It’s a special time of year when family and friends come together to celebrate. So, it only makes sense to try and bring the community together during this time and increase the joy within your HOA. People who love this season will appreciate the HOA’s investment in celebrating, and those who may find the season a little difficult because of loneliness, may find solace in community events. There are so many reasons to take extra steps to spread joy over the holidays. But, how can you do this? Read on, we have a few tips to share with you.
1. Get Charitable
There are plenty of ways to do this. You can organize a drive to collect toys, canned foods, or other donations. You can also arrange a volunteer event, for example, maybe you visit a local retirement home to spread joy with cookies, holiday cards, games, or carols. You can also check out local charities that are looking for extra help over the season and recruit those within the community. There are so many ways to bring people together and get charitable.
2. Decorate and Highlight Community Favorites
Holiday decorating is a fun way to celebrate the season. Encourage the community to decorate (following the HOA rules of course) by highlighting some of the favorites in your social media group or newsletter. You may also want to host a contest where the top three contestants win prizes.
Also, consider decorating the community areas (think the hallways, parks, fitness areas, and clubhouses). You may even want to arrange a group effort for this one, recruiting others within the community to join in on the fun. (Just remember to keep the rules in mind; the last thing you want to do is violate the HOA rules while decorating a shared area.)
3. Arrange Community Gatherings
There are plenty of options here. We’ve already discussed a charitable outing or a group decorating event, but we have a few more ideas for you. Consider a holiday party (remember to keep in mind the various beliefs within your community). You can also host a gingerbread decorating party, holiday movie night, cookie exchange, or wrapping party.
4. Offer an Optional Gift Exchange
Arrange the option to do a Secret Santa exchange within the HOA. You could have those who want to participate sign up, then do an anonymous drawing. There are some easy ways to do this, like the “Secret Santa Generator” that the DrawNames app and website offers.
5. Plan a Holiday Shopping Event
Some people prefer to shop local and provide unique gift items. They like to choose that perfect homemade item or support their neighbors when shopping. Others like convenience and would appreciate a shopping experience that’s close to home. You can appease all of the above by hosting a craft fair within your community. It’s a great way to make holiday shopping fun and easy for the homeowners living in your HOA.
As you can see, you have options when it comes to spreading joy within the community. If you’re not sure what your community would like the best, you can always do a survey. Even if you find it’s too late to do some of these things this year, you can start planning for next year. Knowing what your community desires to see within the association will help keep the homeowners happy and can increase retention. It may even draw more people into your community when they’re looking to move.
Remember that spreading joy can also be found in the small things. Smile more, be pleasant with others in your community, do random acts of kindness…. By spreading positivity you can encourage happiness to spread.
One more thing to keep in mind when trying to boost joy within your community is to encourage more effective communication. Issues can arise anytime of the year, including the holidays, where neighbors may have disagreements. One of the ways to help reduce these issues is to clearly communicate HOA rules and address issues quickly, as they occur. Also, encourage neighbors to communicate with one another to help resolve problems before they escalate. If needed, it’s good to offer to be a mediator and hash out the problem with a calm and level-headed demeanor.
Effective communication is one of the essential tools to helping grow and build relationships. That’s why it’s included in our brand promise. If you’d like additional help managing your HOA, please reach out to us. You can visit our website here. We’d love to help you spread joy over the holidays and all year long. We’re here to make your job easier, help increase communication and transparency, and keep the homeowners satisfied.
