Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and it’s the perfect time to show your residents how much you love that they’re with you. Showing your residents that you appreciate them doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Although Valentine’s Day is one of the minor holidays and one that would be easy to completely overlook, research shows that hosting community events always helps boost resident retention. Don’t worry if you’re short on ideas for ways to appreciate your residents. We have several, budget-friendly suggestions that will make this Valentine’s Day extra special for everyone.
Roses for Everyone
Roses are probably the most iconic flower associated with this holiday of love. A simple gesture of appreciation would be to have your on-site staff give red roses to all your residents. There are lots of ways to do this. Either set up a station in your lobby where staff can give the roses to residents who come in or, if you want to really go all out, staff can hand deliver roses to each unit. Although there will be some cost involved, you’d be surprised how inexpensive they are when you buy in bulk. It might be a good idea to purchase a few dozen extra roses and offer them for purchase as a last minute save to the all the residents who forgot flowers for his or her significant other.
Building Resident Relationships
Valentine’s Day isn’t just about romance. This holiday can also emphasize the importance of long-standing friendships and focus on building new friendships. As a way to encourage your residents to connect with each other, you could offer them a chance to win a dinner/lunch/or coffee date with another resident. Simply have your residents enter their name and contact information on a slip of paper and then have a drawing where you offer two residents the opportunity to get to know each other “on the house.” This can be a fun way to encourage resident connections.
Spread the Love
Don’t forget about your residents with families this Valentine’s Day. A simple and inexpensive way to help families celebrate this holiday is to set up a simple card making station in your lobby. Feature an easily accessible table that is visible and fill it with several colors of construction paper, markers and crayons, stickers and doilies. Families can come and go as they please and it’s the perfect opportunity for your young residents to make cards for their siblings, parents and grandparents. You likely have most of these supplies already on hand and other than occasionally restocking the supplies, it won’t require much time out of your already busy day.
Candy, on the House
Contests are always a fun way to celebrate any occasion. Send out an email and post flyers in common areas letting your residents know that there is a candy counting contest in the lobby. Fill a large jar with candy hearts and let your residents submit one guess per person about how many pieces are in the jar. At the end of the month, the resident who comes the closest to guessing the correct number of candy wins the jar plus a box of chocolates as an added bonus.
Don’t Forget the Furry Residents
If your community is pet-friendly, don’t forget to show them a little extra love this Valentine’s Day too. Let your residents know that during the month of February pets can stop in for a special treat in the lobby. Simply put a red tablecloth on a table and offer a variety of treats for your four-legged residents. Be sure to post a disclaimer about any food allergies as a precaution to all pet owners.
Send a Card
We know it’s a little cliché, but cards are always an easy way to show your residents that you appreciate them. Not only is this an easy display of appreciation but you have several options as well. If you manage a large community, you might not have time to send each resident hand-written card. Instead, a simple Google search will yield several websites where you can send a free e-card to your residents. If you manage a smaller community, this would be a good time to send a hand-written card to each resident. You might even consider having your on-site staff sign each card just to go the extra mile.
There you have it – several simple and inexpensive ideas to show your residents that you love having them as residents of your community. Don’t let Valentine’s Day go by without doing something to show your appreciation for your residents.
