CommunityHOA

California Reflections HOA

Community website serving 174 homes, featuring a custom markdown CMS that replaced Contentful and eliminated $300/year in fees while improving the editorial workflow with auto-categorization and OneSignal email notifications.

Overview

As a resident and board member of the California Reflections HOA, I built and maintain the community website serving 174 homes. The project involved migrating from an expensive Contentful CMS to a custom markdown-based system, eliminating ongoing CMS costs while improving the content management experience. The site serves as the central hub for community information, featuring auto-categorized news posts, document archives, and an integrated newsletter system.

Contentful to Markdown Migration

One of the key technical achievements was migrating from Contentful's headless CMS to a custom markdown-based solution:

Migration ScriptsBuilt automated scripts to convert Contentful entries to markdown

Frontmatter ParsingImplemented metadata parsing for dates, categories, authors

Auto-CategorizationSystem tags posts based on content analysis automatically

$0 CMS CostsReduced CMS costs from ~$300/year to $0 with markdown

Better WorkflowSimple file-based content management for board members

OneSignal Newsletter Integration

Implemented a robust notification system to keep residents informed about community news:

Email SubscriptionsSubscription system for community announcements

Auto NotificationsAutomated emails when new posts are published

SegmentationSegment-based targeting for different announcement types

Unsubscribe ManagementPreference controls and unsubscribe handling

Analytics DashboardTracking engagement and delivery metrics

Technical Stack

Built with modern web technologies for performance and maintainability:

FrameworkNext.js with App Router

LanguageTypeScript for type safety

CMSMarkdown/MDX with frontmatter

StylingTailwind CSS

NotificationsOneSignal email integration

HostingVercel with edge caching

Results & Impact

$300/yr Saved

Eliminated Contentful CMS fees through markdown migration

85% Less Paper

Reduced paper mailing costs through digital communications

Auto-Categorization

Automated post tagging saves hours of manual work

Higher Engagement

Newsletter notifications increase resident participation

Key Learnings

CMS Migration StrategiesGained expertise in migrating from headless CMS platforms to file-based systems, including data extraction, content transformation, and maintaining editorial workflows during transition.

Content Auto-CategorizationDeveloped algorithms for automatically categorizing content based on keywords and content analysis, reducing manual editorial work while maintaining accurate organization.

Non-Profit Cost OptimizationLearned to evaluate technology choices through the lens of total cost of ownership, finding creative solutions that deliver enterprise-quality results within non-profit budget constraints.

Community Notification SystemsImplemented OneSignal for targeted community communications, learning to balance notification frequency with engagement while respecting user preferences and privacy.

"The new website has transformed how we communicate with our residents. Information is now easily accessible, and the email notification system ensures everyone stays informed about community matters. The cost savings from eliminating our old CMS were an added bonus."

— California Reflections HOA Board

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