What Are The Best Practices When Designing A Community Newsletter

Effective communication is an integral part of any relationship, including the one between a homeowner’s association (HOA) and its members. The more a board communicates openly with its members about decision making, projects on the horizon, and plans – the stronger the relationship they will have. One way to communicate effectively with community members is through a periodic community newsletter.

Designing an engaging community newsletter isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Here are six tips for creating one that gets members’ attention.

Poll members.

An HOA wants its members to read the newsletter, so it is beneficial to talk to them first. Gather input on their preferred platform to receive the newsletter, and what types of content would make their lives easier and be most informative. By delivering what members wish to hear, they are more likely to read it, giving the board a better chance of sharing other pertinent information along the way.

Keep it short and simple.

Get to the point in each article, so members don’t feel like it is a waste of time. Focus your content on the facts and avoid fillers. Formulate small paragraphs instead of filling an entire page with large bodies of text – more individuals will read the community newsletter in its entirety.

Include pictures and graphics.

Break up the monotony of text with pictures, graphics, and infographics to make the newsletter easy on the eyes. Some readers skim the text to find the information they want to know. Using pictures makes navigation easier.

Establish a budget.

There are costs involved with paper and electronic newsletters. Decide on a budget and stick to it. In most cases, members prefer digital versions, which are also more cost-effective for HOAs.

Include reminders about events.

Increase attendance to upcoming community events by including them in the newsletter. This is especially beneficial if the e-newsletter links to event pages or makes it easy for members to add them to their calendars.

Delegate when necessary.

Announcing that a community newsletter will be sent monthly and then skipping several months makes the HOA look unreliable. If the board struggles with making the time to write articles for the newsletter, it may be a good idea to delegate to a third-party.

If your HOA is looking to improve communication with its members through a community newsletter, contact AR Management today. We offer a variety of services to help HOAs develop stronger relationships with its members.