What foundational community initiatives deliver ROI on a tight budget?

[Frank.S]

I've recently been promoted to lead community management for our B2B SaaS product, and I'm tasked with developing a strategy to transform our user forum from a reactive support channel into a proactive, value-driven community that reduces churn. I have a small budget for programs and a part-time moderator, but I'm unsure where to invest first to demonstrate ROI. For experienced community leaders, what foundational initiatives delivered the biggest impact in your first year, and how did you measure success beyond vanity metrics like member count? I'm particularly interested in how you identified and empowered early advocates, structured valuable content, and collaborated with product and marketing teams to integrate the community into the broader customer journey.