A community newsletter is a great way to connect with homeowners in your HOA. It lets them know about important events, refreshes their memory about rules that might have been forgotten, and helps bring the members of the HOA into closer community. There's just one problem: in order to have that great impact, your newsletter has to get read! If you want to prepare an HOA community newsletter that homeowners actually read, make sure you're following these tips.
Your homeowners live in a unique area filled with many unique activities. You have weather conditions that are unique to your area and traditions that you've made your own. Let your newsletter reflect that unique content! You don't want to put out a newsletter that could be written by any HOA in the country or even in your state. Instead, aim to create content that is specific to your neighborhood.
Did a family in your community just have a new baby? Is someone getting married? Did one of your members recently win a prize or achieve something incredible? All of these things are news--and all of them can be included in your newsletter. When you make your newsletter personal to the members of your community, they're more likely to read it to help them learn all about one another.
One of the easiest ways to spread your newsletter is online. It's easily accessible to every member of the community and you don't have to worry about printing extra copies! An added bonus to the online version of the newsletter is that it's easy to add extra content that's beneficial to your members--for example, links to forms and documents that you're asked to print on a regular basis.
Your HOA newsletter shouldn't just be a vehicle for expressing board members' opinions on issues throughout the community. Instead, make sure that you're including representations of differing opinions. Take the time to include letters to the editor or allow interested community members to include dissenting opinions in order to create an accurate representation of issues impacting your community.
When community members are able to participate in the process of writing the newsletter, they'll be more likely to read it, too! Encourage active participation throughout the community. Invite members to submit posts or articles on relevant, interesting topics. You'll quickly discover increased involvement!
If you know the members of your HOA, it can be easier to determine what type of content delivery system they'll prefer for a newsletter. For example, savvy young homeowners might prefer an email newsletter, while older communities may prefer hard copies. Even if you deliver your newsletter online, try printing a few copies to place in common areas for members to browse through when they're waiting on other activities to start.
While there are no hard and fast rules about what to include in your newsletter, there are certain things that you shouldn't include if you want a newsletter that encourages community. These include:
Keeping up with a newsletter can be a challenge, but it's also a great way to grow the sense of community within your HOA. As you take the steps to create a better newsletter, you'll discover that you're in a better position to interact with members of the community, share information, and provide them with a forum for finding out more about the community.