5 Tips to Build the Ideal Playground and Recreational Amenities for Your Apartment Community
Well-designed playgrounds and recreational areas in apartment and condominium communities add beauty to the grounds and create a more attractive environment for potential residents. Making use of the natural environment and incorporating features geared towards the largest demographic groups can help your top-notch community stand out amongst the competition.
Here are 5 tips to build the ideal playground and recreation amenities for your apartment.
1. Assess the play and recreational needs of the community.
Determine who will be using the recreational areas. Is the community family-focused, located near a college campus, or built for the needs of retirees? How many units does the community have?
For example, family-oriented communities should feature playgrounds and places for children to be active. Athletic facilities, such as basketball courts and outdoor fitness centers, will draw much wanted interest. Communities for retirees would best benefit from walking trails, outdoor fitness stations, and social gathering spaces, like a pavilion with seating and tables. If the community allows pets, designated dog-walking areas and off-leash areas are big a benefit to draw prospective residents.
2. List the community’s needs.
List the most important needs for your community. Whether the community is large or small, having a list of needs is key to ensure the most important features are included in the construction plan. A sample list of playground equipment and amenities is listed below to help guide the list-making process.
Family-Focused Community Sample List
1. Age-appropriate playground equipment and safety surfacing
2. Walking and biking paths
3. Spray ground for zero-depth water play
4. Dog-walking and off-leash areas
5. Athletic areas
6. Picnic pavilions and shaded outdoor seating areas
Retiree Community Sample List
1. Outdoor fitness zones
2. Walking and jogging trails
3. Social gathering areas with pavilions and seating
4. Shaded seating around the pool
5. Dog-walking and off-leash areas
Most importantly, create a marketing plan for the new playground and recreational area. Work with local media outlets and update the community’s website to make sure the public knows about the exciting opportunities to play, exercise and socialize in the community.
3. Create your construction plan.
A well-defined plan for playground and recreational areas is key to aquiring the funding needed and ensuring the completion of the project. Working with your local park and playground consultant is the best way to make sure the plan meets safety and accessibility guidelines as well as meets the needs of the community. A knowledgeable, experienced consultant can help create an overall design the flows with natural features of the area, such as trees and hills, and match the aesthetic influence of the community by incorporating coordinating colors and interesting focal lines into the design.
4. Building the community’s playground and recreational areas.
Most playground companies work with certified installers and contractors who are experienced with building playgrounds, outdoor fitness stations, pavilions, dog parks and spray grounds. If the community is already working with a contractor, the playground company can provide detailed construction drawings and even a construction supervisor to aid in the building process.
5. Watch the community play!
Launch your marketing plan to tell the public about the newly-built playground and recreational areas. Invite prospective residents to visit and see the new features that makes your community a place to truly call home. Providing a wealth of comforts and activities for your community creates an inviting and attractive environment for prospective residents. By utilizing these simple tips, you can build a welcoming atmosphere for your community.
Building Church Playgrounds for Congregation & Community
Building a church playground has many benefits. It offers a sense of stability for its members by investing in a fun, safe place for children to play. Church playgrounds offer a visible location for children to gather before and after services and keeps them away from parking areas or roadways. An attractive play space draws families looking for a new church home and offers an opportunity to reach out to others through church-led events that reach out to the community.
Use of the play space should be the first consideration when planning for a church playground. Will the playground be used before and after services or as a part of church day care or school programs? This is key in determining how many children and what age groups will be using the playground. Refer to our Playground Planning Guide for additional details.
Location, location, location! The playground should be positioned on the church grounds so it makes the most impact. A visible playground invites families to visit the church and encourages the community to participate in outreach activities. Making use of natural elements on the property (such as trees or boulders) can make the play space even more appealing. The church playground equipment itself can be themed or brightly colored to create a whimsical play space or incorporate interesting lines and colors that match the architecture of the church building. If the church is located in a downtown area or historical district, check the local building codes to make sure there are no restrictions regarding height of equipment, bright colors, shade structures, etc.
