Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Capital improvements

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Sep 4, 2013, at 9:41 AM, David Entin <davidentin [at] comcast.net> wrote:

> We are wondering how cohousing communities finance capital improvements
> beyond those covered by replacement reserves.

Gifts from people who move out. We don't have a transfer fee but in the early 
years people who had built the place wanted to leave a gift. Perhaps they felt 
guilty for abandoning ship because we were still struggling when they left. 
Recent move-outs have not done this.

Highly recommend instituting a transfer fee NOW for capital improvements before 
anyone is thinking of moving out. I doubt if you will get it later. It is an 
incredible amount of work to orient and make new people feel welcome and a part 
of the mission of the place. So move-outs are work for those left behind. 
Income for the capital improvement fund really helps feelings if not the work.

Fundraisers inside the community. We had a talent show one year with nice 
refreshments served including mixed drinks. We had a 14-year-old who felt very 
adult mixing drinks. We just had an auction. Residents donated things and we 
were redoing the CH so we had used furniture to sell. One of our residents, it 
turns out, has auction experience and he was wonderful. Very funny guy. Who 
knew? He doubled the profits I'm sure. I never heard final figures but I think 
it was about $2,000. Even kids participated. An 8 year old bought a set of 
stacking plastic drawers for her bedroom. Her mother didn't know she needed 
them. An 11-year-old bought a camera. Can't remember what else the kids bought 
but they really enjoyed it.

Some of us have wanted to do bake sales at neighborhood street fairs but others 
find this demeaning.

We have also solicited donations for special projects like play equipment and a 
steel fence for a part of our property on a corner with very busy traffic.

We rarely spend all the money we budget each year. Overage goes into the 
reserve fund but could just as well go into capital improvements. (Spending 
money is actually hard. Too much research, proposal writing, etc.)

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org