Read on for best practices and practical tips for sunsetting your Community, and how to go ahead and Deactivate it.
Closing or sunsetting your Community
Sunsetting a Community can be just as important as launching one. If it’s done thoughtfully, it helps close the loop with students and keeps the Community focused and valuable.
🎯 Why & When to Sunset a Community
After the purpose is fulfilled: For example, an “Admitted Students 2026” Community should sunset once students have enrolled and transitioned to official student platforms (e.g., LMS, intranet, class-specific groups).
To avoid confusion: If old Communities remain open, students may post in the wrong place or miss important updates that have moved elsewhere.
For resource efficiency: Moderating and monitoring multiple inactive Communities spreads staff thin. Closing old ones keeps energy on the right spaces.
To keep content fresh: Members of a Community should find current, relevant discussions - not threads from last year.
⏰ Timing & Process
Plan ahead: Identify the “transition point” (e.g., start of classes, orientation week, or a few weeks after enrolment deadlines).
Give advance notice: Share at least 2–3 weeks’ notice that the Community will close, so students aren’t surprised.
Offer alternatives: Direct them to where conversations will continue (student union channels, alumni network, or university portal).
Celebrate the transition: Frame it positively - “This Community has served its purpose, and now you’re officially part of the {University} family!”
📢 Communication Tips
Pin a closure announcement in your Updates channel: Let everyone know the closure date and next steps.
Thank the students: Acknowledge their contributions and how the Community helped.
Share final resources: Include FAQs, key contacts, or links to support services so students don’t feel cut off.
Encourage networking: Suggest students exchange contact details or join relevant alumni/current student groups before the closure.
How do I Deactivate my Community?
To close down, or Deactivate your Community, follow these simple steps:
Log into your University Dashboard.
Go to the Community tab in the left-hand navigation menu.
Click on the Community you'd like to close down.
Go to the Settings tab.
Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click Deactivate Community.
You will see an Are you sure? prompt. If indeed, you are sure, click Deactivate Community in the blue button.
📣 PLEASE NOTE: Deactivating a Community is permanent. Once you Deactivate, you cannot reactivate. Please only go ahead and click Deactivate Community if you are sure.
Why Deactivate, rather than close?
We provide the option to Deactivate your Community, rather than to close it down. So, what does this mean in practice?
When you Deactivate your Community, it is no longer live. No one, including you as an Admin, your Ambassadors, or your students can access it.
In the Community tab of your University Dashboard, your Community will shift from Active Communities, down to Inactive Communities. (Please note that this section is collapsed - you can click it to reveal your Inactive Communities).
Your Inactive Communities have their Invites, Users, Groups, and Analytics tabs. This means that you can review, filter and export the data fir that Community:
Who was invited but didn't join
Who joined your Community
Your Groups and how many users joined them
Data from your Analytics tab, including messaging over time, student nationalities, private groups, and student confidence scoring.
You will still be able to export and filter that data, as well as Duplicating an inactive Community - which will copy over your Community name and description, your Groups and their descriptions and tags, and any Settings. You can quickly and easily edit any of this, as well. More on how to duplicate a Community here.