The best way to begin planning for playground equipment is start from the ground up. Check for adequate drainage, so that the new playground does not become a bog after heavy rain. Gather information on the different types of safety surfacing and choose which one is best for the play space. Remember, some types of surfacing, such a poured in place rubber, require sub-bases that increase cost. Loose fill surfacing can be installed over a layer of geo textile cloth to prevent weed growth at a lower rate than solid playground surfacing, but a containment system will be needed to keep the surfacing within the borders of the play space.
Select equipment and activities to create a balanced play environment. Transitional areas between buildings and play zones allow children to decide how and where they want to play. Zones for creative and imaginative play, social and dramatic play, physical play, and interaction with natural elements are key to a well-rounded environment. A balanced play environment encourages children to engage in active play and healthy social interaction on the playground. Examples of playground components include:
- Merry Go Round (merry-go-round)- Most available in stand-up dozen w/up to 3-4 children
- Seesaw (See-saw)- Either spring-mounted, or fulcrum based with soft impact cushion underneath
- Monkey Bars (overhead ladder)- If kids under 5 years of age, must be <60″ tall w/access ladders, otherwise <84″ tall w/ladder over 5-years of age
- Playstructure- Composite playsystem with multiple modular climbing, sliding, interactive components
- Swingsets (multi-bay, multi-access swings)- Infant seats, Belt seats, or Tire Swings
Will the playground be a community build project (built by church volunteers) or built by certified playground installers? A community build is a great way to reduce the overall cost of a playground project. Organize a weekend for volunteers to pitch to build the new equipment. Few playgrounds are built in one day, so allow a few days to complete construction. Also, volunteers need to supply tools, heavy equipment (such as an auger), concrete, ladders, wheelbarrows and other items depending on the equipment being built. Other volunteers can provide beverages, snacks and childcare during the community build. Follow up with the volunteers regularly prior to the build to date to ensure everyone arrives with the necessary supplies on the big day. Having a playground installed by a certified installer takes away the worry of ensuring the equipment installed to meet safety standards and manufacturer’s specifications. A certified installer can stream-line the installation process, taking stress off of the project leader and completing the project (in some cases) in less time than a community build. Refer to the Community Build Guide
Now that the new playground is completed, invite church members and the community to come outside and play!
Commercial Shade Structures distributed by KorKat, Inc.
Commercial Shade Structures distributed by KorKat, Inc.
Shade structures offer great protection from overexposure to UV rays and discomfort from elements when enjoying the outdoors. Commercial shade structures are an affordable alternative to wood or steel structures. In addition to protecting your skin, tension membrane structures offer protection from foul balls, cover from rain up to 80%, heat by up to 20 degrees, and block up to 97% of UV rays.
Commercial shade structures can be built into or over existing playground equipment; over bleachers; parking lots and car washes; water parks and over pool decks; picnic areas; or over sidewalks/walkways, or any outdoor gathering places.
Superior Shades offer a number of benefits compared to most other manufacturers. The tensioned fabric will not stretch or flap in heavy winds as a result of wind stress. It’s unique optional glide elbow is a release mechanism to easily remove the fabric for storing during the off-season or during inclimate weather. The fabric itself is warranted against fade resistance in addition to being fire-retardant. The shade fabric is offered in fourteen colors and is also mildew and rot resistant.
There aren’t many areas that can’t be covered by shade given the variety of options. For example, a traditional square or rectangle shade is ideal for picnic areas, pools and pool decks, playground enclosure, bleachers, dugouts or concession areas.
Cantilever shades are suspended on two posts and can extend up to 24’ out over parking areas, sidewalks or walkways, pool decks.
Polygons are available in five, six, or eight sides and perfect for picnic areas, playground equipment, or over a water park or splash park
In addition to traditional shades, modular shade structures can be integrated into playground equipment as a canopy, or offer cover to swing seats, and individual benches and tables.
Shade sails are the ultimate in terms of flexibility and functionality. The variety of designs are endless offer a … In addition to being utilized for traditional environments such as playgrounds, picnic areas, water parks, shade sails can also be used for amphitheaters, sports fields, and spectator seating areas.
Playground Fundraising Ideas- A Review of The Top Performing Fundraisers
What is the best fundraiser for your school playground?
