A new year around the corner can mean that your HOA’s board is about to welcome in some new board members.
Yes, new bodies on a board can bring an exciting chance for new ideas to mold the community, but new board membership also often comes with common issues that can leave Boards and communities frustrated.
What Are Common Issues New Board Members Face?
In order to have a smooth transition into board membership, it is important to address standard issues early. While you are easing new members into their roles, go through these common problems during orientation and how they can quickly be nipped in the bud.
Misunderstanding Their Role
Being on an HOA board may mean a person plays a prominent role in how the community flows, but it doesn’t allow a single board member to make immediate helpful or spiteful decisions.
An HOA board is a team of community members that work together to maintain the happiness of the community. All decisions are made as one and the community CC&Rs always come first.
In short, enjoy your time as a member of the board, but remind yourself that you aren’t the sole judge and jury of the community.
Making Decisions Before Knowing Governing Documents
Knowing where you have flexibility is vital to making the right decisions for your community. This all starts with becoming extremely familiar with your community bylaws, governing documents, and covenants.
Putting this effort into practice helps ensure your decisions are all legal and don’t accidentally violate your community’s bylaws.
Difficulties With Member Engagement
Member engagement can be difficult for any HOA board. However, getting your neighbors involved in the leadership process only stimulates great ideas and ensures your community meets the goals it truly wants.
While some may say that no news is good news, we believe that your board should always strive to get closer to its constituents.
This can easily be done through:
- Incentives for meeting attendance
- Movie nights
- Pool parties
- Block parties
Juggling Daily Duties With HOA Duties
People often forget that the duties of being an HOA board member get tacked onto the daily work and family responsibilities that elected members have.
In order to prevent excessive amounts of stress, we suggest utilizing your association’s management team as much as possible. With our behind-the-scenes help, new board members can enjoy their time in the community spotlight and make the big decisions without sacrificing work and family obligations.
How Can an Association Management Team Help?
Community management is essential for a Board of Directors that has several new members. A team like Goodwin & Company knows what it takes to set a community on the course of success and can help with some of the following duties:
- Dues collection
- Vendor bids
- Project oversight
- Legal counsel
- Financial counsel
- Budgeting, and more!
Guide Your HOA Board Members on the Right Path With Goodwin & Company
If your new board members need a little extra direction with leading your community, the team at Goodwin & Company can help.
Contact us today to learn more about our success with communities like yours and schedule an initial meeting with a member of our team.
