Community Basecamp

Give an organisation run by volunteers a server where information is easy to find: announcements are separate from chat, questions get marked as answered, suggestions show their status, and each working team has its own space.

Built for: Clubs and societies · Hobby and interest groups · Volunteer and non-profit communities · Local groups and meetups · Open-source and product communities

Create each category with its permissions first, then add channels inside it and keep them synced to the category. Channel types used: Text, Announcement, Forum, Voice, Stage.

Create roles in this order, from the top of the role list down. A role can only manage roles below it, and bot roles must sit above any role they assign.

Different staff setup or bots? Adapt this hierarchy in the roles generator.

1. Organiser

   The leadership team or committee.

   How members get it

   Assigned by the owner, following your group's own process for choosing leaders.

   Display

   Shown separately · Mentionable

   Enable

   Manage Server, Manage Roles, Manage Channels, Manage Events, Manage Webhooks, View Audit Log, Ban Members, Kick Members, Timeout Members, Manage Messages

   Withhold

   Administrator — keep with the owner account

2. Moderator

   Enforce the code of conduct and handle reports.

   How members get it

   Assigned by Organisers.

   Display

   Shown separately · Mentionable

   Enable

   Timeout Members, Kick Members, Manage Messages, Manage Threads, Manage Nicknames, View Audit Log

   Withhold

   Manage Roles; Ban Members until trusted

3. Team Lead

   Leads a volunteer team, such as events or comms.

   How members get it

   Assigned by Organisers.

   Display

   Shown separately · Mentionable

   Enable

   Create Events, Manage Events, Manage Threads, Mention @everyone, @here, and All Roles

   Withhold

   Kick Members; Ban Members

4. Volunteer

   Members who help run things. Unlocks the TEAMS category.

   How members get it

   Assigned by a Team Lead once someone signs up to help.

   Display

   Shown separately · Mentionable

   Enable

   Create Events

5. Member

   Everyone who has completed onboarding.

   How members get it

   Granted by Server Onboarding: both answers to the required first question include it.

   Display

   Not separated · Not mentionable

   Enable

   View Channels, Send Messages, Send Messages in Threads, Create Public Threads, Read Message History, Add Reactions, Embed Links, Attach Files, Connect, Speak, Request to Speak

   Withhold

   Mention @everyone, @here, and All Roles

6. Interest roles (customise, e.g. Beginners, Local Meetups, Online Only)

   Let members get relevant pings and see optional channels.

   How members get it

   Self-assigned through onboarding.

   Display

   Not separated · Mentionable

   Enable

   No permissions (cosmetic or ping role)

7. Event Updates

   Opt-in ping for new events and schedule changes.

   How members get it

   Self-assigned through onboarding.

   Display

   Not separated · Mentionable

   Enable

   No permissions (cosmetic or ping role)

Server Onboarding asks how members want to take part, so volunteers can be found early and people only receive the pings they chose.

Default channels: rules, announcements, events, about-us, introductions, general, photos-and-recaps, off-topic, questions, suggestions

Discord requires at least 7 default channels for Community Onboarding, and @everyone must be able to view and send messages in at least 5 of them.

Suggested first steps: Read #about-us → Introduce yourself → RSVP to the next event → Search #questions before asking

Verification level

Medium — Medium balances accessibility for less technical members with protection from new spam accounts.

Explicit media filter

Scan media content from all members.

AutoMod rules

• Block mention spam (limit around 5)Block and time out for 10 minutes; alert #mod-log.
• Block suspected spam contentBlock and alert.
• Commonly flagged words: the Insults and Slurs and Sexual Content listsBlock and alert.
• Custom keywords for off-platform scams common in your area, such as fake ticket salesBlock and alert.

Escalation

1. Reminder in channel
2. Private message from a Moderator
3. Timeout
4. Kick
5. Ban, recorded in #decisions-log for serious cases

• Publish how moderation decisions can be appealed, and who handles an appeal. Transparency matters more in member-run groups.
• If the group runs in-person events, write down how online conduct and event conduct relate before you need to decide a case.
• Ask consent before posting photos of identifiable people, especially if members include under-18s.

Try Discord's built-in features first. Bot names are examples to evaluate, not endorsements; CordNexa has no affiliation with any bot. Review the permissions a bot requests before adding it.

These steps are specific to this kit. For the reasoning behind each stage — permissions, onboarding, testing and launch — see how to make a Discord server.

1. Agree who owns the server

   Decide which person or shared account owns the server, and record that in #decisions-log. Turn on multi-factor authentication (2FA) for the owner account.

2. Enable Community features

   Enable Community (Discord requires a verified-email verification level, the explicit media filter set to scan all members, a rules channel and a community updates channel). Set #rules and #organisers. Later, in Server Settings → Onboarding, add a Server Guide with new-member to-dos pointing to #about-us, #events and #questions.

3. Create roles in order

   Organiser → Moderator → Team Lead → Volunteer → Member → interest and ping roles.

4. Build the WELCOME category

   Create it read-only, then add #rules, #announcements, #events and #about-us. Write #about-us before anything else.

5. Create the forums with tags

   Set up #questions, #suggestions and #resources with their tags. Make status tags on #suggestions moderator-only.

6. Create TEAMS and ORGANISERS

   Restrict TEAMS to Volunteer and staff, and ORGANISERS to Organiser and Moderator. Check that each channel is still synced to its category.

7. Configure Onboarding

   Add the questions and replace the interest options with your real topics or locations.

8. Configure AutoMod and verification

   Set verification to Medium and add the AutoMod rules with alerts to #mod-log.

9. Seed the forums

   Post your five most common questions with answers in #questions and tag them Answered, so new members find a useful FAQ on day one.

10. Test and launch

    Use View Server As Role as Member and Volunteer, then create your first Event and share the invite with your existing members.

1. Treat everyone with respect. No harassment, discrimination, hate speech or personal attacks.
2. Stay on topic in each channel, and search #questions before asking.
3. No spam, unsolicited advertising or fundraising without organiser approval.
4. Respect privacy: ask before sharing photos of people, and never share personal information.
5. Disagree with ideas, not people. Use #suggestions for proposals and keep criticism constructive.
6. Report concerns to a Moderator or Organiser privately. You can appeal decisions by messaging an Organiser.
7. Follow Discord's Community Guidelines and any code of conduct for our in-person events.

Need stricter or more relaxed wording? Customise these rules in the rules generator.

Welcome to Community Basecamp! Start with #about-us to see what we do and how to get involved. Introduce yourself in #introductions, check #events for what's coming up, and search #questions if you're wondering about something — if it isn't there yet, ask! Want to help run things? Tell us in onboarding and a Team Lead will reach out.

Want a shorter, professional or bot-ready version? Try the welcome message generator.

• v2.1 · 2026-09-28
  • Checked against Discord's Help Center: replaced the retired Welcome Screen with Server Guide, listed Discord's Community requirements, and expanded onboarding default channels to meet Discord's minimums.
• v2.0 · 2026-09-27
  • Added questions, suggestions and resources forums with status tags, a volunteer TEAMS category and a decisions log.
  • Added onboarding for volunteer recruitment and an appeals-aware moderation plan.
• v1.0 · 2026-09-27
  • Initial layout with shared starter channels and roles.