Three Ways To Help Residents Feel More Connected To The Community
Posted on: 30 December 2015
Beyond new counter tops, the best appliances, and pretty landscaping, one thing many residents are looking for in an apartment community is less tangible – a sense of community. While you cannot just build a sense of community overnight, you can work to develop one over time. In the end, doing so will pay off not only for your residents, but also for you. Residents will stay around longer, and you'll have an easier time finding new ones. Here are three ways to help your residents feel more connected to your apartment community.
Hold weekly potluck dinners.
Many times, residents want to get to know one another, but they have a hard time breaking the ice. Make it easier for them to make friends by hosting weekly potluck dinners at your community building or leasing office. Spread the word about the dinners using social media and community bulletin boards, and make sure that you or one of your property management employees is able to attend. Provide something like the desserts or beverages yourself, and take the time to get to know your residents during the dinner party. Over time, word about the weekly potluck dinners will spread, and residents will come to look forward to them as a way to meet new neighbors and catch up with old ones.
Organize seasonal decorating teams.
Decorating the community for Christmas, Halloween and other holidays is important – but getting your residents involved in the process is even better. Many people enjoy decorating the outdoors for the holidays (hanging Christmas lights and such), but living in an apartment does not often give them this chance. You can change this by having residents sign up to decorate the outdoors for certain holidays. Provide the decorations and tools, set a few guidelines if needed, and let the residents work together to do the rest. They'll make new friends and feel a sense of pride in the community they have decorated.
Send out a community newsletter.
Simply keeping residents informed as to what is going on in the area will help them feel more engaged. Send out a monthly or weekly community newsletter to your residents, in which you tell them about upcoming community events. You can include information about new restaurants and stores in town, parades, other public events, and the like. Local businesses might even be willing to let you include coupons in this newsletter.
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