> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tightknit.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Award and Journey Templates

> Ready-to-use Journey designs and Award copy you can paste straight into Tightknit.

Each Journey below is a complete milestone set, and each Award includes copy you can paste into the Create Award form. Adjust channel names and tone to match your community.

## 1. New member → Confident participant

The most important Journey for any community. Turns a passive new join into someone who has contributed, connected, and experienced value.

* **Best for:** All communities. Run this one first before any others.
* **Completion window:** 30 days. Leave End Date blank if members join on a rolling basis.

| Milestone name   | Action          | Channel             | Count threshold |
| ---------------- | --------------- | ------------------- | --------------- |
| Say hello        | Post in channel | #welcome-start-here | 1               |
| Ask or share     | Post in channel | #general or #help   | 1               |
| Help someone out | Reply in thread | Any channel         | 1               |

**Completion Award:** Community Welcome Badge *(see Awards section below)*

**Launch tips:**

* Mention this Journey in your automated welcome message so members know about it on day 1
* Pin a note in `#welcome-start-here`: *"Complete these 4 steps to earn your Community Welcome Badge"*
* Send yourself a test award to preview the member experience before going live

## 2. Active member → Community champion

Recognizes members who have gone beyond participating by helping others, sharing knowledge, and contributing in ways that benefit the whole community.

* **Best for:** Communities with 3+ months of activity and a visible group of regular contributors.
* **Completion window:** 90 days.

| Milestone name     | Action          | Channel                  | Count threshold |
| ------------------ | --------------- | ------------------------ | --------------- |
| Answer questions   | Reply in thread | #help or support channel | 3               |
| Share a resource   | Post in channel | #resources or #tips      | 3               |
| Spark a discussion | Post in channel | Any channel (3+ replies) | 2               |

**Completion Award:** Community Champion *(see Awards section below)*

**Launch tips:**

* Announce this Journey in `#announcements` and name any members close to qualifying to create visible momentum
* Enable **Can be given by non-admins** on the Champion Award so peers can nominate each other
* Review the Awards Log monthly and personally DM each new Champion. Automated recognition plus a personal message is more powerful than either alone

> Champions become your most reliable source of content, answers, and referrals. Formalizing their status also reduces churn. Recognized contributors rarely leave quietly.

## 3. Prospect → Customer → Advocate

Tracks the full arc from early evaluation through to active advocacy. Designed for communities where member activity maps directly to business outcomes.

* **Best for:** Customer communities, SaaS communities, and any community where members are also buyers or users of your product.
* **Completion window:** Open-ended.

| Milestone name             | Action                        | Channel                        | Count threshold |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------ | --------------- |
| Ask an evaluation question | Post in channel               | Public product or Q\&A channel | 1               |
| Share a use case           | Post in channel               | Any channel                    | 1               |
| Join the inner circle      | Join channel or attend event  | Customer-only channel          | 1               |
| Tell your story            | *(Manual: admin gives Award)* | -                              | -               |

**Completion Award:** Community Advocate *(see Awards section below)*

**Launch tips:**

* The final Milestone (Tell your story) is intentionally manual. Give the Award when a member participates in a case study, testimonial, or referral
* Customize channel names to match your actual channels
* Consider running Journey 1 and Journey 3 in parallel so new members flow naturally from welcome into advocacy

> Members who complete this Journey are your highest-value source of case studies, referrals, and expansion conversations. Connect it to your CRM or customer success workflow.

## Award templates

Each template below includes copy you can paste directly into Tightknit's Create Award form. Adjust the language to match your community's tone.

### How to use these templates

Every Award entry includes:

* **Name** — What members see

* **Description** — Shown in the Award notification

* **Default message** — What the member receives (write it like you're talking to them directly, not like a system notification)

* **Award type** — Badge, profile frame, credential, or combination

* **LinkedIn sharing** — Whether to enable it

* **Journey pairing** — Which Journey to attach it to, or whether to give it manually

### On-ramp Awards

For newer members. Designed to be easy to earn. The goal is a quick win that signals belonging and encourages the next action.

Keep thresholds low for on-ramp Awards. A first post is worth celebrating even if it's short. Recognition at the beginning of someone's journey has an outsized effect on whether they come back.

**Community Welcome Badge** *(Journey 1 completion award)*

* **Name:** Community Welcome Badge
* **Description:** Earned by completing the New Member Journey: posting, helping, and attending a first event. You've made your mark.
* **Default message:** You've completed every step of the New Member Journey. You introduced yourself, contributed, and showed up.
* **Award type:** Badge + optional profile frame
* **Journey pairing:** Journey 1 completion award

### Consistency Awards

For members who show up regularly. These Awards recognize reliability over time.

**Steady Contributor**

* **Description:** Awarded for consistent participation over 90 days
* **Default message:** You've been here, month after month, making this community better. This one's for consistency, and we appreciate every post.
* **Award type:** Badge

### Impact Awards

For members whose contributions make the community more valuable for everyone else: quality over quantity.

**Product Pioneer**

* **Description:** Awarded to members who engage deeply with new features, share feedback, and help shape the product direction.
* **Default message:** You've been one of the first to try new things, share honest feedback, and push us to build better. Pioneer is the right word.
* **Award type:** Badge + credential

### Community Awards

For members who strengthen relationships, model your values, and make the community a better place to be.

Consider enabling **Can be given by non-admins** for Community Awards. Peer-to-peer recognition for these behaviors often feels more meaningful than admin-given recognition.

**Community Champion**

* **Description:** Earned by completing the Champion Journey: answering questions, sharing resources, hosting events, and sparking discussions. This is our highest recognition for sustained contribution.
* **Default message:** You've answered questions, shared what you know, and shown up consistently. Community Champion is the highest recognition we give, and you've earned it.
* **Award type:** Badge + credential

### **Connector**

* **Description:** Given to members who introduce people, spark collaborations, and bring others into conversations.
* **Default message:** You have a gift for knowing who should know who. The introductions you make and the doors you open make this community more valuable for everyone.
* **Award type:** Badge

## Building your library

**Start with 3–4 Awards** A short, clear Award library is more effective than a long one members can't parse. Start with one on-ramp Award, one consistency or impact Award, and one top-tier completion Award. Add more only once members are actively engaging with what you've launched.

**Pair every Award with a visible path.** Members should be able to answer *"How do I earn this?"* without asking an admin. Either attach the Award to a Journey with clear Milestones, or post an explanation in `#announcements` when you introduce a manually given Award.

**Write the default message like you're talking to them.** The default message is the first thing a member reads when they receive an Award. First person, specific, warm, not a system notification.


## Related topics

- [Automated Onboarding Journeys](/guides/set-up-automated-onboarding-journeys.md)
- [Journeys](/gamification/journeys.md)
- [Awards](/gamification/awards.md)
- [MCP Server](/integrations/mcp.md)
- [Global Shortcuts](/slack/shortcuts-and-commands/global-shortcuts.md)