Building Community with POAP

Create community engagement with precious collectibles

Communities are networks of people connected by shared values, goals, or experiences. In Web3, tokens and shared accounts make coordination easier—but building true community is still a craft.

Done right, community is a long-term asset: it helps products grow faster and more sustainably by setting norms, creating moments, and empowering participation, but scaling belonging is hard. Community work is hands-on: communicating, welcoming, connecting, and celebrating. In Web3, it’s even harder—global, asynchronous, and context-light.

The Proof of Attendance Protocol can lighten some of this load. By creating tokens out of memorable moments, POAP is technology that supports continuity and connection. Tools like Moments, Collections, and Drops help communities preserve stories, build identity, and make members feel seen.

In this article, we’ll explore the work of community building—and how POAP helps make it easier.

Why community? 

Community brings people back. A good product gets people in the door—but the community gives them a reason to stay. It keeps you top of mind between the times your customers need your product, creates meaningful peer connections, and turns your biggest advocates into growth engines.

For existing customers, community is a place to learn, share, and be recognized. For new or prospective customers, it’s a resource for getting oriented, finding help, and discovering whether they belong.

People join communities looking for more than just solutions—they want to connect, grow, and sometimes, build together. That starts with recognizing that not all audience members are community members. Community requires investment, context, and commitment. Your community includes your power users, contributors, and biggest fans. If you treat them right, they can become a core asset for growth.

The Member Engagement Funnel 

 All communities begin with shared interest—but people engage at different levels. We think of engagement in four stages:

Stage 1: Awareness 

What happens: People discover there’s more than just a product—they find the community. They may stop by a booth, join Discord, or attend a live event.

💡 How POAP Helps: POAPs from early touch points give you a way to re-engage potential members. Mapping POAP collectors to your user base offers new insights and outreach opportunities.

The Graph → Uses POAPs at Office Hours online and in person at conferences to find people who might want to get involved.

Pizza DAO → Hands out POAPs at pizza parties during crypto conferences and captures all media from the event with moments on POAP (see here) , giving casual attendees a forever touchpoint to the community.

Stage 2: Onboarding 

What happens: People begin participating—asking questions, offering feedback, or joining discussions.

💡 How POAP Helps: Recognize participation with POAPs for newsletter subscriptions, governance votes, or code contributions. POAP Collections let newcomers see how others have contributed. POAP Moments highlight shared experiences and guide expectations.

Safe → Uses GitPOAP (POAP issuance for Github) to recognize developers who contribute to their open-source codebase.

Bankless → Gives POAPs to subscribers of the paid newsletter to recognize their commitment to supporting the media outlet. These POAPs are often eligible for giveaways from Bankless partners. 

Stage 3: Active Membership 

What happens: People become regulars—joining events, building relationships, and sharing in the culture.

💡 How POAP Helps: POAPs for milestones, inside jokes, and community calls build a sense of shared history. They encourage connection among smaller groups and highlight what makes your community special.

Monad → Uses POAPs to reward game nights and quizzes, reinforcing fun and friendship in the community.

Rocket Pool  → Captures inside jokes, meme moments, and milestone discussions with POAPs that bring the community closer.

Stage 4: Elevating contributors

What happens: Some members step up—mentoring others, organizing initiatives, or shaping strategy.

💡 How POAP Helps: POAPs can elevate top contributors with visible status and recognition.

DevCon → Recognises members step up that volunteer time and mentor others who make the Ethereum conference memorable for thousands by awarding proof of top contribution POAPs.  

EthStaker → Awards Challenge Coin POAPs each year to key contributors who help the Ethereum staking ecosystem.

Not everyone will become a leader. But POAP makes each role visible and valued, helping people find their place.

Community Deep Dive

Rocket Pool Rocket Pool is more than a staking protocol—it’s a community where participation matters. With over 300 POAPs issued, Rocket Pool has built a system where contributors are seen and celebrated.

From interest to involvement Most Rocket Pool users engage with the community before staking. They join discussions, attend events, and learn from others.

How POAP Helps:

• Community Call POAPs rewarded regular attendees.
• Rocket Pool University issues POAPs for new graduates who committed to learning about the protocol. 
• A POAP for meeting the Rocket Pool team commemorated real connections with new members

Making Contributions Count Rocket Pool recognizes contributions beyond tokens—with POAPs for education, content, and support.

• Node operators updating to version 1.13.7 earned POAPs.
• Rocket Fuel contributors got POAPs for supporting community created media.
• The RPL Bull vs. Bear POAP commemorated a passionate discussion about the future of Rocketpool.

Elevating Leadership Rocket Pool celebrates community leadership with targeted POAPs.

• Strategy Session POAPs recognized 40+ participants in key planning workshops.
• “Nethermind Fiasco” POAPs went to technical first responders.
• Holesky Pioneer POAPs commemorated protocol progress.

Why It Works 

POAPs help Rocket Pool…

✅ Give collectors a way to commemorate key moments

✅ Help organizers understand who’s engaged and how

✅ Show newcomers what the community is about and who to connect with

How to bring POAP to Your Community

Designing a solid POAP program doesn’t have to be hard! Think about the common touch points for each stage in the member journey – you’ll easily find drops that feel right at home. Then use POAP Collections to make the program a cohesive whole. For an effective POAP program, here are the stages you should consider: 

Stage 1: Awareness 

📍 POAPs for attending Community Calls or AMAs

📍POAPs for meeting team members or stopping by trade show booths

📍POAPs for attending social events you are hosting

💡 Use Drops to make it easy to distribute POAPs at events and online.To learn more about making great POAPs, you can read the article here. 

Stage 2: Onboarding 

📍 POAPs for paying subscribers

📍 POAPs for contributing to Open Source, content creation, or reporting bugs

💡 Use GitPOAP or custom tools to track and reward contributions. Keep artwork unique, on brand, and highly memorable, and prioritize integrity in distribution.

Stage 3: Active Membership 

📍POAPs for milestones 

📍POAPs for fun moments 

💡 Pick milestones that are significant, or moments that will resonate with specific community members. Use POAP Collections to bring them all together. 

Stage 4: Leadership 

📍 POAPs for significant contributions

💡 Celebrate important actions with a permanent recognition of the achievement. 

Start small. Celebrate meaningfully. Build community.

That’s all folks!

A great Web3 community doesn’t appear overnight—but with POAP, you can build one that lasts.

We’d love to hear how you’re using POAP—find us on Telegram.