Reflecting on 2025: A Year of Growth and Connection at DWKC

As we close the chapter on 2025, we're filled with gratitude and pride for what we've accomplished together as a community. This year marked significant growth for DWKC, and we owe it all to you!

By the Numbers: A Year of Momentum The statistics tell a compelling story of expansion and engagement:

Events & Attendance

• We hosted 10 total events (9 paid, 1 free).  This includes bringing back our signature MiniCon, celebrating a decade of digital.

• Average registrations jumped up 38% attendees per event

• We maintained a strong 70% attendance rate across all programming

Membership Growth

• Welcomed 169 new members to the DWKC family

• Executed 78 email campaigns to keep our community connected and informed

• Published 7 blog posts sharing insights and member stories

• Maintained a consistent social media presence with countless posts throughout the year

What Resonated Most Looking at the events that captured your attention reveals what matters most to our community:

Networking Reigns Supreme 

Our networking events consistently drew the largest crowds:

• The November Coffee Meetup saw the largest number of registrations, not including MiniCon

• The June Networking Mixer came in second place for registration numbers

Growth-Focused Content Drives Attendance 

When it came to showing up, our educational and panel-focused events led the way:

• Personal Branding Panel: 88% attendance rate

• MiniCon: 87% attendance rate

• Empowering Women in Innovation: 81% attendance rate

These numbers tell us something important: you're hungry for both meaningful connections and professional development opportunities that drive real growth.

How You Found Us Understanding how members discover DWKC helps us meet you where you are:

• Email referrals remain our strongest channel at 41% (and growing year-over-year!)

• Direct traffic accounts for approximately 34%

• Social media brings in 9% of new connections

The power of word-of-mouth and personal recommendations continues to be our superpower. Thank you for spreading the word about DWKC!

Goals for 2025: How Did We Do? We'll be honest: 2025 was a year of transition and learning. With new board members coming on board, our goals were intentionally flexible as we found our rhythm. Here's what we accomplished:

✓ Wins We're Celebrating:

• Successfully re-launched our blog (you're reading it!)

• Introduced Monthly Highlights Reels via email

• Added Event Recaps to keep the conversation going

• Established a consistent social media presence

• Maintained strong email engagement with our community

Areas for Growth in 2026: We didn't hit every target, and that's okay. Learning what we can do better is part of the journey. Moving into 2026, we have exciting opportunities ahead:

• Expanding committee involvement for more member-led initiatives

• Incorporating video content into our social strategy

• Refreshing our website for an improved user experience

• Developing 1-2 programs outside of traditional events

Looking Ahead: Your Voice Matters As we reflect on 2025's successes and opportunities, one thing is crystal clear: DWKC is stronger because of YOU. Every registration, every conversation, every referral you make strengthens the fabric of our community.

We're already hard at work planning 2026, and we don't want to do it without your input. What events energized you? What topics do you want to explore? What would make DWKC even more valuable to your professional journey?

We've created a brief 2-minute survey to gather your feedback on what you want to see in 2026. Your candid responses will directly shape our programming, events, and community initiatives for the year ahead.

Here's to a year of meaningful connections, professional growth, and community building.

Thank you for making 2025 extraordinary.

We can't wait to see what we'll accomplish together in 2026!