This isn't multifamily, but it's still brilliant!

How great is this idea? It was found in the men's restroom of a restaurant, and I'm sure it saved a lot of guys that day, and I'm sure created some loyal fans in the process:

This is one of those..."now, why didn't I think of that!" things!!! Fantastic idea, thanks so much for sharing!

In the spirit of thinking ahead and showing your residents that you care on a rainy day ... you can extend the idea by ordering a dozen or more umbrellas with your apartment logo printed on it as well as a message that says when opened: "Courtesy umbrella. I'm borrowing from [Property Name]". Put a sticker on the handle as well asking the resident to return them to a box from which they picked it up. Only bring the box / urn of umbrellas when you anticipate the rain. Also, put a nice sign by the box explaining what these are for.

Yes, some of these will walk and will get broken, but it will show the residents that you care. Plus every time they are open you'll get free advertisement.

Constin Tenko

That's a great idea, Constin!

Maybe buying cards for holidays/special events wouldn't work for everyone, but setting up special event craft stations has worked for me in the past! In one of my first apartments a neighbor saw me gift wrapping and asked me to teach her how; we wound up setting up a gift-wrapping station that included a fun tutorial on making paper snowflakes to decorate our windows with. When I was an RA in college I created a card-making station for my residents for Valentine's Day. The joke was, "We're all poor, so rather than going out and buying valentines for everyone let's just make them ourselves." The folks who came liked it so much I wound up doing more of them for Christmas, Mother's and Father's day, other major holidays, and creating packets of supplies for folks who needed to make birthday cards. Setting up craft stations like these can be a great way to both show you're thinking about resident needs and a unique way to get residents together.