Most of the conversations I have with professional colleagues indicate a shared belief that turn over is one of the biggest challenges the community association industry has to address. It is a complicated and difficult problem that starts with the fact that board members are volunteers who serve for a short term and then often leave. Even with staggered terms, it is hard to find a board with a member who has served more than 2 or 3 terms and often, the governing documents precludes it.
Yes, board members can abuse their power, especially if they have been on the board for some time. Yet the chances of that possibility, if the rest of the team is strong and involved, balanced against having really knowledgeable and effective members, is a discussion worth having.
Managing association communities is a complex business yet we are dependent on volunteers to do it. What we don’t consider is the value of history and historical practices; board decisions with regard to rules enforcement and architectural requests are just a couple of examples.
I have many friends who live in or own condominiums (for the sake of conversation, I am including all PUDs in this term). What I find is that, in general, people don’t understand:
a. the difference in types of condos and PUDs; often confusing construction with the legal description
b. what the association is responsible for
c. what they – the homeowner, is responsible for
d. what their dues pay for
e. why their dues are “so high”
f. the difference between operating funds and reserve funds
g. the role of the board
h. the role of the manager
i. that consistency is key to saving money
j. that enforcing the rules has a direct impact on the value of their property
k. that long term relationships can help save everyone time, energy and money!
These and other important concepts have to be part of the conversation during board meetings. There is a place for Roberts Rules of Order and even within that framework there can be time on the agenda for discussion around every decision. What if every discussion is an opportunity to learn, to teach and to ask important questions? Is everyone on the same page – or at least reading the same book? What have prior boards decided? What actions were taken in the past?
In an industry where the average property manager (or management company) is on board for less than 5 years (often with 2-4 individual managers even within the same company), and board member turnover is mandated, history often resides in paper files, boxes in storage areas, in board members basements/attics, or tossed out or lost as the revolving people door dictates. Every association needs history. Every board member and manager needs to be able to speak to the basic differences in their association(s) and understand the impact of their decisions. They need to be able to see what has gone on before them.
In today’s technological world, databases are the key to many of these questions. I know that my board members are grateful when I give them a print out of all the rule enforcement actions against a unit when a complaint is received; or a history of approvals (or disapprovals) when an architectural request is reviewed. Whether you use a commercial database such as CAMPro (www.campro.us) or one of the others available, or whether you create your own history in access or excel, having history is one of the first tools in educating both board members, managers and your membership. Without it, you can find yourself paddling willy-nilly upstream, subject to complaints of favoritism, abuse of power and setting precedents that future boards have to live with in perpetuity.
Yet, how to address these issues? Do we create legislation that requires board members to attend training before serving (as recently proposed in California)? I believe the job truly falls to managers and managers have to be trained not only in legislative issues, but also how to train their boards, how to manage and direct teams, and how to use the vast wealth of information they are privy to in a positive and effective way with their boards.
In order to do all this, we have to be able to reduce the burn out that many managers experience. Lessen workloads, use technology wisely, provide more cross-team training and back up; mentor each other and reduce the competitiveness prevalent in the industry. There is no scarcity of clients and the “pool” grows every year.
If we can diminish our contribution to the “revolving door” syndrome, perhaps we can help empower ourselves and our board members more effectively.
Gayle J. Hasley,
Community Association Manager
Community Association Homeowner
gayle@campro.us
www.campro.us
