HOA Guide to Creating Strong Community Connections With Lifestyle Services

Maintaining common areas and landscaping is an important facet of keeping your neighborhood in top-notch condition. But just like tenants want to live somewhere they’re proud to call home, homeowners want to live in neighborhoods they feel proud to be part of. What’s the glue that binds neighbors together? A community lifestyle program. 

A well-planned series of seasonal events, recurring interest groups, and informal social gatherings creates more than just filler for your HOA’s social calendar. It builds strong connections between neighbors and increases security, ensures everyone is on board with community aesthetics, and promotes cooperation to protect property values. Knowing your neighbors goes beyond waving from your driveways; people take care of what they care about. And if they care about each other, they’ll take care of your neighborhood too.

If you want to learn how to start a community lifestyle program that makes your homeowners proud to live in your area, read on!

Why Should I Care About a Community Lifestyle Program?

As stated above, social communities hold value both financially and personally. Homebuyers increasingly want to know what social opportunities are available to them before they make offers on properties. If your neighborhood boasts regular activities and engagement, you have buyers hoping your property will go into escrow. If your neighborhood lacks social opportunities, you risk having your properties sit on the market.

Another huge benefit of building community through shared experiences is significantly fewer headaches for your board. Take a moment and think about the last petty argument you had in your HOA. Chances are, there was some underlying frustration between the two parties. Now, imagine if those two neighbors got to know each other through community events.

They’d have personal experience with one another to draw from when disagreements happen. If they’ve bumped into each other at the last holiday party and had a good time, they may be less likely to take the other person’s side in an argument. Building a community lifestyle isn’t just fun and games; it creates a social environment that prevents major headaches down the road.

Reasons to build your community lifestyle: 

• Protects Property Values: Active communities have higher demand.
• Builds Resident Retention: Who wants to move if they love their neighbors?
•  Prevents Conflict: Familiarity breeds understanding. Less complaining. 
• Increases Volunteers: People that hang out together volunteer together.

How Do I Start a Community Lifestyle Program?

Some boards feel overwhelmed at the thought of creating a community lifestyle program from scratch. Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Phases can be created to break up the workload. Before you schedule one activity, remember that you’re not planning a program for the board. You’re creating experiences for your residents. 

If they aren’t excited about it, it won’t work. Only by understanding what your residents want to do in their free time can you create must-attend events and interest groups.

Phase 1: Assessment | Find Out What Your Residents Want 

Before you spend a single dollar or block off a date on your community calendar, you must know who you’re planning for. Just like no two condominium complexes are identical, neither are your residents. One neighborhood may be made up of young families with lots of children, while another is filled with retirees. If you don’t take the time to understand who you’re making a lifestyle program for, you’ll be stuck planning events with little to no attendance.

Begin by creating a digital survey that allows you to gather information about your residents. What types of activities do they enjoy? Are they interested in seasonal festivals, book clubs, or fitness classes? When is the best time to hold an event? Would they be willing to donate some time to lead an interest group? You can also use this phase to scope out neighboring communities to see what types of lifestyles they’re promoting. Send out your survey and wait at least two weeks for responses.

Phase 2: Budget | Figuring Out What You Can Afford 

Now that you have a good idea what your residents want and need, it’s time to get down to business. Every HOA association budget should include a line item for lifestyle services and activities. However, that doesn’t always mean your budget has to be extravagant. Many successful community lifestyle programs began with very little cash to spare. By utilizing community common spaces and seeking volunteer labor, your HOA can plan events that don’t break the bank.

Try budgeting for your events in tiers. Some can be completely HOA sponsored, while others can act as a “pay-to-play” where attendees pay for supplies/instructors. Don’t be afraid to reach out to local businesses to sponsor your events either. They’ll love the opportunity to meet your residents and can significantly cut your costs or even provide your HOA with extra cash.

Be sure to be upfront with your budgeting phase. Residents will want to know how much of their annual HOA assessments go towards enriching their lifestyles. Transparency is critical. 

Phase 3: Promote Activities and Events 

This step should come as no surprise. You can plan the coolest event on Earth, but if your homeowners don’t know about it, they won’t show up. Use every communication channel your HOA touches to spread the word about upcoming activities. Newsletter posts, social channels, physical signage, digital signage, etc. Get creative! 

Branding your community events will also help your homeowners weed out what they’re interested in and what they’re not. If they see a monthly calendar pop up on their phone, they can save the date. Explaining the “why” is just as important as the “when.” Tell the story of past events. Explain how fun last year’s Halloween party was through photos and testimonials. Create a desire to attend by painting a picture with words. Let them envision themselves enjoying time with their neighbors.

Tip: When creating your events, try to offer three different types of engagement. You’ll have better luck reaching a wider audience.

1. A Large Event (i.e., Seasonal Festival or Holiday Party)
2. A Small Group (i.e., Book Club or Garden Club)
3. A Digital Touchpoint (online photo contest or community-wide survey)

Your HOA Dos and Don’ts When Managing Community Lifestyle

When planning community activities and events, you shouldn’t let the HOA board run the show. Allow your residents to lead and guide your program based on the needs of their neighbors.

DOs 

• DO allow committees led by residents to spearhead certain events.
• DO offer events at different times to reach as many people as possible.
• DO keep records of attendance to gauge interest in future events.
• DO promote inclusivity with every event you plan.

DON’Ts 

• Don’t plan too many events! It’s better to have a few large successes than twelve failures.
• Don’t forget about liabilities. Read up on your state’s property code before serving alcohol or planning physical activities.
• Don’t lean on the same three people to do all the work. Rotate volunteers so multiple people feel invested in the process.
• Don’t be afraid to cancel an event or change the theme if it’s not reaching your residents.

Connect Your Texas Neighborhoods or Colorado Communities With Goodwin

Here at Goodwin & Company, we treat your homeowners like our own neighbors. Since 1978, we’ve been helping Texas and Colorado neighborhoods create the lifestyles they’ve always dreamed of through professional community association management. We believe the only way to earn your business is month over month. That’s why we offer month-to-month contracts, not a year-long commitment. We want you to trust us with the operational and financial stability your HOA needs to flourish.

If you’re looking for honest HOA management tips, we’re here to help! Our team of professionally trained managers is eager to assist you and your board with every aspect of HOA management company responsibilities. With tools like our TownSq app for instant communication and interactive PowerBI reports for financial transparency, connecting with your residents has never been easier. Let Goodwin handle the busy work of running your HOA and spend more time building your dream community lifestyle.

Learn how Goodwin has helped thousands of Texas and Colorado families build their dream community lifestyle by visiting us at www.goodwin-co.com.