One of the appeals of living in a community association is the close relationships a person can build with their neighbors. Board members typically work with residents to build these relationships, but board member responsibilities can get in the way. Community association management providers can step in to help.
3 Ways to Cultivate Genuine Connections
Many people enjoy being a part of a close-knit community. There are several things that residents and board members can do to foster community relationships. Here are three ideas to get you started:
Maintain Clear Communication Between Board Members and Residents
Open communication is the foundation of close relationships. Open communication among community members helps prevent conflict. Residents who share opportunities and support one another are more likely to build relationships that bring the community together.
An association’s communication channel helps residents share information about community needs, opportunities, events, and other news. Communication can be through bulletin boards, mailing lists, social media, or in-person meetings.
If measures are needed to fund community maintenance, clearly communicating the specific need can help generate support. Clear communication can help in emergencies, whether it’s an isolated incident or a natural disaster.
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Organize Community Events
Community activities provide residents with opportunities for positive interaction. Block parties, barbecues, and other events are excellent opportunities for people to enjoy the benefits of living in a community. Providing frequent opportunities for community residents to mingle can help them feel like they are more than just people who live next to each other.
Enforce Community Association Rules
Fairly enforcing community association rules can help keep communities orderly and safe. Residents may occasionally violate rules or regulations. Situations like this can be difficult for board members to handle. Enforcing the rules too harshly can create bad feelings and grudges that undermine the sense of community the association is trying to foster. Lax or late enforcement is unfair and can impact the quality of the community.
3 Ways Community Association Management Can Help
Community association management providers can help an association’s board of directors in many ways. Here are a few that are particularly relevant to building fellowship in the community:
Keep in Touch with Neighbors
Block parties are only effective if people attend them. Traditional methods like bulletin boards and flyers help spread information. Virtual ways to stay in touch include websites, email lists, social media pages, or group messages. Try out different methods to see which works best for your community.
Community managers can help provide and maintain these solutions for the community. Many companies offer some form of online portal or software support that provides options for email communication, notifications, and social networking tools.
These tools provide an easy and convenient way for residents and board members to update each other on life events and community needs at any time.
Impartial, Third-Party Rule Enforcement
Enforcing community rules can be a particularly thorny issue for community associations. Negative interactions can lead to some residents feeling unhappy with their communities. People may feel apprehensive about confronting a neighbor that disregards community rules.
Community association management is beneficial in this regard. Community managers provide a layer of impartiality that allows the community to deal with these issues without the risk of the action becoming a personal grievance. Relying on a third party to handle rule violations keeps enforcement fair and protects relationships.
Save Time for Fun
Volunteering to work on a community association’s board of directors is rewarding but can be time-consuming. There are many responsibilities involved. Board member responsibilities usually include maintaining common areas, enforcing rule compliance, reviewing architectural requests, and more. Fulfilling these responsibilities includes preparing and attending board meetings and keeping accurate records.
These minor tasks can pile up. Board members need to be careful not to let the minutia of association leadership prevent them from enjoying the benefits of the association and the community it fosters.
Community association management provides tools and services that help board members deal with these details and save time and energy in building the community they serve.
Put the “Community” in Community Association
Cultivating genuine connections that turn a neighborhood into a community is rewarding. The tools provided by community association management companies can help board members and residents build their community.