Sector: Non-Profit / Community
Market: Global, with a majority base in Europe
Services: Branding, Social Media Management, Editorial Management, Email Marketing
The Challenge
Formosa Network exists to solve a specific problem: the people who once lived, studied, or worked in Taiwan — and built part of their life there — tend to lose touch with that experience, and each other, once they leave. There was no natural home for that community to stay connected.
As a non-profit, Formosa Network needed to build real credibility and a genuine sense of belonging without the marketing budget of a commercial brand. The challenge was to grow a curated, trustworthy community from nothing, and to make its publications a real reason for people to engage — not an afterthought.
Our Approach
Polylocal built Formosa Network's public presence and community operations end to end:
- Branding — shaping Formosa Network's identity around its core idea: a network for those who once called Taiwan home
- Social media management — building visibility across platforms to reach former Taiwan residents wherever they'd relocated to
- Editorial management — running the Publications section end-to-end, covering People & Stories, Business & Innovation, Opinion & Analysis, Culture & Society, and Living in Taiwan, giving members a reason to return beyond the community itself
- Email marketing — keeping a globally dispersed community informed and engaged between events and posts
The Results
- A community of over 200 members, spread across the world, with the majority based in Europe
- A functioning editorial operation publishing across six regular content categories
- A private, curated community — hosted on Discord — that supports both online meetups and in-person gatherings based on where members are located
Why It Worked
Non-profit community building runs on trust, not ad spend — and trust comes from consistency: a clear identity, content people actually want to read, and a community that stays curated rather than trying to be everything to everyone. Formosa Network's growth came from treating its members' shared experience of Taiwan as the foundation for everything else, rather than trying to build broad reach for its own sake.
It's a model that reflects Polylocal's own belief in the Taiwan connection: the relationships and networks built around Taiwan don't have to end when someone leaves — they can become the basis for a lasting, global community.
Polylocal supports brands and companies building their presence and growth across Europe and Asia. Get in touch to talk about your project.
