In today’s busy world, more and more condo and homeowner associations find it challenging to find enough people to serve on the Board and committees. Even when you do find great people, they can’t do everything all the time. What can you do to ease the burden with Board members are feeling drained or just can’t take on another task? Here are a few suggestions.
Segment The Board Roles Where You Can. When people are extremely busy, it’s always scary to take on Board role. So, think about spreading the responsibilities among two or more people. For example, an owner in the association may be willing to take minutes, but they don’t want to be responsible for policy meetings. Another owner may want to work on policies, but he/she doesn’t want to take minutes. Think about this as job sharing – let each person perform the job where there passion is. By taking apart the pieces of what makes the association run and giving smaller pieces to different people, you can involve a lot more people. You also have the added advantage of allowing people to contribute where they excel, and this often makes everything run more smoothly.
Create Execution Committees. Participating in committees helps people become more involved and see what needs to be done to keep the homeowners association going. Thus, it’s a win-win when you get people to serve on short-term and standing committees. Plus, you reduce the work of your board members. This also helps you nurture and develop future potential Board members and committee leaders.
Reduce the Number of Board Seats. Do you really need all the Board members on a monthly basis? If not, you may want to consider reducing the number of seats. This will give you the option to call upon these homeowners for special committees, events and projects. Some people can work a special project into their schedule when they can’t find the time for a monthly meeting throughout the year. A smaller Board is a possibility, but evaluate your circumstances before you downsize to make sure that you can do it without negatively impacting services.
Hire a Property Manager. Overwork and burnout isn’t unusual for people on an HOA Board. It’s difficult to keep up with the trends. It’s a challenge to balance all the Association work with your family and work. Associations that are self-managed adds a lot of additional work for Board members, and they just can’t keep up with this year after year. One of the primary reasons you need a property management company is to take some of the workload off the Board members. A Property Management Company can take the execution of day-to-day activities from the Board, so that your Board members can focus on the major issues of the Association.
Everyone deserves to have time to enjoy their life. Sometimes, that means making a few changes or finding a little day-to-day help. Either way, you don’t have to carry the world on your shoulders. Take time to evaluate the changes or help your HOA Board needs to move forward and prevent burnout.