Can you believe it? We’re already back in the holiday season, and I AM HERE FOR IT. Welcome to the 2022 edition of Jenny’s Favorite Community Things! A few things you should know about this year’s list:
Something new this year: Look for the **Special Offer** designations! These are deals specifically for readers of All-Things-Community.
The majority of items are ones I have bought or used. Others are great suggestions that are on my list to buy.
No one asked to be on this list or paid to be on it. These are all my choices.
Some of the posts below include affiliate links. If you buy through these links, I may earn a commission. Also, the prices listed reflect the USD price on the date that this post was first published (November 2, 2022).
The prices range from FREE-$995.00.
I still recommend the items from last year’s list (though you won’t find any of them on this year’s). Note: Some of the prices and links from last year’s list might be outdated.
There are a total of 21 items on this list (one more than last year).
Whether you’re looking to treat yourself, buy something for a team member, or purchase a gift for a friend/colleague, my hope is that this list will give you some inspiration in your holiday shopping efforts!
Swag
This email marks the launch of my online store! And these are the very first items in it (more to come soon). As of now, the store ships to the U.S. and Canada. If you live outside of those regions, and want to make a purchase, please email me.
“Do Epic Community Shit” T-shirt
Look familiar? You may have seen me wearing this around CMX. “Do Epic Community Shit” has become the official tagline of Jenny.Community Consulting Services!
Price: $29.99 (includes shipping)
“My Mom/Dad/Parent Builds Community” Onesie
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to buy a baby gift for a colleague or friend in this field, but there’s nothing specific to Community out there, so I created this.
Price: $15.99 (includes shipping)
“Do Epic Community Shit” Notebook
Can you ever have too many notebooks? Not when you’re doing epic COMMUNITY shit!
Price: $15.99 (includes shipping)
Books
The Accidental Community Manager: A Guide To Building A Successful B2B Community
Written by Adrian Speyer. This book is unique from other community books in that it combines Adrian’s fascinating career journey with practical and actionable advice on building a B2B community. It’s like a semi-memoir and guidebook in one!
**Special Offer**: This link, for the ebook version, is gifted to All-Things-Community readers thanks to Adrian’s generosity! It will expire on December 31, 2022.
Price: $11.45 USD (Note: When you click on the link/image, the price listed will be in Canadian Dollars. As you check out via PayPal, you’ll see the price listed in USD.)
Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method To Organize Your Digital Life And Unlock Your Creative Potential
Written by Tiago Forte. Raise your hand if you’ve ever wanted to duplicate yourself so you can get through your workload! Alright, maybe you can’t do that, but you CAN “build a second brain.” This is an amazing book on productivity tips that will benefit any community professional. I first heard about it on Jay Clouse’s Creative Elements podcast, and it was one of my best impulse purchases of the year.
Price: $20.99
Midori 5 Years Diary
Such a neat way to capture thoughts and reflections, and then see how they evolve over the course of five years! Thank you to Beverly Brown for turning me on to this diary.
Price: $40.00
Blinkist App Subscription
Does anyone else have a to-read list that’s a mile long? This app gives condensed audiobook versions of popular business and non-fiction books. Thank you to Kelly Stocker for telling me about it many years ago. I’m glad I finally subscribed!
Price: $15.99 monthly or $99.99 annually
Tools/Resources
Headspace App Subscription
A must-have! The best way for me to shift my mindset is to do a meditation, no matter what time of day it is. I aim to do one per day.
**Special Offer**: Thanks to Jae Washington, community extraordinaire at Headspace, you can get three months of Headspace for FREE! Jae has allocated a limited number of codes for this offer. Send me an email saying I WANT HEADSPACE, and I’ll reply with your code. Note: When you redeem your code, you’ll need to enter credit card info. After three months, if you do not cancel, it will roll into an annual subscription, and your card will be charged. Code must be redeemed by January 1, 2023.
