighbors actually use, usually Instagram or Facebook depending on the city.
  • One account per locality, not per activity.
  • Name the account after the place: "Baha'is of Boston", not an acronym.

Examples

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Tone and voice

draft

Same voice as the website, a little more conversational.

  • Write like a person, not an institution. First person plural is fine once the reader knows who you are.
  • No hashtag stacks. One or two that a neighbor would search.
  • Same rules as the site: no exclamation points, no diacritics, seeker language first.

Examples

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Imagery and video

draft

Show the room, the table, the neighborhood.

  • Photos of real gatherings with consent. Wide shots of a room are easier to get consent for than close-ups.
  • Short video of a space before people arrive works well and needs no consent.
  • Avoid text-heavy graphics. If you must, use the brand type and one accent color.

Examples

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Posting cadence

draft

Once a week is enough if it is every week.

  • A weekly post announcing that week's gathering is the baseline.
  • Post at the same time each week so the rhythm becomes familiar.
  • Skip a week rather than post filler.

Examples

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Responding to inquiries

draft

Every message gets a reply from a named person within a day.

  • Direct messages go to the first point of contact.
  • Reply with a specific invitation and a way to reach a person directly.
  • Move the conversation off the platform quickly, to a call or an in-person meeting.

Examples

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Privacy and consent

draft

Ask before posting a face. Keep a record.

  • Verbal consent is fine for adults if you write down who agreed and when.
  • Written consent from a parent for anyone under 18.
  • Take posts down promptly if asked, without argument.

Examples

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Promoting local events

draft

Announce the week's spaces so they reach neighbors, not only members.

  • Post the where and when, and a sentence about what to expect.
  • Link to the event's landing page on the site, not to a PDF or a document.
  • Share to local neighborhood groups where the rules allow it.

Examples

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Targeted ads

draft

Small, local, aimed at one gathering.

  • Start with a small budget, a few dollars a day, aimed at a radius around the venue.
  • Point the ad at one landing page with one call to action.
  • Run for at least four weeks before judging results.
  • Track inquiries that come from the ad separately so the pilot can learn from it.

Examples

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Sample posts

draft

Copy that has worked, ready to adapt.

  • "Free prayer gathering in Jamaica Plain this Thursday at 7. Open to everyone. Come once, or every week."
  • "A discussion group on the basics of the Baha'i Faith meets Sundays at 4 at the Cambridge Public Library. No background needed."
  • Add your own here as you find what works in your city.

Examples

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Blog

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Optional. Longer reflections that give the site something new to say.

  • A blog is only worth it if someone will write monthly.
  • Good topics: what happened at a gathering, a reflection on a holy day, a neighbor's story with permission.
  • Each post should link to a gathering the reader could come to.

Examples

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04

Meeting seekers

The destination. A recurring space in a public venue where a real conversation about the Faith can begin.

Choosing a public venue

draft

Neutral, easy to find, easy to leave.

  • A library room, cafe corner or community center works better than a home for a first visit.
  • Choose somewhere with a name a stranger can search and find.
  • Book the same room at the same time so the listing never changes.

Examples

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Weekly rhythm and consistency

draft

Same day, same time, every week, even if two people come.

  • Consistency is what makes the listing on the website and social media trustworthy.
  • Two hosts share the commitment so one can miss a week.
  • Cancel only in emergencies, and post the cancellation everywhere the listing appears.

Examples

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Welcoming a first-time visitor

draft

Greet by name, explain what will happen, ask nothing of them.

  • One host watches the door and greets anyone new.
  • Say plainly what the next hour will look like.
  • Do not ask a first-time visitor to read aloud, share or commit to anything.

Examples

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Structure of an introductory gathering

draft

Ninety minutes to two hours, a printed text, a shared path.

  • Use a text from the Fireside Library matched to where the group is.
  • Print copies so everyone holds one.
  • Read a passage, talk, read the next. Let the text carry the structure.
  • End on time, and say when the next one is.

Examples

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Following up after a visit

draft

Within two days, from a person, with an invitation.

  • Ask for a way to stay in touch before they leave, if it feels natural.
  • A short message within two days: glad you came, here is what is on this week.
  • Once is enough. Do not chase.

Examples

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Connecting seekers with other spaces

draft

Know what else is happening so you can make a specific introduction.

  • Keep a current list of the other weekly spaces in the community.
  • Introduce by name: "Sara hosts a prayer gathering near you on Tuesdays. Want me to connect you?"
  • Follow through the same day.

Examples

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Introductory spaces

draft

A weekly gathering in a public venue on the basics of the Faith.

  • This is the space that the website and social media point to.
  • It uses Fireside Library materials and follows the structure described in this section.
  • Two hosts, one venue, one time, listed everywhere.

Examples

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From online to in person

draft

How an inquiry becomes a visit.

  • The first point of contact replies within 48 hours with the next gathering's time and place.
  • Offer to meet them at the door or beforehand for a coffee.
  • Tell the hosts someone new may come, so they are greeted by name.

Examples

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05

How to contribute

This guide grows from what pilot clusters learn. Here is how to add to it.

Suggest a change

Open the working copy of any paper and use the bar across the top. Click a passage to change the words in place, or leave a comment on it for the maintainer. A change lands at once; a comment is worked through at the next review.

Raise a question

Use "Raise a question" on the Open items & questions page. It opens a short form, and the question joins the consultation list under its group, numbered and dated. Questions are worked through there and the outcome is written back into the relevant page.

Page status

  • Draft: written by one person, not yet discussed.
  • Reviewed: discussed by the working group.
  • Canonical: agreed guidance that pilot clusters follow.

Voice

Read the brand voice notes before writing. Sentence case, no exclamation points, no em dashes, no diacritics. Lead with seeker language.