Just For You...

Residents love to get things! It is a fact and we just need to get use to it. But then, who among us doesn't like to get things. Free things are even better.

But residents also like to feel they are a part of something. Given the chance I think residents do want to be good residents and they want to make your job easier and they do appreciate everything you do for them.

I know at my complex, the residents that know their neighbors and become friends with their neighbors, tend keep the common areas, their apartments and the grounds cleaner. They take pride in where they live and they don't want their new neighbors to think the worse of them.

So why not find a way to bring your residents together:

• Plan an ice cream social for the complex (have the residents make their own ice cream - there are some very simple recipes on the Internet that you use)
• Plan a cookie swap for each building/floor a month - when you have gone through all your residents, then have one big cookie party. You can make a "cookbook" of sorts for all your residents with all of the recipes in it. Why not have a contest, let those who want to make cookies bring them to the party and have some local judges (bankers, policeman, etc) judge the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place cookies and give away cookie jars as gifts or something to do with baking.
• Have a breakfast or cookout for your residents. Your staff can take their orders, cook for them, serve them, make them feel special.
• Have a theme party - Valentines Day - Everyone can wear red or have heart name tags on, etc. - they can draw names and end up in groups with other residents (or have each floor/building be a group) and have them complete several tasks (word finds, mazes, etc.) the team that gets done first, wins. Give them tasks that they have to work together to complete. But make sure you think of everyone and don't make the tasks too hard or too easy.

Simple tasks that are fun will get your residents in touch with each other. I know at my complex something like this took a little while to get started. The first time we did something (we did the ice cream social) we only had about 10 residents show up, but when we did the breakfast we had almost 40 residents show up. The word gets around and hopefully even more residents will show up with each activity.

These residents will share their experiences with family and friends and who knows, one day those family or friends may need an apartment and they will keep your complex at the top of their list...