Price: $12.99 monthly or $69.99 annually
Momentum Consulting Course
This on-demand course is the perfect preparation for anyone looking to start their own consulting business. I can honestly say that this is one of the best investments I’ve made in myself so far. This course gave me the guidance, tools, and templates I needed to launch Jenny.Community, LLC.
**Special Offer**: The incredible team at Consulting Success is offering readers of All-Things-Community a discounted price for this course! For a limited time, you can register for Momentum for 50% off. This will give you LIFETIME ACCESS. Offer expires on November 15, 2022.
Price: $995.00 with special offer
Talkbase
You’ve probably heard me raving about this! (If not, read this.) Talkbase is the ideal tool for community operations and events professionals. Connect it to your Slack or Discord community, and then integrate Hubspot CRM. Take care of your operational tasks in one place!
**Special Offer**: Use this link to save 10% off a paid plan.
Price: Starts at $68/month (billed annually). There’s also a free version.
Danielle Maveal’s Support Sessions
How lucky are we, as community pros, to have a legendary leader like Danielle Maveal to hold these support sessions. <sigh> It’s such a unique and valuable opportunity to spend time with those who understand our struggle and can hold space for us when we need help. There are two 6-week sessions, starting next week; one for community pros in leadership roles and one for community managers. Only 2-3 spots left in each group (as of 11/3)!
**Special Offer**: Danielle has been kind enough to offer $25 off to All-Things-Community readers! Use code JENNY when checking out.
Price: $100 for each track, if you use the discount code.
For The Desk
Certificate of Awesome
Because sometimes we need a website to remind us how freakin awesome we are 😂. But seriously, get creative with this site and send some certificates to people that are important to you! I was grateful to learn about this site through this Zapier blog post by Tra To.
Price: Free!
Emoji’s On A Stick For Virtual Meetings
If you’ve ever been on a Zoom with Todd Nilson, you’ve likely seen the large, printed out emojis-on-a-stick that he uses to show reactions. They’re cute and fun and something to break up the mundane of virtual meetings. Todd got his at a training, but I found these on Amazon that will also do the trick! Forget about Zoom’s reaction buttons. These will be much more entertaining to use!
Price: $10.19
Heated Desk Pad
Yes, I live in Los Angeles. And yes, I still bought this after I saw Krystal Wu mention it on Twitter. Don’t judge me.
Price: $24.98
Ring Light
These days, our desks also double for mini-recording studios. Lighting is essential! I know that Michelle Knight and Alex Witkowski agree as they also recommended this light on Twitter.
Price: $19.99
Overhead Tripod for iPhone
Speaking of mini-recording studios, you might need more than a ring light. In that case, check out this recommendation from Venia Logan!
Price: $24.99
Multi-charging Cable (2-pack)
Ahhh technology. Something like this isn’t very aesthetically-pleasing, but it’s absolutely necessary with the number of devices we need to keep handy these days. This suggestion came from Blaise Grimes-Viort who dubbed it “the octopus charger.”
Price: $12.99
Desk Plants
The inspiration here came from Scott Baldwin, who has actual plants on his desk (kudos to Scott!), but since I don’t have much of a green thumb, I went with these.
Price: $6.99
Random & Oh-So-Fun
2023 Better Conversations Calendar
Created by Kat Vellos. Actually, anything on her website would make for a great gift! I recommend following her on social media, too. These daily conversation starters prove useful in personal situations as well as for posing questions to your community!
Price: $24.99
“Fuck It” Ceramic Diner Mug
Because every holiday shopping list needs at least one great mug on it! (And I’m betting that this is something community professionals say to themselves often…or is it just me?!)
Price: $18.95
“You Are Doing A Freaking Great Job” 2023 Page-A-Day Calendar
More of this please! I’m all for the daily reminders to let every community professional know just how wonderful they are!
Price: $17.00
Happy shopping to all during this holiday season, and I hope you get to be the recipient of one of these fabulous gifts! If so, I’d love to know what you received (or bought). ~Jenny
Eeeeeee! Thanks for including my lil support sessions <3 You should drop in and say hi!!!
LOVE these, Jenny!!