Playground fundraising is one of the most challenging obligations any school PTA/PTO or church can take on. A modest-sized commercial playground for a school of 1,200 students can cost close to $50,000. That’s $41.67 per child! Finding the balance between time, energy, and overall fit given your school’s region and resources and maximizing them is a science. Fortunately, the Fundraising Success E-book Suite takes all of the pain out of the research process for determining the best fundraising ideas. Kimberly Reynolds has reviewed over 170 fundraiser ideas that work for schools, churches, daycares and non-profits and quantified each of these to determine the best overall performers. To view the complete list of over 250 pages and 170 products, in addition to the 300 pages of supplier profiles by category and a whopping authoritative guide to fundraising, visit Fundraising Success and scroll to the link on the left address bar to “My Book” to gain instant access to the e-book suite. This is THE definitive guide to school fundraising.
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“Skip the evaluation section & take me to the list of the top performing fundraisers for school playgrounds!”
How To Evaluate A Fundraiser?
This Section featured in the Fundraising Success E-book contains an impartial yet subjective ratings system for all the main fundraising categories. A point value to the major components of each type of fundraiser has been included in three major categories resulting in a final overall score. The ratings have broken down into three main categories: Financial Aspects, Pro’s & Con’s, and Commitment Requirement, to produce an Overall Rating. She’s also indicated the “Feel Good” factor, too.
Fundraiser Ratings Sample and How They Were Evaluated
Here’s what the Financial Aspects section looks like:
Financial Aspects (1 – 10 scale):
Profitability Ranking 8
Average Unit Price 7
Dollar Volume Per Participant 6
Percentage to Organization 5
Total Dollars to Organization 4
Subtotal (maximum of 50) 30
Here’s what the Pros & Cons section looks like:
Pros & Cons (1 – 5 scale):
Community Impression 5
Organizational Impact 2
Quality of Deliverables 4
Risks 3
Hidden Costs (freight, etc.) 5
Subtotal (maximum of 25) 19
Here’s what the Commitment Required section looks like:
Commitment Required (1 – 5 scale):
Preparation Time 4
Selling Effort 3
Collecting Funds 2
Processing Orders 3
Delivering Goods 2
Subtotal (maximum of 25) 14
Here’s 1 of 170 completed Sample ratings included in the e-book:
*SAMPLE Aquatic Races
Description: An event style fundraiser featuring a river race of numbered, plastic competitors such as ducks or turtles. Sellers ask supporters to sponsor one or more ducks in the river race for $5 each.
Best Suited For: All
Prospective Customers: Fun Lovers
Comments: Increase participation through coupon sheet. “Winning” ducks earn donated prizes for their sellers and their sponsors. Can be huge profit for such a simple event ($30+ average profit per participant).
Feel Good Rating ™: Four ½ stars
Financial Aspects (1 – 10 scale):
Profitability Ranking 9
Average Unit Price 7
Dollar Volume Per Participant 8
Percentage to Organization 9
Total Dollars to Organization 8
Subtotal (maximum of 50) 41
Pros & Cons (1 – 5 scale):
Community Impression 5
Organizational Impact 4
Quality of Deliverables 4
Risks 4
Hidden Costs (freight, etc.) 4
Subtotal (maximum of 25) 21
Commitment Required (1 – 5 scale):
Preparation Time 4
Selling Effort 4
Collecting Funds 4
Processing Orders 5
Delivering Goods 5
Subtotal (maximum of 25) 22
Overall Ranking 84
(On a scale of 1 to100)
List of Top Performing Fundraisers For Your School, Church, or Non-profit Playground Project
- Web Site Affiliate Programs
- Rebates- from Referral Shopping
- Raffles
- Athlet-a-athon
- Aquatic Races
- Golf Tournament
- Wrapping Paper
- Discount Card- Single Merchant
- Discount Cards
- Cards- Discount/Brief
- Car Raffle
- Auctions
- Stone-engraved/Pickets
- Software- educational
- Online Shopping
- CD’s/Music
- Catalog Sales
- Book Fair
- Toner Cartridges
- Special Events
- Music
- Magazines
Descriptions of Fundraisers:Back to list of Fundraisers
Web Site Affiliate Programs: Earn funds for your organization through your web site via affiliate shopping links, supplier rebates, etc. Provide a centralized repository of information, publicize events, conduct on-line auctions, distribute an e-mail newsletter, and automate a host of other fundraising activities
Rebates- from Referral Shopping: Position your non-profit organization to get rebates from your supporters on-line shopping. Use your website for click-through sales. Set up deals with sites that will pay you a percentage of what is bought. Example: Amazon pays a minimum of 5% on all click-through activity from your site.
