Issue link: https://hub.associaonline.com/i/985436
A STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY 25. PLAN ONE COMMUNITY EVENT. It's important to build community pride within your association and offer activities that will get people out of their homes. Get started by planning one simple event, like a food truck visit or car seat safety check from the city. Survey or poll homeowners requesting feedback about the activities they'd like to do in the community; asking them will make them feel involved and spread positivity. 25. ASK FOR HELP WITH EVENTS. If funding or planning events seems overwhelming, don't do it all yourself. Ask vendor partners to help sponsor a community BBQ or ice cream social, and invite community members to volunteer at the event itself. Allowing homeowners to invest their time increases their overall sense of community engagement. 25. REWARD AND RECOGNIZE VOLUNTEERS. Present your community volunteers with tokens of appreciation and honor them at the association's annual meeting. Acknowledging individuals who dedicate time to community efforts helps them feel valued – and it might just inspire more people to step up. You may even consider asking community vendors to donate gifts or awards to hand out. 25. GREET THE NEWCOMERS. Make an effort to personally introduce yourself to new homeowners. There's no better way to make someone feel welcomed than to take the time to meet them, and it sets the right tone for your relationship with them as a board member from the beginning. -Josie Flicek, CMCA®, AMS® Business Development Manager Cities Management 30. CELEBRATE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. You're a volunteer, but you put in significant time making decisions on behalf of others. Note your accomplishments throughout the year and at end of December, share those accomplishments with the community. Homeowners want to be proud of the communities they live in, so make sure every improvement is acknowledged and be appreciative of everyone who helped make those accomplishments happen. -Erica Horndasch, CMCA®, AMS® Director of Business Development Associa Chicagoland 7