Get your residents together on a budget!

Getting your residents together for a special event is a fantastic resident retention tool. Not only does it show your residents you care about them by showing them a good time, it also gives them an opportunity to socialize with their neighbors and form a bond with your community. Holding regular resident events is a crucial tool to making your residents stay put!

So what happens if you're managing a property that's a bit low on funds? No worries! There are lots of things you can do for your residents that cost little to nothing. Here are some great ideas to help you stay connected with your residents on a budget!

1. Utilize what you have! More than likely, your community offers a wide range of amenities. Take advantage of that and host some events using those features. Some examples include:

-Fitness Center-hold group fitness classes, nutritional counseling, weight lifting contest
-Business Center-resume writing course, job loss support group, computer program workshops (like how to learn Excel, Power Point, etc.)
-Car Wash-The obvious-resident car wash!
-Pool-The obvious-resident pool party!
-Sports Courts/billiards-form basketball, tennis, volleyball leagues, competitions
-Common grounds-host resident yard sale, pet parade, children's bike parade
-Lake-Fishing outing, "green team" grounds clean up, nature walk
-Cinema-host regular movie nights for adults and kids, show special events like awards shows and big games

2. Talk to your vendors. Most are willing to donate gift cards and other items that you can offer your guests as door prizes.

3. Check out local restaurants. For a little bit of advertising, many local restaurants will be willing to donate or deeply discount food for your resident events.

4. Contact local home based business reps. There are so many great home based businesses out there that are of interest to lots of groups of people. The representatives of these businesses would love an opportunity to show their product to your residents. Most will do it for free and show them a great time! Some great ones include:

-Creative Memories-scrapbooking
-Mary Kay, Avon-make up and skin care
-Lia Sophia, Premier, Silpada-jewelry
-Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple-cooking
-Uppercase Living, Southern Living-decorating
-Usbourne Books, Discovery Toys-children's products
-Scentsy, Partylite-candles
-Tupperware-storage containers

5. Organize nights for interest groups. There are so many things out there that people love to do in their free time, and more importantly, they love to do it as a group. Give your residents, and even outside members of your community, a place to come together to do what they love. Ideas include book clubs, scrapbooking clubs, knitting clubs, painting clubs, Bunco group, playgroup...the possibilities are endless!

6. Create a neighborhood watch group. While it doesn't sound very exciting, it's a great way to bring your neighbors together. Enlist your local police department for help-they'll conduct seminars for your residents for free!

7. Resident night out! Check with your local movie theathers, bowling alleys, fun parks, etc. to see if they'll offer a special discout to your residents on a particular night. Your residents can get out, enjoy the special rate, socialize with their neighbors, and best of all, it didn't cost you a dime!


If you have any ideas on hosting a resident event on a budget, leave a comment!

Morgan Oney, CAM
www.getmoreleases.com Online advertising with no set up fees, no lead fees and no monthly fees!