Raffles: Event style draw or door-to-door ticket sale. You can do this as a standalone fundraiser or as a supplement. Various levels of interest based on the value of the prize(s). Can be a three-week community offering or a single night draw.
Athlet-a-athon: Event featuring athletic achievement with sponsorship backing. One example is the walk-a-thon where participants walk laps around the track with each sponsor contributing a certain amount per lap.
Aquatic Races: An event style fundraiser featuring a river race of numbered, plastic competitors such as ducks or turtles. Sellers ask supporters to sponsor one or more ducks in the river race for $5 each.
Golf Tournament: Event-type fundraiser based around a golf outing. Each player seeks sponsorship from various supporters who pledge contributions based on that person’s individual performance or that of their foursome. The fundraising is geared toward getting the maximum amount of sponsorship per player. The golf outing itself is a reward.
Wrapping Paper: The traditional holiday fundraiser featuring the catalog sale of gift wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbons, bows, address labels, and other related packaging items. Most catalogs have a wide selection of paper to choose from along with sample pieces so that prospective customers can see and feel the quality of your offering.
Discount Card- Single Merchant: Immediate sale of cards with discount from a specific merchant. Usually are good for six months to one-year. Examples are discount cards from Dominos Pizza, Pizza Hut, etc.
Discount Cards/Brief Duration: Immediate sale of cards with discount offers included along with organization supporter logo on front side. Cards usually have 12 discount offers on the back or two-for-one deals on food items. These are ones that last for a half-year or less.
Cards- Discount: Immediate sale of cards with discount offers included along with organization supporter logo on front side. Cards usually have 12 discount offers on the back or two-for-one deals on food items. Usually are good for a one-year period.
Car Raffle: Event style fundraiser geared toward selling tickets for a chance to win a car. Prize and price should encourage multi-unit participation by each buyer.
Auctions: An auction done as a fundraising event can be the focal point of a fun evening. Get donated goods, gift baskets, gift certificates, and other popular items. Don’t forget service-based organizations when looking for donations. Also, seek out a professional auctioneer for maximum results. Their patter is part of the fun.
Stone-engraved/Pickets: Perfect for donor recognition. Laser engraved stones can be placed as attractive landscaping additions such as planters, walkway edging, athletic field entrance, school driveway border, etc.
Software- educational: Catalog sale of computer software on a CD with educational content. Could be reading, grade level activities, language, math, SAT preparation, etc.
Online Shopping: Organization gets paid for click-through sales from your web site or by entering an organization ID at a shopping site. An example of a click-through would be having an Amazon affiliate icon at your website. Anyone reaching Amazon through your site that then bought an item would earn your group a 5% commission. This is a way to tap into discretionary entertainment spending.
CD’s/Music: Primarily a catalog sales item, but there are also limited selection music fundraisers that are immediate sales or are done in conjunction with an event. This style offers what are commonly called compilation CD’s – ones that feature a theme or greatest hits/genre packages.
Catalog Sales: The biggest moneymaking fundraiser of all, if you have good merchandise at reasonable prices. One of the keys to getting good response is to have the right catalog for the time of year. An example would be a catalog with house and garden items offered only in the early spring.
Book Fair: Event-style fundraiser, primarily with children’s books. Works even better if you add in books appealing to adults either through direct availability (best) or catalog order. Can be turnkey hosted.
Toner Cartridges: Centralized collection of used toner cartridges from laser printers and inkjet printers. Several companies offer free shipping and generous amounts of cash for these items. Most laser toners are near $10 each.
Special Events: Hosting fundraising event at a central location with sufficient publicity to attract large crowds. Usually centered around a central theme such as an outdoor activity, a family night, an auction, a celebrity guest speaker, Vegas night, and many others.
Music: A Catalog sale of compilation CD’s featuring artists’ package, Christmas music, music for small children, and other types. Good seller at just about any time of year, but strongest near the holidays due to gift giving. Can be an immediate sale as well with a special collection.
