FAQ. Do I have to live in the Highlands to join this group?
A. For the sake of drawing a line somewhere, our service area is generally restricted to residents of the "Highlands" neighborhood (Ramapo, Rockledge, Mohawk, Van Houton, Huron, MacEvoy, Ostrander, and Seminole). We do make exceptions for neighbors on nearby streets bordering the Highlands (ie: Buxton, Fairmount, and Sunset) who are energetic, enthusiastic about making new friends, and willing to volunteer time with the HNA.
Q. How come there are parts of the website I can't view?
A. For the safety and security of our residents, we prefer not to post event locations or contact information publicly. Therefore, certain pages on this site require a username and password. Every resident of the Highlands may create a username/password combination. If you need assistance with this process, please email us and let us know.
Q. Why do you charge dues?
A. There are 4 reasons we charge dues:
Q. I'm probably not going to participate in many social events, so why should I bother paying dues?
A. The majority of people who seek to live in a neighborhood, like this one, WANT the things that go with living in a neighborhood like this one: friendships, occasional social events, and support when needed (someone to loan a snowblower or maybe give you an egg when you're in the middle of a recipe). But even if you're not into any of that, could we make a case for property value? Our neighborhood has a strong reputation for being welcoming, socially active, fun, and supportive - all of which make it desirable. HNA volunteers work hard to keep the welcoming, social, and supportive vibe of our neighborhood going strong, so even if you don't plan on personally attending events or interacting with your neighbors to any degree, we hope you'll support our overall mission.
Q. Is my dues money going to be used toward a beer-fund?
A. No. Parties and events are 100% self-funded by the participants. That is why an RSVP for a given event requires payment at the time of RSVP.
Q. What do you do with leftover money?
A. At this time, we make donations to LOCAL charities or organizations. Past recipients have included the Chatham Township Volunteer Fire Department, the Senior Citizen Center of the Chathams, the Chatham Emergency Squad, and Helping Hands of Chatham.
Q. What exactly are you going to do with the email address I provide for this site?
A. Nothing. It's just your login for the website. It's also the email where anything you order on our site (ie, an event ticket/ RSVP) will send a receipt. That's it.
Q. Is there someone, an actual person, I can talk to if I want to change my email or be removed from any mailing lists?
A. Yes. Talk to Cate Hartzell, our site administrator. If you don't know where to reach her, check your directory or email us.
Q. What happened to Twig?
A. The short answer to why OHA Twig #15 fell apart as a neighborhood group is a lack of manpower. A volunteer organization can only succeed if there are people willing to repeatedly volunteer. Starting in 2016, Twig had an increasingly difficult time finding people willing to lead, willing to sign up for committees, and/or willing to plan/host events. And for the few events that were planned, getting people to show up after an RSVP was yet another hurdle. As an organization with fundraising as a primary objective, having members who were too busy to help was not sustainable. Our donations to Overlook were getting smaller and smaller because we were losing money on events (which happens when people RSVP without making a payment and then don't show). And due to lack of participation from within the Twig membership itself, we were opening up events to more and more people outside of Twig membership, and even outside of the neighborhood, just for the sake of being able to cover expenses AND raise money. The decision to disband Twig in 2018 was difficult - but those present at the final meeting agreed unanimously that it was the only viable course.
Q. How secure is your site for credit card transactions?
A. Card transactions are provided by Square, a trusted name in retail and one you probably recognize if you have ever shopped any small businesses. For information about how Square protects your transaction data, you can visit them here.
Q. Can I still pay for things by check?
A. Definitely. Check and Venmo are actually preferred (because we don't lose money on those transactions). Instructions for how to pay for events by check or Venmo are attached to every event information page. Checks should be made out to "Chatham Highlands Neighborhood Assoc." and dropped off to our Treasurer, Jodie, at 5 Rockledge.
Q. I have a question, comment, or complaint about an HNA activity or event. Whom should I speak to?
A. You can send an email to [email protected], or you can use the digital directory to locate contact information for current leadership (see *HNA Co-President titles within the digital directory).
Q. I emailed you but haven't heard back. How long do you take to respond?
A. Please be patient. We do our best to check the Chatham Highlands gmail account frequently, but life is busy and it occasionally falls off our radar. If you need immediate assistance with something, reach out to a member of the leadership team.
