Communications
Community Events
How to schedule HOA board meetings and community events with RSVPs, day-before reminders, capacity limits, and calendar export. Per-user RSVPs (each adult in a household gets their own).
Last updated May 2, 2026
Community Events is how you schedule board meetings and community events with real RSVPs and reminders. Two scopes, three response options, automatic reminders, calendar export, attendance roster.
Where to find it
Dashboard (the first screen you land on as admin)
In the Quick Actions row, look for the Community Events tile. Tapping it opens a chooser:
- Schedule a new event opens the create form
- Review past events drops you into the Events panel where you manage active events and see history
There is no separate sidebar entry. The tile is the only way in.
The two event types
Community Events has two scopes that are mutually exclusive on a given event.
| Scope | Who’s invited | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Community Wide | Every active community member (one RSVP per person) | Block parties, summer socials, annual meetings, any event open to all residents |
| Board Only | Active board members + admins | Board meetings, committee meetings, anything restricted to the governing body |
Per-user, not per-property
This is the key difference from Community Voting. Voting tracks one ballot per property. Events track one RSVP per person. A household with two adults each get their own RSVP - they each see the banner, RSVP independently, and get their own reminders. Co-residents in the same household both attend events; both deserve their own slot in the roster.
Eligibility is locked at open
When you click Save and Open Now, the system snapshots the invitee list at that moment. Mid-event roster changes (a resident moves out, a new board member joins) don’t affect who can RSVP. Eligibility is a snapshot, not a live query.
Scheduling an event
Tap Community Events on the Dashboard, then Schedule a new event.
The form has these fields:
- Event Type - Community Wide or Board Only
- Title - “Summer Block Party”, “Annual Meeting”, etc.
- Description - what to bring, parking notes, agenda
- Location - “Clubhouse”, “123 Main St”, or a Zoom link
- Event Starts and Event Ends - the wall-clock time the event happens
- RSVPs Close At - when the system stops accepting new RSVPs (default: 1 hour before event start)
- Limit attendance (optional) - cap the number of Yes responses
Two save options:
- Save Draft stores the event in DRAFT status. No invitee snapshot taken yet. Come back to open it later.
- Save and Open Now transitions to OPEN, snapshots the invitee list, and fires notifications immediately.
Editing an event after it’s open
Things change. Venue moves, time shifts, weather forces a reschedule. Open events are fully editable.
Click the Edit button on any DRAFT or OPEN event. The form opens pre-filled with the current values. You can change:
- Title
- Description
- Location
- Event start, event end, RSVP close time
- Capacity (turn it on, off, or change the number)
You cannot change the scope (would invalidate the eligibility snapshot) or the status. CLOSED and CANCELLED events are frozen.
At the bottom of the edit form, a checkbox: Notify RSVPd attendees of this change. Default is unchecked.
- Leave unchecked for minor edits like typo fixes or formatting changes. The edit saves silently.
- Check it when the change matters - venue change, time shift, etc. Everyone who already RSVPd gets a push and/or email “Event updated” with the new details.
Notifications
Five automatic notification triggers, all routed through each user’s notification preferences (push and/or email per their settings):
| Trigger | Recipients | Sent when |
|---|---|---|
| New event opened | All invitees | Immediately when admin clicks Save & Open Now |
| Day-before-event reminder | YES + MAYBE responders | 24 hours before event starts |
| RSVP-closing reminder | Invitees who haven’t responded yet | 24 hours before RSVPs close |
| Event edited (opt-in) | RSVPd attendees | When admin checks the notify box on edit |
| Event cancelled | RSVPd attendees | Immediately when admin cancels |
Reminders are idempotent - the system tracks whether each reminder fired and never sends the same one twice for the same event. If a cron run is delayed, the reminder still fires (within a 90-minute window) but only once.
Closing an event
Three ways an event moves to CLOSED:
- Auto-close. The scheduled function runs every 5 minutes and closes any event whose
rsvpClosesAthas passed. Most common path. - Manual close from the Events panel. Click Close RSVPs. A confirmation modal explains that the tally will be frozen.
- Cancellation. Different from close - cancel marks the event CANCELLED and notifies all RSVPd attendees that the event is off.
When an event closes, the system reads every RSVP, computes Yes / Maybe / No counts and percentages, and writes a frozen rsvpTally field. After that, the roster is read-only.
The attendance audit and PDF
Click any event in the Events panel to open the audit modal. You see:
- Tally panel - four stat cards: Yes, Maybe, No, No reply (counts and percentages)
- Capacity badge if you set one (“12 of 50 confirmed”, or “Full” when at cap)
- Response rate - “X of N responded · Y% response rate”
- Roster table - one row per RSVP: voter name, property address (community event) or board title (board event), response chip, responded timestamp
Click Download Roster (PDF) to generate a multi-page PDF with your community letterhead, vote metadata, full tally, and the complete RSVP roster. Page footers carry the generated time and page numbering.
The roster is visible to admins and board members. Residents never see the full roster.
The resident experience
Residents see events in two places, both on the dashboard banner area at the top of the app.
Active event banner
If there is an open event the resident is invited to, a colored banner appears:
- Amber for Community events
- Rose for Board events
The banner shows the title, event start time, location, and a “RSVPs close in X” countdown. Tapping the banner opens the RSVP modal.
The RSVP modal shows the full description and three buttons: I’m in (Yes), Maybe, Can’t make it (No). Below the buttons is an Add to Calendar button that downloads an .ics file working in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and Outlook.
After RSVPing, the banner switches to a confirmation state (“You’re in” / “You said maybe” / “You can’t make it”) with a check icon. Residents can tap again to change their response while the event is still OPEN.
Past event recap
For 7 days after an event closes, a softer card replaces the active banner:
- The recap shows the final tally: Yes, Maybe, No counts
- A countdown pill: “X days left” (when the recap auto-clears)
- A dismiss X for residents who want to clear it early
Cancelled events also show a recap card noting the cancellation.
For board events, the recap is visible to board members and admins only. For community events, it shows to everyone.
Herald Chat integration
Recent and upcoming events are part of Herald Chat’s context. Residents can ask:
- “When is the next event?”
- “What time is the block party?”
- “Did I RSVP to the annual meeting?”
- “What was the last board meeting about?”
The chat respects the same visibility rules as the dashboard banner: a resident can’t have the chat recall a board event they wouldn’t have seen on the banner.
Frequently asked questions
Can a household with two adults each RSVP separately?
Yes. Events are per-user. Each adult gets their own RSVP, their own banner, their own reminders. Different from voting (which is per-property).
What happens if I RSVP yes and then can’t make it?
Open the event from your dashboard banner and tap Change response. Your RSVP updates and the audit reflects the new value. The system records each RSVP timestamp for the audit trail.
Can I run a recurring event (weekly meeting, monthly social)?
Not yet. Recurring series is on the roadmap. For now, schedule each instance individually.
What if the venue changes mid-event?
Click Edit on the open event, change the location, and check the “Notify RSVPd attendees of this change” box. Everyone who said yes or maybe gets a push and email with the new location.
Can I see who is on the waitlist if my event is full?
There is no waitlist in v1. When capacity is hit, additional Yes responses are blocked with a “This event is full” message. Residents can still RSVP Maybe or No. If your community needs waitlist behavior, let us know.
Will residents who said NO keep getting reminders?
No. Once a resident says No, they stop getting reminders for that event. They can still RSVP Yes/Maybe later if they change their mind.
Can residents see who else is coming?
No. Residents see counts (Yes / Maybe / No totals) but never individual names. Board members and admins see the full roster.