HOA Event Planning? There’s an App for That.

Key Takeaways: 

• Strong neighborhoods create better mental and physical health outcomes for residents.
• Neighborhood associations play a significant role in community event planning. 
• A feature-rich web app simplifies event planning for HOAs and residents.

Healthy communities are strong communities. A healthy community eats together, moves together, and its members enjoy each other’s company. Events are a great way to build those bonds. But you don’t have to be a party planner on your own. Your HOA app can streamline event planning, making it easier to coordinate and communicate for a successful event.

What Makes a Healthy, Strong Community? 

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation counts social connectivity and community engagement as two components crucial to healthy communities. When people engage in their communities and feel a sense of connection to them, they feel less lonely and they have a more positive outlook on life. 

Research bears this out. A report on the loneliness epidemic from the US Department of Health and Human Services shows that poor and/or insufficient social connection is linked to a higher risk of anxiety, depression, and dementia. 

Today’s society creates fewer opportunities for those vital connections. Dr. Knoepflmacher said, “Technology is endlessly exciting, but our society will become healthier overall if we can find ways for people to engage more often in the communal human experiences that existed long before the first computer chip was invented.”

The Power of Neighborhood Groups

Communities, and more specifically, neighborhoods, can play a major role in building and strengthening connections. Research found that “Strong neighborhoods host institutions and norms that encourage cooperation, trust, and mutual support among residents and businesses; nurture a sense of security, belonging, and meaning; promote skills and standards that help residents thrive in the broader society…and maintain social networks that help residents access opportunities and resources locally as well as externally as needed.” 

Researchers from the Mercatus Center add that making a community stronger requires a set of complementary initiatives. Social institutions such as neighborhood and homeowners associations can take a lead in launching and executing these initiatives. 

Researchers in Seoul observed that the more neighbors interact, the stronger the association becomes as a vehicle of sharing information and of collective interest. Additionally, greater social cohesion in a neighborhood has positive impacts on residents’ physical and mental health.

A successful neighborhood association needs a dedicated group of people to do things like organize activities for the community. A group of driven volunteers can bring people together through events such as parties and other opportunities to interact. 

The Benefit of Neighborhood Events

Neighborhood events are a great way to bring people together. Here are some of the benefits for residents: 

• Events such as parties get people out of the house.
• Parties and other events encourage people to visit local landmarks, old and new.
• People can meet old and new neighbors, expanding their social circles. 
• Residents feel a sense of pride in their community, because it’s a fun, friendly place to live.
• Local small business owners can participate in events, increasing exposure to their products and services. 
• Residents might discover new local businesses that can make their lives easier.

Successful events require careful planning and coordination. With the right tools, it’s much easier to communicate and share information. 

Using an App for HOA Community Management 

Coordinating neighborhood events doesn’t have to involve dozens of phone calls, emails, or spreadsheets. An app for HOA community management simplifies planning and coordination. Here’s how: 

• Run surveys and polls to pick the right date for events.
• Create bulletin boards to cut down on confusion.
• Encourage organic event planning through message boards.
• Prioritize important information with owner portals. 
• Send out quick reminder blasts through the app to people’s preferred communication channel.
• Make sure communication is consistent through emails and online portals. 

Run Surveys and Polls to Pick the Right Date for Events 

You might have an amazing idea for an event, but if no one can make it because there’s a scheduling conflict, or no one knows that you’re planning it, no one will show up. 

An HOA community management app allows you to run surveys and polls so you can pick the right date for your event. These features have an added bonus: they raise awareness that the HOA is planning an event. When people know you’re planning something, they’re more likely to keep their calendars free. 

Create Bulletin Boards to Cut Down on Confusion 

Two-way communication (communication between residents and the HOA) can be healthy. It allows the residents to share their thoughts and concerns with the HOA. 

However, communication can sometimes get messy. How many times have you seen social media posts about an event where the thread of conversation devolved into a tangled mess? “What time is the event?” “It’s at 5 PM.” “No, it’s at 7. Didn’t you read the invitation?” “No, I’m pretty sure it said 5 PM.” 

Having a one-way bulletin board, in which the HOA is the only one who sends out information, cuts down on confusion. There won’t be threads in which neighbors argue about what time an event is, where it takes place, or what the schedule is. Instead, there’s clarity and transparency.

Encourage Organic Event Planning

The HOA can’t be responsible for planning every event. First, the volunteers for the HOA don’t have the energy to plan every event. Second, if the HOA is the only one to plan events, it gets a little boring. You can’t force community building. 

A feature-rich HOA web app has messaging board functionality, so residents can create their own message boards based on their interests. HOA volunteers don’t have to run them, and residents can plan their own events to build community organically.

Prioritize Important Information with Owner Portals 

Let’s say you’ve run your poll or survey and selected a date for your event. Your one-way bulletin board on your HOA community management app informs residents about the event planning progress. The next step is reminding people about the event. 

A great way to do that is through your owner portal in your HOA web application. When residents log in, they can see important reminders about what’s coming up in their neighborhood. 

Send Quick Reminder Blasts to Residents’ Preferred Communication Channels

Millennials and Boomers overwhelmingly prefer email for communication, according to researchers at the Data & Marketing Association. While Gen Z is open to emails, they also like receiving text messages. 

You’re more likely to get a response when you send messages to residents’ preferred channels. Feature-rich HOA community management apps allow you to send text messages, emails, and even phone calls at once. It makes it easy to send out last-minute reminders, quick calls for volunteers, or even fun updates (“Hey everyone, we’re having a flash mob at the pool! Be there in 15.”). 

Make Sure Communication Is Consistent Online and in Inboxes 

Every communication issued by your HOA should look and sound the same. Consistent branding gives your HOA a more professional image. 

The right HOA communication web app allows you to create customizable templates so you can send out visually consistent messages through your online bulletin board and email. Not only will everyone immediately associate the messaging with the HOA, you’ll also ensure you’re sharing the same message so there’s no confusion. 

Make Managing Community Event Planning a Breeze 

Planning events for your community is a great way to build a stronger, more cohesive neighborhood. There are several moving parts to event planning, including coordinating and sharing information. Using a web app to simplify event planning ensures consistent communication through your residents’ most preferred channels while minimizing confusion from two-way communication. 

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