National Good Neighbor Day is September 28

By: Melissa Guyott, CMCA®️,AMS®️,PCAM®️ - Ponderosa Community Management

​This blog post was to be about an easy to implement, national initiative called “National Good Neighbor Day.” In 1978 President Jimmy Carter proclaimed September 28 as a day each year set aside to help build neighborhood connections. The Hopeful Neighborhood Project was created to equip community leaders with tools and resources needed to engage neighbors and deepen community connections. Their website states, “Meeting the people who live closest to you doesn’t have to be uncomfortable.”
 
It used to be a good neighbor was someone you could count on. Today, many people consider a good neighbor as someone who is quiet and leaves you alone. That has led to more isolation, fewer friendships, and a loneliness epidemic.
 
This isn’t the only organization that has been formed to address community disconnection. Good Neighbor Teams are sponsored through World Relief, Love Your Neighbor Day is nationally recognized each July, May 16 is National “Do Something Good for your Neighbor Day”, and Community Association Institute has a formal civility pledge for association stakeholders.
 
I am often asked what an Association Manager does? We’re not property managers. We can’t make some decisions without Board approval. We can’t hire and fire HOA business partners. We can’t adopt budgets, or levy assessments. Managers can’t draft rules, amend governing documents, or levy fines. Instead, we work as advisors and administrators, who help the duly elected board of directors with upholding the responsibilities assigned to them by statute or the organization’s governance.

But most homeowners don’t even know any of that “stuff” is happening.
 
If you had asked me in 2019 what an association manager does, my answer would have been different. But during those lockdown years, my view on the role of the board and management changed. Yes, we’re responsible for running the corporation, but with that comes something so much more important.
 
Something you can’t assign a value to because it’s invaluable.
Something intangible, but noticeable.
Something your community can’t function without.
Something that makes your HOA better than the one next door.
 
It’s that feeling you get when you enter your community. It’s how you interact with your neighbors, and the satisfaction that comes with pride in ownership.
 
We manage lifestyles; and everything that goes along with that.
 
This has never been truer than in an association with few common assets, club houses, or other recreational areas. In many of these communities, management fees are likely used for governance enforcement, accounting services, and other administrative functions. Who among us hasn’t been asked, “what do my dues pay for?”
 
A homeowner may grumble about the assessment increase, but it may be short lived when they remember the thoughtful and well-designed welcome package they received when they first moved in. A homeowner probably won’t know how many open yard violations there are in their HOA, but they will remember the kind email they received about how nice their yard looked. Most homeowners won’t make it to a board meeting, but a community meeting featuring local fire fighters will attract residents you’ve never met before. And if you really want to get the neighborhood engaged, hold a Christmas decorating contest each December.
 
Managers and Board dedicate an immense amount of time and energy to things like landscaping, paying the bills, renewing the insurance, and trying to uphold ever changing legal mandates. There is not much time left to form committees, recruit volunteers, and launch social events. But I promise you, it is the one action you can take that will make all the other ones easier!!
 
It is no secret that engaged homeowners are more satisfied with their communities, see value in their assessments and volunteer for more activities. Ha! Engaged Homeowners!!?? “What are those?” you may ask. Engaging homeowners may involve sharing information, building relationships, managing interactions, and gathering feedback in relation to your events.
 
This is a blog post, not a novel, but I could exhaustively provide check list after check list on communication strategies. I could provide you with a brain numbing number of examples for successful engagement. Heck, if you email me, I have an entire slide deck I will send you about recreational programming for your Association. But it doesn’t have to be that hard.
 
When you perform a site visit, don’t look only for violations, but also for the shining stars. If you see a beautiful yard, say so!! Let that owner know you notice their hard work and thank them for making the neighbor a little bit nicer.
 
When a new person moves into a neighborhood, consider the content of your welcome package. Is it warm and inviting or is it a bill with a list of rules? Remember the platitude, “You only get one first impression.” Taking the time to craft unique, kindhearted messaging about their new HOA will go further to motivate involvement than another bill.
 
When you receive a neighbor-to-neighbor complaint, take the time to listen. As the owner of my company, the number one frustration that gets elevated to my desk is from a resident that just wanted to be heard. We are busy, we have deadlines, and OMG it is almost budget season. Sharing that you may not be able to help, but you’re here to listen will help to build community cohesiveness more than you may realize.
 
But a great place to start is with National Good Neighbor Day on September 28. In 1978 when President Jimmy Carter issued Proclamation 4601, he wrote, “As our Nation struggles to build friendship among the peoples of this world, we are mindful that the noblest human concern is concern for others. Understanding, love and respect build cohesive families and communities”.
 
It is a sentiment that holds true, now, more than ever. https://www.nationalgoodneighborday.org/