Condo Media - August 2017 - 32

It Takes a Village
owners had spent some time visiting
Provincetown bars "was even more
fun," he laughs.
The owners who went on the trip
enjoyed it, but "there was some
grumbling about the cost," which the
association covered. So, the following
year, the board charged $25 per person.
Attendance was still good that year and
the following year, Dematos says, "but
interest began to wane after that," so the
board decided to eliminate that event.
But they didn't abandon the idea of
bringing owners together periodically.
This summer, the board is organizing
a pool party, with hamburgers and hot
dogs provided by the association. The
goal, again, is to bring owners together
and "to create more camaraderie in the
community," Dematos says.
An annual international night serves
that purpose at Brook House, capitalizing
on that community's diverse population.
"All the residents bring food from their

countries of origin, so we end up with all
kinds of great dishes. It's a great way of
getting people to mix," McNabb says, adding, "food always does that." And because
it's the residents who supply the food, "it
doesn't cost the association anything."
CREATIVE SPONSORSHIPS
The Residences at the Ritz Carlton
in downtown Boston previously won
CAI-NE's "excellence in service" award
for its use of creative sponsorships to
provide a number of no-cost events for
owners. Among them: A fashion show
produced jointly with Neiman Marcus,
a spa experience co-sponsored with
Equinox Spa, and "Test Drive" linked to
an annual Boston car show, where residents were able to test drive the newest
models of several luxury cars.
Some associations use Christmas as
a hook for engaging and involving their
residents. Place Lane Condominium in
Woburn won a CAI-NE "community

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CONDOMEDIA

spirit award" for sponsoring a community-wide holiday decorating activity
that transformed the community's
lobby into a winter wonderland.
Intentionally avoiding the holiday
decoration battles that erupt annually
at some condominium communities,
and the ill feelings resulting from them,
the Pilgrim Village board encourages
residents to "decorate however they
want," Dematos says. When he and other trustees replaced an old board, they
revoked a rule that board had adopted
permitting only white holiday lights.
As a result, the community now sports
a dazzling array of multi-colored lights
every year. "It is beautiful," Dematos
says. "It's a huge light show," and an annual source of pride for residents.
ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT-
NOT SO EASY
Social gatherings will lure many owners
out of their homes and into common areas; as McNabb noted, food is a reliable
draw. But persuading residents to play
an active role in the association-by volunteering for committees or serving on
the board, is considerably more difficult.
People are busy, juggling jobs and
families, and unlikely to embrace
requests to add association chores to
already overcrowded calendars. There
are ways to overcome that resistance,
however-the most obvious and most
often overlooked: ask them. Many
owners don't volunteer for committees
because they aren't aware of those
opportunities, or because they assume
their help isn't needed.
Personal invitations work best,
McNabb has found. It is easy to ignore
"desperation requests" for volunteers
posted on websites, in newsletters, or
on bulletin boards, he says. It is harder
to ignore or dismiss the board member
who says directly, "We need your help."
"Personal contact really is the best
way to do it," McNabb says.
That approach worked for the Pilgrim
Village board, which found 12 owners
willing to serve on a committee to plan
a deck replacement project for the community. The committee worked with
Condo Media - August 2017

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