The sunniest months are upon us, the kids are out of school, and summer fun is in full swing! This is the perfect opportunity for board members to build community relationships. While summer is a popular time for swimming and drive-in movies, not all homeowners take advantage of outdoor amenities, and not all associations have them. Because sometimes it’s better to stay cool indoors, we’re presenting some fun alternatives for summer HOA social events:
- Host a potluck recipe exchange. If your HOA is on a tight budget, try hosting a BYO (Bring Your Own) event. Pick a date and a meeting location, and invite residents to bring a favorite potluck dish and its recipe. Many homeowners will be happy to share summertime treats and exchange recipes with neighbors!
- Start a summer book club or book share program. Reading is a great way to keep your mind engaged and stay out of the heat at the same time. Residents are sure to have recommended reads they’re willing to share with neighbors. If enough people are interested, you could even start a book club where homeowners can get together weekly to discuss and share what they’ve read.
- Open a craft café. If your community has a lot of families with young kids, you can host a weekly or monthly crafts activity with snacks. This activity would be a great fit for the community clubhouse! Low-cost craft supplies can be found at the local dollar store, and we’d even venture to guess that parents wouldn’t mind paying a few dollars to get kids out of the house and creative every once in a while! This activity also gives parents the opportunity to talk, get to know each other better, and build supportive relationships.
- Hold a neighborhood talent show. Every community has tons of talented people—whether they can sing, perform magic tricks, or show off an unusual skill. A neighborhood talent show is a great way to bring neighbors together and let them showcase their talents. It will also be an event that everyone is sure to remember!
- Organize summer storytelling events. Kids love hearing stories, and a great way to give them a break from mom and dad’s typical tales is to have other homeowners read to them. Retired homeowners may especially love the opportunity to bring smiles to young faces by sharing their favorite stories.
- Offer community classes. Try offering a summer learning series, where residents give informal classes in their areas of expertise. For example, a nurse can give a first aid class, a construction worker can show residents tips and tricks for household tools, and a secretary can provide a short training session for Microsoft Word or other similar programs.
- Host a weekly game day. There are plenty of games and activities that can be played indoors, like Twister, Scrabble, Bunco, Checkers, or Chess . . . You name it! Set a regular day and time during the week, and have residents bring their favorite game to the clubhouse. If a clubhouse is unavailable, homeowners can take turns hosting the event in their homes. This is a great way to get neighbors together, and it’s free!
While these suggestions are by no means the be-all and end-all of summer activities, we hope they give you some great ideas to liven up the summer months. Programs and events like these can strengthen your community and make your HOA stand out as a fun, engaging place to live.
For more tips on HOA management and ways to improve your community, contact Spectrum Association Management.
