Jenny's Favorite Community Things 2024
As Mariah Carey says around this time of year, “It’s tiiiiiiiime!”
Welcome to the 2024 edition of Jenny’s Favorite Community Things! This annual article gathers gift ideas for those working in the online community management space. Once again, my hope is that this list inspires you to gift something to a friend, colleague, teammate, or yourself. Happy shopping and gifting to all!
Here’s what you need to know about this year’s list:
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 12, 2024).
The prices range from FREE-$120.
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 Note: Some of the prices and links from last year’s list might be outdated.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 24 items on this list…for the year 2024 of course!
This year’s 4 categories are: Books, Apps & Subscriptions, For the Desk/Office, and More Goodies.
Books
Most of the books on this list were inspired by Baily Hancock’s reading list on Human Connection and books mentioned on her podcast. If you want the full list, you can view it here.
The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions
By Michael Norton. I first heard about this book on an episode of The Nudge podcast.
Price: $17.67 paperback; $26.04 hardcover
The Village Effect: How Face-To-Face Contact Can Make Us Healthier and Happier
By Susan Pinker.
Price: $21.39 paperback
Let's Talk about Loneliness: The Search for Connection in a Lonely World
By Simone Heng.
Price: $16.73 paperback
Connection Culture, 2nd Edition: The Competitive Advantage of Shared Identity, Empathy, and Understanding at Work
By Michael Lee Stallard.
Price: $17.66 paperback
The Joy of Connections: 100 Ways to Beat Loneliness and Live a Happier and More Meaningful Life
By Ruth Westheimer, with Allison Gilbert and Pierre Lehu.
Price: $23.24 hardcover
Content-Based Networking: How to Instantly Connect with Anyone You Want to Know
By James Carbary.
Price: $13.94 paperback; $20.45 hardcover
The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Business Relationships
By Susan McPherson, with Jackie Ashton.
Price: $24.18 hardcover
The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities Into Soulful Practices
By Casper ter Kuile.
Price: $15.80 paperback
The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging
By Julia Hotz.
Price: $18.59 paperback; $27.89 hardcover
The Laws of Connection: The Scientific Secrets of Building a Strong Social Network
By David Robson.
Price: $27.85 hardcover
Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections
By Anna Goldfarb.
Price: $26.96 hardcover
The Connection Curriculum: Igniting Positive Change in Schools Through Sustainable Connection
By Matt Pitman.
Price: $22.31 paperback
Apps & Subscriptions
Readwise
A must-have if you read e-books! Readwise will take your highlighted passages and remind you of them via the app and daily emails. I heard about this from guest David Epstein on an episode of The Diary of A CEO.
Price: starts at $5.59 monthly (billed annually)
Todoist
This is a helpful productivity app that was recommended by the one-and-only Piper Wilson.
Price: Beginner plan is free!
MasterClass
These courses are on another level. Even though there aren’t any about community management, there’s enough of them that teach dotted-line lessons for our field.
Price: starts at $10 monthly (billed annually)
For The Desk/Office
Time Timer
My dear friend and colleague Laura Zug recommended this item. She said, “I bought this little timer for my desk and I’m obsessed. Helps me keep all my calls and presentations to the time allowed.”
Price: $36.95
Anker 620 MagGo Grip
Community and product evangelist Scott Baldwin uses this to display his phone, and it’s handy when working out, too!
Price: $19.99
365 Days of Community Planner
Created by community extraordinaire Céline Riemenschneider! Also available on Amazon in the UK.
Price: $12.61
More Goodies
The Conversation Cards
As an avid listener of The Diary of a CEO podcast, I’ve long admired the host’s tradition of asking his guest to leave a question for him to ask the next guest. Even more brilliant is that he then created this deck of cards based on those questions!
Price: $33.00
Positive Potato
I can always count on the great Taylor Harrington for sharing unique and fun items! This is one she posted about in conversations in The Community Community. You can also find many local artists who create these so keep an eye out for them in stores near you!
Price: $6.99
Panic Responsibly Swag
From t-shirts to hoodies to mugs and more…I’m guessing many community professionals can commiserate with this phrase (which has an interesting AI-related origin story. Read about it on the home page.)
Price: Varies
My Social Battery Pin
Imagine if everyone wore one of these for in-person functions. Do you think that would help or hinder connections?
Price: $7.99
Coffee Mug
In case you haven’t noticed by now, I have a mug on every year’s list. I always try to find something that community professionals can relate to. 😂
Price: $9.99
Morning Affirmations Playlist
Spotify users, be sure to bookmark this playlist that I was turned on to by the fabulous Bri Leever.
Price: FREE (with Spotify subscription)
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
Great list Jenny!