Welcome to the ESCH Digital Community! This guide will help you explore the Discourse space and understand where to find what you need. Click into the categories that interest you and join conversations, ask questions, and access shared resources.
START HERE
Category: Welcome
Everything you need to get settled in:
- How to Use Discourse: Basic Discourse tutorials, lingo, and video walkthroughs
- Community Guidelines: Expectations, posting etiquette, etc.
- Discourse Table of Contents: Where you are right now!
GENERAL UPDATES & CALLS TO ACTION
Category: Announcements
This category is for ESCH staff to post key updates, opportunities, and community news.
Category: Event Spotlights
This category is a promotional space. Orgs are allowed to self-promote events, programs, and initiatives here. Only one post per week per org is allowed, and excess posting will be considered spam.
Category: Grants & Opportunities
This is a space to browse and share funding opportunities and deadlines.
Category: Volunteers & Collabs
Here you can find collaborators, call for volunteers, and post potential partnership opportunities.
SHARED LEARNING & SUPPORT
Category: How Do I?
This is a Q&A style space to ask and answer general operational or organizational questions, or browse previous discussions to learn from others.
Category: Resource Library
Here you may upload or browse tools, checklists, and templates, building a collective community resource library.
Category: Lessons Learned
In this category, UH consultants post key takeaways and insights from their past nonprofit consulting projects. You may browse topics and learn from their experiences.
SECTOR-SPECIFIC COMMUNITIES
Category: Communities
Explore categories based on your organization’s focus area. Once you join a group, you’ll be able to see and participate in that category. Consultants automatically have access to ANY community subcategory and can view all topics and answer questions freely. Further instructions can be found in the Communities category.
Each community includes:
Pinned: General Chat- Pinned: Events, Funding, Opportunities, etc.
- Pinned: Sector-Specific Topic Threads
Open Discussion Space: Start new topics, ask questions, share advice, and browse past discussions
Sectors currently available:
- Education & Career Readiness
- Youth Development
- Health, Wellness, & Recovery
- Faith-Based
- Housing, Food, & Relief Services
- Equity & Immigration
- Arts, Culture, & Creative Work
- Animals & Nature Conservation
How to Join a Community: Go to your profile preferences → “Groups” and join any sector that fits your mission. You can join multiple groups and will only see what applies to you. Further instructions found in Communities
ROLE-SPECIFIC COMMUNITIES
Category: Role-Specific
Connect with others who share your position and responsibilities. These spaces help with role-specific questions, support, and resource sharing. You must be apart of a group to view and access a role-specific community. Further instructions can be found in the Role-Specific category.
Each community includes:
Pinned: General Chat
Pinned: Shared Resources, Tips, and Guidance
Pinned: Events, Opportunities, etc.
Open Discussion Space: Ask role-specific questions, crowdsource advice, or discuss experiences from your perspective
Roles currently available:
- Executive Directors
- Board Members
- ESCH Consultants
- UH Consultants
Go to your profile preferences → “Groups” and select any role(s) that apply to you.
ESCH Consultants signing up with an@eschouston.orgemail are automatically added, and UH Students with a valid University of Houston domain are also automatically added. All others may request access, and other roles are freely joinable.
Further details and help can be found in the Role-Based Communities category.