Magazines: Catalog sale of subscriptions to national magazines. Wide appeal and substantial revenues. Several hundred magazines available through subscription wholesalers. Watch and make sure that prices aren’t too much higher than what your supporters could get directly from the magazine themselves.
Website Shopping top
Rebates – from Referral Shopping top
| Easy Fundraising Ideas |
| Schoolpop, Inc. |
| Mr. Z’s Fund Raising Corp. |
| Fundraising.com aka Raddatz Marketing |
| Funding Factory |
| 51 Fun Graphics |
| eFundraising |
| Current USA, Inc. |
| Century Resources, Inc. |
| Boston’s Best Coffee Roasters |
| America’s Fund Raisers, Inc. |
| American Trends Corporation, dba Amtrec, Inc. |
| American Publishers, Inc. |
| Alternative Fundraising, Inc. |
Raffles top
| Thomas Fund Raising |
| G&P Distributors |
| Crossman’s James River Supply, Inc. |
| Charity Mania |
Athlet-A-Thon top
| Computhon |
Wrapping Paper top
Golf top
| Champion Golf Events, Inc. |
Discount Cards top
Discount Card- Single Merchant top
Discount Card – Brief Duration top
| Easy Fundraising Ideas |
| Fasttrack Fundraising |
| Great American Opportunities Inc |
| Educational Activities |
| Additional Funding, Inc. |
Car Raffle top
| Car Raffle |
| Dave’s Imports |
Auctions top
| America’s Fund Raisers, Inc. |
Engravings-Stone/Picketstop
| Picketmaster |
| Profit Resources |
| Memories On A Bottle |
| Impressions In Stone |
| Amazing Pavers |
Software-educationaltop
CD’s/Musictop
| The Uptown Shop |
| Superior Fundraising, Inc. |
| Soundtastic, Inc |
| Music Rewards Fundraising, aka GAO Inc. |
| GBI Marketing |
| Believe Productions |
| Bake & Co. |
| American Publishers, Inc. |
Catalog Salestop
Book Fairtop
| Troll Book Clubs |
| The Book Fair |
| Fundraising.com aka Raddatz Marketing |
Toner Cartridgestop
| Funding Factory |
| Five Star Fundraising |
| Cedar Creek Fundraising |
| Cartridges For Kids |
Special Eventstop
Musictop
Below are links to products and resources for your playground fundraiser or any fundraising ventures you are pursuing. If you are in the Georgia, North Carolina, Florida,Tennessee, Alabama, or Kentucky and would like assistance with additional resources for funding your playground, visit us at www.KorKat.com.
Fundraising E-books
| Fundraising Success E-book | The definitive guide to fundraising. Packed with over 480 pages of references and resources. Scroll through left navigation bar to “My Book” |
| Fundraise $50,000 E-book | |
| The Beginners System For Writing Funded Grant Proposals | |
| Let’s Raise Money | |
| Increase Your Church Fundraising Today! |
Fundraisers by Organization
| General Fundraising Ideas | |
| General Fundraising Ideas II | |
| School Fundraisers | |
| School Fundraising Ideas | |
| PTA Fundraiser | |
| PTO Fundraiser | |
| Elementary School Fundraiser | |
| Middle School Fundraiser | |
| High School Fundraiser | |
| Booster Club Fundraiser | |
| Daycare Fundraiser | |
| Church Fundraising Ideas | |
| Church Fundraisers | |
| Non Profit Fundraisers | |
| Sports Fundraising Ideas | |
| Cheerleading Fundraising Ideas |
Fundraisers by Product
| Magazine Fundraiser | |
| Pretzel Fundraiser | |
| Cookie Dough Fundraiser | |
| Candy Fundraiser | |
| Coffee Fundraiser | |
| Flower Bulb Fundraiser | |
| Candle Fundraiser | |
| Lollipop Fundraiser |
How Can We Compare These Playground Designs?
Comparing your playground designs
Be sure your playground incorporates as many play experiences as possible. Remember, it isn’t always the number of play events that are on a play structure that make it a good value, but the value of the play itself.
As an example, let’s compare Playground A vs. Playground B
