How can our board create a stronger sense of community in our building?

Creating a community in a co-op or condo building is not always an easy task.  Here are a few suggestions to help co-op and condo boards get residents involved and engaged. 

• Ask owners to join committees: Residents often want to volunteer in areas where they have a personal interest, so ask volunteers to join committees that align with their interest or skills.  Typical committees include the garden committee, decorating committee, communications committee, and green/sustainability committee. 
• Schedule information sessions  When you’re installing a service like a fitness center or laundry room, bring in a third-party expert to explain the project.  This is an effective way to educate owners and take the burden off the board.  
• Hold social events  Organize occasional events for residents to mix and mingle and get to know one another. Holidays are always a great time to hold events, as are retirements of beloved staff members. Parties can be as simple as wine and cheese in the lobby or ice cream on the rooftop. Be sure to make nametags available.  These events also provide an opportunity for board members to be part of the community and become known to their neighbors as ‘regular people’ seen as approachable and likeable.  And who wants to complain to people they like?  A social event is also a great opportunity for a couple of board members to give an informal quick update about what the board is working on. 
• Publish periodic newsletters Proactively update residents on what’s going on in the building, and what initiatives the board, staff and property manager are working on. Newsletters are typically quarterly or annual, but some buildings put them out monthly.  A regular schedule ensures that you have the opportunity to report on positive updates, versus boards that update residents only when something bad happens, like an elevator, laundry or boiler outage.
• Create an online community You could use a private Facebook group or a platform designed specifically for building management and communication, such as BuildingLink, Super, Domos, or Carson. These platforms give residents a way to communicate, post for-sale items, and get or provide recommendations for cleaning services, dog walkers, and baby sitters as well as local businesses.