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3. Form vendor partnerships. Vendor partnerships are a win-win: your community receives necessary services and the vendor receives valuable business. You can grow this relationship when you ask them to become a part of your event; the opportunity to participate gives vendors publicity, time to connect with homeowners, and even the chance to demo products. In return, vendors add value to the community by providing help, adding interesting features and sometimes even easing your budget. "The first thing to remember when planning a social event with your community is that you don't have to pay for it all! Vendors love opportunities to increase goodwill with homeowners and will often provide either monetary donations or volunteers (or both) to help your event run smoothly. Talk to your larger vendors, such as landscaping, snow removal, pool maintenance, roofing, or anyone else who spends a lot of time at your community. It's best to ask your vendors for sponsorships for specific items such as manning the grill, donating beverages, sponsoring the cost of the DJ, paying for table and chair rental, providing door prizes, etc. Often this is easier than asking for a specific amount of money. Focus on what your vendors do best - if your event is a pool party, consider asking for extra pool attendants that day at no extra charge; if you have a great park area, see if the landscaper will help refresh the mulch before the event, add flowers to the planter boxes, or sponsor a new tree installation. Talk to your local officials as well. Inviting a city council member, police officers or firefighters to attend can be a great way to raise awareness for community safety and help homeowners get to know local government and law enforcement. Your city might also help arrange for a service like electronics recycling at your event, which is another great way to draw residents to stop by." -Lea Marcou, CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM® Community Association Manager, Associa Chicagoland

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