An effective board is key to the success all common interest communities. HOA and condo association board meetings are the place where the board gather and make the decisions that affect your entire community. Therefore, planning and executing productive board meetings is vital.
Board members are volunteers. Each board member has their own lives, jobs, families, and responsibilities. Making the most of board meeting time, respects the value of each member’s time, and is crucial to the success of the community. We want to equip you with tools needed to have a productive board meeting.
Three Tips for Productive Board Meetings
1) Plan the agenda carefully. Organization and planning are key to a productive board meeting. At the center of this organization and planning should be the agenda. A detailed agenda should be created well before the meeting. It should include the expected topics for discussion. You should distribute the agenda ahead of the meeting.
We find it helpful to build an agenda with times assigned to each agenda item. Not all agenda items have to be allotted the same amount of time. However, a timed agenda helps people stay on task and topic. It may even be helpful to give someone the job of monitoring the time allotted to each agenda item.
2) Pick a time that works for everyone. Most board meetings should run no more than an hour to an hour and a half. Knowing how long the meeting should take will help you plan your agenda. This information will also help you select an appropriate time for the meeting. Give all board members a chance to weigh in on the best times for them. Evenings are likely not the most productive. According to these Honolulu property managers holding a business meeting during business hours is often a productive strategy for ensuring a business meeting stay focused on its important business.
Planning meetings 12 months in advance can be a helpful approach to ensuring you have a date that will work for everyone. Sure things come up that can cause a board member to miss a meeting, however , you want to minimize those occasions whenever possible. Ensuring full board participation results in better decision-making and more diverse opinions represented in the meeting.
3) Take notes and keep minutes. Organization doesn’t stop at planning the meeting and agenda. You will also need to record a record of the meeting. Assigning this job to a single person is usually advisable.
Appropriately detailed meeting minutes are important. They help your board be clear with residents what actions the board has considered and taken. Minutes can also be used to answer any questions that may arise. If a board member must miss a meeting, the minutes can be used to catch them up to speed before the next meeting.
Remember, the most important aspects of a productive board meeting are organization and planning. If you need help with any of the tasks mentioned above, then you should consider an Accredited Associatino Management Company (AAMC) to serve your HOA like Wise Property Solutions. We serve the Knoxville and Tri-Cities area in east Tennessee. Contact us today to learn how Wise Property Solutions can help your common interest community thrive.