Forum opportunities and referals to successful jobs that have helped in the past will help give everyone a sense of belonging.
Wrong. This is a community and quality discussions with other forum members is what gives a sense of belonging. Even contributions which are not public like reports to moderators are very useful.
If there are any threads at all where a user asks a question or makes an inquiry and gets a useful response, that right there represents the forum.
If the sole purpose here is to get paid, then you would find it difficult contributing and you do not have to, if you feel you're not getting the benefit you desire from it.