When I was growing up, community events meant having a block party, participating in the 4th of July Parade and tennis tournament, or hanging out at the local recreation center during Halloween. As I started to grow up, I stopped going to "community" events, and started hang out with people in my niche — classmates, members of the same sports team, etc. What I had known as community events (interacting with your neighbors and immediate physical community) disappeared altogether when I was in high school and didn't reappear until I was in college and wanted a bit more of out UC Davis.
The RAs in my dorm really tried to get our "community" together by putting on events, and to a certain extent it worked — I know people from that dorm who are still friends/roommates/dating today. I acknowledge that it's tough to put on events for a bunch of 18 year olds who have just been given their "freedom" from their parents via college and aren't quite sure who or what they are interested in. I, for example, didn't go to a single community event, choosing instead to go on campus and discover UCD on my own. At times, I felt like an outsider in my dorm, and it was my fault, after all I didn't attend any of the social events the rest of the floor went to. However, I adored my community outside my dorm and I am still close friends with many people I met during 1st year. So maybe the RA's didn't do a great job, but at least in college there are tons of things to do, you're always surrounded by similar age individuals, and will likely find a community to dedicate your time to.
Now, a couple years (yikes) out of college, and I find myself wishing for more community events. Yes, I could go to meetups and improv classes and cooking classes, but events like those aren't always convenient (time, location etc) for me and my apt complex is an under-utilized resource. Also, I would love to spend more time with my roommates, and get to know the people who live around us.
Community events don't have to be mandatory (opt-in only) and don't have to be included in monthly costs. Yes, there are a couple logistical things to work out, such as how to procure 25 mini stoves to teach a cooking class, but if there is enough interest, it can happen. Community events get people active (after being a desk all day, you have to want this), help people build and develop relationships, and give community members and opportunity to learn about and from their neighbors!!
I've written a few general notes, broken down 3 main categories of events and included a sample event calendar as well.
Some General Notes on Community Events:
Have guests sign up online so you can gather data on the people (and market), event type, time, place, location and connect this to success and ROI of event.
Send guests a calendar invite. Give the attendee list out in advance.
Provide a mobile "check - in" to see who actually attends vs only signs up - generate a QR code for each event, use apt. key cards, send guests notifications when they arrive so they can click "yes, I'm attending."
Events:
Community events can be split into a few categories: classes, hangouts, and activities. Certain events may fall into multiple categories, and that's okay :).
The categories and the most important qualities about each event are included below!
Event Type: Class - all about learning. Ex: improv class, bartending class.
Qualities
access / ability for compounding knowledge
feeling that you learned, used time productively
access to materials after class/if you don't go (ex: for questions)
quality teachers (provide materials to teachers when necessary)
topic message boards
Event Type: Food/General/Hangout - not time based, free for all and less purpose. Ex: Dinner party, pool day.
Qualities
Achieving desired ambiance
Good conversation topics (easily provided by facilitator)
Learning about other people, building/maintaining relationships
Event Type: Activity - "game" with purpose, specific time. Ex: soccer game, community service.
Qualities
"reward" at the end of activity
multiples opportunities to do activity (works with everyone schedule)
access to good quality equipment
access to quality location, transportation, funding
How do you improve events?
Real time feedback
Feedback forms.
Community office hours.
Event Feedback Forms:
Community Feedback forms are different than large-scale production feedback forms. When a community members attend an event, it's implied that they will want/need to attend another event in their community and will want to improve the service because it directly affects them vs a large-scale event, where an event might be held only once per year and the attendee feeling is more "I attend this event once a year. I know there was a problem this year, but the coordinators will figure it out, and there won't be a problem next year, so I don't need to send them my feedback."
So, for "tightly knit" communities...
The goal of feedback form is 1) get people to answer them and 2) to give honest answers and 3) get them thinking about the event they went to and let them know they can give more feedback at community office hours.
It will really help if you explain to people why they are being asked to fill out a feedback form; to help make their lives and their community events better. Give the community a bit of skin in the game, and they are more likely to "help" by filling out feedbacks forms (well, this is just a theory, but feels accurate).
If you're putting on events, you must yearn for the feedback. You must continually emphasize how much you value the feedback forms and how you want to provide a space for people to anonymously give feedback and make an impact in the lives of their community.
Example Feedback form:
Did you have fun/learn something/relax? Scale 1-10, would you recommend this event to a friend? Please Feel Free to Provide Additional Comments:
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