Activities at your community are critical to a sense of "community," and have a significant impact on  your resident retention.  What activities work at your site and are perceived as "value" to your residents?  The first part of the process is understanding your demographics of your resident profile and what are the key interests of your residents.  You can plan functions, parties, and activities, but without interest and perceived value to your residents you are wasting your time and resources. 

 

Look at the lifestyle of your residents as well as other factors such as income levels and age groups.  Unless you are managing a senior community or college property, you may have a very diverse profile living at your site.  Remember, activities do not have to be a cookout or what we traditionally have known as events most of us have tried (end of summer party, holiday events, etc.).  We live in an information age any there are so many factors related to information that may benefit them.  Let's look at some of the examples of events you can consider:

 

*  Genealogy has turned into a passion for many people.  Web sites and even television shows have been developed for tracing your family tree.  The resources are as far as the imagination can take you, and you can visit foreign lands and do research without leaving the comfort of your living room.  Bring in someone who has expertize in genealogy and research to assist residents in tracing their family heritage.  Doing it as a group shares the surprises you may find, and is an extremely low cost activity.

 

*  Health and wellness seems to be a topic that stays around through generations.  Whether it be bringing in a fitness trainer once a month to your exercise facility or coordinating volley ball teams to play at your court, use your imagination look at the possibilities.  I had one site that brought in a fitness trainer and because he consulted with several residents on fitness and was paid directly by them, wanted to increase the days he came to the site.  An initial investment for this activity soon turned into a free service for our residents.

 

*  Finances and investing are something everyone has an interest in, however, few have a true understanding of how the financial markets work and how they can plan for their financial future.  Bring in a representative from Schwab or one of the other financial institutions to provide a workshop on educating your residents.  I have found these financial institutions will fall over each other to have the opportunity to bring assistance and information to your residents. 

 

The ideas are endless form chess clubs, cooking demonstrations, travel, nutrition, gaming (computers are of course huge), pet health and training, discover scuba classes in your pool (yes, I'm a a diver but this has been a huge success), pet adoption events, emergency preparedness, storage and closet organizing systems (especially since our residents have more stuff than ever before), DVD and game sharing clubs, gardening (patio or container gardens are really hot for apartments), homeopathic information, bicycling events, pet activities and fairs, and the list goes on.  Also remember activities can be as simple as tracking resident birth dates and putting a balloon on their door or sending them a card.  We get this information on the application and all you need to do is set up a calendar specific for residents birthdays and someone daily checks it as part of their daily checklist.  Imagine coming home and unknown to you there is a happy birthday banner across the door and a balloon wishing me a happy birthday.  Effective, but simple and how many other communities do this?  Resident retention is not just about relationships, it's about building and maintaining them.

 

Do your research, and don't be afraid to ask your residents what is important to them and what they might have interest in.  Developing a plan is the first part, with the most important marketing and implementing the activity.  Get your team involved, and don't be afraid to survey your residents in developing an action plan.  Plan at least 90 days out for any activity, and the better the organized and marketed usually the better the attendance.  As I have said before, throw everything on the wall and see what sticks.