Event Planning Secrets for a Successful Community Event

Whether the goal is to build connections, educate residents, or raise funds, homeowners’ association (HOA) events play an essential role in community success. However, as nonprofit organizations, HOAs usually have limited funds and resources.

Taking the right approach to event planning can help HOA boards achieve their goals while sticking to their budget. Read on for insider tips on event planning for nonprofit organizations.

Set Clear Goals and Objectives

First on your event planning to-do list should be setting a specific goal. In other words, define the purpose of the event and what you hope to achieve. Establishing this objective will help guide your decisions throughout the planning process.

For example, if the goal is to foster a sense of community, you may host a holiday potluck or summer block party and focus more on event promotion and resident participation. Events meant to educate homeowners will need a qualified and relevant speaker who appeals to the community. Additionally, fundraising requires more vendor and volunteer coordination for events.

Build a Strong Committee for Event Success

An organized event or social committee is vital to the event planning process. Made up of homeowner volunteers, this committee is often tasked with:

Planning and hosting community engagement events
Coordinating the logistics of the gatherings
Generating enthusiasm for events
Raising funds to hold community events
Recruiting event volunteers
Soliciting resident ideas and feedback
Ensuring compliance with HOA rules and guidelines

Ideally, an events committee has three to five members who are active in the community and have solid event-planning skills. This helps to ease the workload for busy board members while improving safety, minimizing conflict, boosting participation, and promoting well-planned events.

Because every association is unique, refer to your governing documents for details on specific committee roles and requirements.

Budget Wisely

To align with the community’s overall financial goals, it’s important to create an event budget and stick to it. By accurately predicting expenses and finding ways to cut costs, you can do even more with the funds you have. Here are some tips to consider:

Communicate the budget. Be realistic about the budget and share the details with everyone involved. Before jumping into event planning, board and committee members need to know what they’re working with.
Track your spending. Monitor event expenses, and update your accounts immediately. You’ll need the most up-to-date information to stay within your budget and keep everyone on the same page.
Review service contracts. Go over service and vendor contracts to ensure the association is getting everything it's entitled to. You can also adjust contracts if you’re paying for services you no longer need or want.
Cut unnecessary expenses. Wondering how to host a nonprofit event on a tight budget? Ask vendors for donations and volunteer time. They’ll have an opportunity to connect with homeowners and possibly demo products while the association benefits from lower event expenses.
Review financials regularly. The board should also regularly review the association’s financials to confirm there are no delinquent payments or budget discrepancies that could affect the event.

Choose the Right Venue

Finding the right venue is critically important to an event’s success. Depending on the type of event, you might have several location options to host the gathering. These questions can help you narrow it down:

Will the event take place inside or outside?
What location is appropriate for this kind of event?
Can the venue accommodate the number of guests?
Are venue maintenance and inspections up to date?

While you want your guests to have a great time, always prioritize safety. Review your governing documents to confirm crowd limitations and occupancy restrictions within community spaces. This can prevent fire hazards, property damage, and other unsafe conditions.

Promote the Event

When it’s time to get the word out about your event, carefully consider what channels to use and how far in advance to connect with residents. Here are a few ways you can communicate details with homeowners:

During regularly scheduled HOA meetings
Through your community website
In your association’s newsletter
On your HOA’s social media accounts
Through email or your community app
On your community bulletin boards

You can also send more formal invitations through the mail or hand them out personally to HOA residents. Be sure to give them enough time to make arrangements to attend without promoting the event too early. The details should be fresh in their minds to generate excitement and engagement.

Follow Up After the Event

After any nonprofit event, gather feedback and discuss successes and challenges. This information may be valuable for future events and help you avoid hiccups the next time around. Some ways to do this include:

Sending a homeowner survey to collect feedback and suggestions
Speaking to event vendors or speakers about their experience
Scheduling a post-event meeting with the social committee
Creating a document or file that contains event insights and lessons learned

More Industry Insights for a Well-Executed HOA Event

With effective leadership and the right approach, event planning for homeowners’ associations and other nonprofit organizations can be made easy. For more tips on hosting HOA events and bringing the community together, check out our ebook, “The Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Successful Community Event.”