Community spirit reflects an individual's inclination to take part in actions to foster a community. When residents are interested in what's happening in their community, numerous benefits follow, including increased socialization, a sense of belongingness, and pooled resources, among others.

The concept sounds good, but building community spirit in your homeowner's association (HOA) isn't a walk in the park. To guide you, this article discusses how you can do so, including setting up HOA amenities, planning special activities and gimmicks, and so much more.

 

Establish More Amenities

If your community has plenty of vacant lots, you might want to turn the space into something functional. Increasing your community's amenities allows everyone to enjoy new places they can utilize.

Depending on your budget and lot size, you can add various amenities to your community. Examples are children's swimming pool, community garden, fitness center, or barbeque area. They don't have to be at a grand scale; you can start with a basic design.

 

Organize A Monthly Meet-Up

The best way to meet and socialize with everyone in your community is by organizing a monthly meet-up. You can do this at your community's clubhouse or any open space.

During your monthly meet-up, you can update everyone about any progress or announcements you wish to create. You can also use this opportunity to hear everyone's opinion about the community. Encourage them to raise issues, concerns, or suggestions for improving the place.

 

Host A Celebratory Lunch

Another way to boost community spirit is by bringing everyone together to celebrate a special event. A safe option is a celebratory lunch, handled using the HOA's funds.

You can utilize the clubhouse and have lunch with everyone to celebrate a holiday. You can hire someone to cater or deliver all the food. Alternatively, you can encourage your community to bring something to eat for everyone to enjoy. This is a filling way to get your community to come together.

 

Start An Instant Messaging Group

It'll be great if people around your neighborhood can communicate with one another. Take advantage of technology and create a community-wide group. There, residents may ask a quick question or a huge favor. Greetings, jokes, motivational quotes, and memes are most welcome.

You can also use this group to make quick announcements or ask any community-related questions. This is a convenient way to update everyone about current events, such as electricity outages, emergencies, floods, or interrupted internet connection.

 

Arrange Weekly Classes

To keep people engaged and busy, arrange weekly classes they can join. It could be about fitness, sports, arts, or cooking.

However, since inviting a trainer or professional can be costly, you might need to charge your attendees a participating fee. But to make it enticing, try to reduce the costs by at least 50% to encourage more attendees.

If you notice a specific class that everyone enjoys, you can turn it into a permanent course. Maybe a resident can be convinced to lead a class once they see how everyone looks forward to it.

 

Assemble A Garage Sale

A great community is something that always gathers around and feels comfortable and safe with one another. A simple way to make this happen is by assembling a garage sale for the entire community. You can call everyone's attention and encourage them to participate in the activity.

This is an excellent opportunity for your community to declutter and make more money from unused items or furniture. Inform everyone about the garage sale at least two weeks before. You can send an announcement through the group chat or distribute flyers.

 

Hold A Bazaar Week

Another way to make your community livelier is by holding a bazaar week for your business-minded neighbors. This way, everyone has the chance to show off their talents, such as in baking or crafts, or sell anything they want. They can sell clothing, potted plants, or homemade cookies.

After you designate a place, try to make the area look festive. You can hang decorations, string lights, and play live music. If this turns out to be successful, you can make this a monthly or quarterly event.

 

 

Takeaway

Building community spirit in your homeowner's association can be challenging. But with the tips above, you should be able to find something that can gather and unite everyone. The secret is to encourage everyone to participate. After all, what truly matters for a community to be spirited is every resident's involvement. The expression "it takes a village" can be quite literal in this situation.