CREJ

Page 32

— Multifamily Properties Quarterly — July 2015

C

ommunities are funny

things. Most people want to

be part of one and are seek-

ing one. Occasionally people

build them. But in multi-

family land, residents are already

part of a community. Just by living

in an apartment, condominium or

high-rise building, they have placed

themselves in a community.

The people in a multifamily com-

munity share basic things – mutual

amenities, proximity to desirable

locations, similar income status,

preferring or not preferring animals

in their neighborhood, and they

may be of a specific age. They also

may share more specific connec-

tions. The problem today is that

members of neighborhoods rarely

discover that the community they

want to develop is the community

that they already are a part of.

Working in the multifamily indus-

try, we hear people say all the time,

“We need to build more commu-

nity.” But why foster this abstract

thing? The short answer is that it

makes the residents feel more ful-

filled, the manager’s life easier and

the property that the residents live

in more valuable. When people care

about their community, they are

happier, healthier, safer and tend to

stick around.

But how, when and who is going

to do it? Start small, start right

away and take the time to cultivate

community leaders everywhere.

Building community starts wher-

ever it can, but it is not without

obstacles. Managers in this industry

already have a lot of work on their

plates, but taking the time to help

instill a sense of community will

make the job easier in the long run

– they might even enjoy it more,

too.

According to Amy Sample Ward,

a speaker and author specializing

in online communities and social

action, there are five core princi-

pals to building community. All five

principles translate well for the

multifamily arena.

1. Focus on shared goals and own-

ership.

Identify what resonates with

your organization and the commu-

nity of people you want to engage.

When those goals overlap, you have

a sweet spot that will appeal to the

most people and draw in participa-

tion. For example, transforming a

local greenspace

into a play park

seems good on

paper, especially

if the board and

management are

in favor of it, but

if there are only

a few families in

the community,

the idea may not

be the participa-

tion generator

the board desired.

There has to be a

want and a need.

2. Transparency.

Keeping a project

quiet until a big reveal can lead to

problems as disgruntled residents

and owners can be quick to point

out what they don’t like about it.

People like to feel involved. Trans-

parency, wherever possible, fosters

a sense of trust and buy-in from the

people in the community. Think of

it as the golden rule for community

engagement. Treat your community

members the way you would want

them to treat you.

3. Go where the people are.

If you

build it, they still might not come.

Working to build a sense of commu-

nity takes time and effort. Reaching

out to residents is a must, and the

easiest way to do that is by going to

them. When attending open meet-

ings it is never good to look at an

empty room and hear commentary

on how few community members

are present.

If people are at the dog park,

engage them at the dog park. If

they are at the pool, consider hand-

ing out flyers there. If there are no

amenities, wait by the mailboxes

and invite them to a happy hour or

meet and greet at a nearby restau-

rant. The point is to start small and

focus on face-to-face interaction.

At the very least, this will develop

a rapport with the people and they

will be more likely to attend the

next event they are invited to.

4. Cultivate leaders.

“Leadership

development is incredibly impor-

tant,” said Ward. “You don’t actually

want to be the one maintaining the

engagement forever – if the com-

munity can take over your role, it is

a sign that it is not just sustainable,

but thriving!”

She goes on to discuss how it

feels counterintuitive to train oth-

ers as replacements, but that it is

necessary. Many studies on leader-

ship note that the highest level of

leadership is training someone to

replace you. This may take some

practice. Use positive reinforcement,

encourage others to take on proj-

ects and be transparent about how

you go about things so that others

know they may take the reins.

5. Know your community.

At the

end of the day, fostering commu-

nity is about knowing the people

in the community, making mutual

connections and feeling a sense of

ownership. As the manager, you

should have a better idea than most

about who is in your community

and where you might start. Work

with colleagues and volunteers to

achieve something that will matter

to the whole neighborhood once or

twice a year. Remember step one. If

the whole community has a shared

goal, you will find an organic place

to start building.

As you spend time working

toward your goals, remember why

you are doing it. Homeowner asso-

ciations with satisfied residents see

property values go up, are rated as

better places to live and managers

find that their workloads decrease.

Apartments with satisfied and

loyal residents see resident turn-

over decrease and occupancy rates

increase. There is a large amount

of value that is hard to specifically

quantify, but if you talk to a manag-

er who has been around for a while,

they will tell you that you have hit

the management jackpot if you

manage a happy community.

s

Building community: A crash course for managers

Danielle Holley

Volunteer,

Community

Associations

Institute, Rocky

Mountain Chapter,

Denver

Community

Northfield at Stapleton Apartments,

Denver.

CREJ - page 32

Warning.