A. For the sake of drawing a line somewhere, our service area is generally restricted to residents of the "Highlands" neighborhood (Ramapo, Rockledge, Mohawk, Van Houton, Huron, MacEvoy, Ostrander, and Seminole). We do make exceptions for neighbors on nearby streets bordering the Highlands (ie: Buxton, Fairmount, and Sunset) who are energetic, enthusiastic about making new friends, and willing to volunteer time with the HNA.
Q. How come there are parts of the website I can't view?
A. For the safety and security of our residents, we prefer not to post event locations or contact information publicly. Therefore, certain pages on this site require a username and password. Every resident of the Highlands may create a username/password combination. If you need assistance with this process, please email us and let us know.
Q. Why do you charge dues?
A. There are 4 reasons we charge dues:
- To cover annual fees associated with hosting, domain registration, tech support, and security features for this website.
- To cover administrative expenses such as printing/paper costs, fees for our digital directory app, and the fee for filing our tax documents online.
- To provide a financial base for the "Sunshine Committee."
- To cover costs associated with maintaining some of our neighborhood event supplies (high top tables that need repair, linens that need laundering & occasional replacing, reusable decor, speakers, etc.)
Q. I'm probably not going to participate in many social events, so why should I bother paying dues?
A. The majority of people who seek to live in a neighborhood, like this one, WANT the things that go with living in a neighborhood like this one: friendships, occasional social events, and support when needed (someone to loan a snowblower or maybe give you an egg when you're in the middle of a recipe). But even if you're not into any of that, could we make a case for property value? Our neighborhood has a strong reputation for being welcoming, socially active, fun, and supportive - all of which make it desirable. HNA volunteers work hard to keep the welcoming, social, and supportive vibe of our neighborhood going strong, so even if you don't plan on personally attending events or interacting with your neighbors to any degree, we hope you'll support our overall mission.
Q. Is my dues money going to be used toward a beer-fund?
A. No. Parties and events are 100% self-funded by the participants. That is why an RSVP for a given event requires payment at the time of RSVP.
Q. What do you do with leftover money?
A. At this time, we make donations to LOCAL charities or organizations. Past recipients have included the Chatham Township Volunteer Fire Department, the Senior Citizen Center of the Chathams, the Chatham Emergency Squad, and Helping Hands of Chatham.
Q. What exactly are you going to do with the email address I provide for this site?
A. Nothing. It's just your login for the website. It's also the email where anything you order on our site (ie, an event ticket/ RSVP) will send a receipt. That's it.
Q. Is there someone, an actual person, I can talk to if I want to change my email or be removed from any mailing lists?
A. Yes. Talk to Cate Hartzell, our site administrator. If you don't know where to reach her, check your directory or email us.
Q. What happened to Twig?
A. The short answer to why OHA Twig #15 fell apart as a neighborhood group is a lack of manpower. A volunteer organization can only succeed if there are people willing to repeatedly volunteer. Starting in 2016, Twig had an increasingly difficult time finding people willing to lead, willing to sign up for committees, and/or willing to plan/host events. And for the few events that were planned, getting people to show up after an RSVP was yet another hurdle. As an organization with fundraising as a primary objective, having members who were too busy to help was not sustainable. Our donations to Overlook were getting smaller and smaller because we were losing money on events (which happens when people RSVP without making a payment and then don't show). And due to lack of participation from within the Twig membership itself, we were opening up events to more and more people outside of Twig membership, and even outside of the neighborhood, just for the sake of being able to cover expenses AND raise money. The decision to disband Twig in 2018 was difficult - but those present at the final meeting agreed unanimously that it was the only viable course.
Q. How secure is your site for credit card transactions?
A. Card transactions are provided by Square, a trusted name in retail and one you probably recognize if you have ever shopped any small businesses. For information about how Square protects your transaction data, you can visit them here.
Q. Can I still pay for things by check?
A. Definitely. Check and Venmo are actually preferred (because we don't lose money on those transactions). Instructions for how to pay for events by check or Venmo are attached to every event information page. Checks should be made out to "Chatham Highlands Neighborhood Assoc." and dropped off to our Treasurer, Jodie, at 5 Rockledge.
Q. I have a question, comment, or complaint about an HNA activity or event. Whom should I speak to?
A. You can send an email to [email protected], or you can use the digital directory to locate contact information for current leadership (see *HNA Co-President titles within the digital directory).
Q. I emailed you but haven't heard back. How long do you take to respond?
A. Please be patient. We do our best to check the Chatham Highlands gmail account frequently, but life is busy and it occasionally falls off our radar. If you need immediate assistance with something, reach out to a member of the leadership team.