Successful HOA Committees are vital for condominium and homeowner associations. Board members don’t have time to do everything on their own, so committees are their helping hands. Yet, it’s challenging to get enough homeowners to step up to the plate. The No. 1 reason that homeowners tell us they don’t want to get involved in committee work is that many HOA committees don’t function effectively. That’s an easy fix with the following tips.
Develop Committee Expectations with Timeframes
When your Board decides to establish a committee to handle a task, you need to develop a written description. It should include the purpose of the committee, specific job duties, reporting timeframe(s) and responsibilities. While you want to avoid micromanaging a committee, a group of people can’t perform vague tasks. The more information you provide, the better the committee members can do the job.
Choose an Effective Committee Leader
Often Board members serve as the chair of committees. This provides a communication link between the Board and committee and reduces misunderstandings. While leadership skills are critical for a committee chair, task knowledge is also important. Thus, you may decide on the area “expert” to serve as chair if he/she has leadership skills. However, putting someone in a leadership position only because they are an expert is setting the committee and the person up to fail. Use the topic expert in an advisory position if he/she doesn’t have leadership qualities. It’s a win for all.
Provide the Resources and Funds
To be effective, a committee must have the resources and money to do the job. When you provide the details of the assignment, include all research, resources and budget guidelines. The committee is accountable to the HOA Board, so knowing that reporting timelines and expectations help keep them on track.
Create Environment for Well-Run Committee Meetings
Volunteers are typically busy people, so respect them by using their time wisely. Put some thought into developing your meeting agendas and topic timeframes. Then, send it to committee members with adequate time to complete tasks/reports for the committee meeting. Adhere to the agenda topic timeframes so you accomplish your goals while ending the meeting on time. You’ll find it easier to recruit volunteers if you have the reputation of respecting your volunteers.
Recognize Volunteer Efforts
Acknowledge committee members and other community association volunteers regularly. Recognition can be as simple as sending them a thank you letter, summarizing their work in a newsletter or on your website, or acknowledging their efforts in a meeting. Check out our “10 Ways to Recognize HOA Volunteers” blog for more ideas.
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Wise Property Solutions is East Tennessee’s only Accredited Association Management Company (AAMC®). As the region’s leader in community association management, the firm is committed to the industry’s best practices and continuing professional development. Wise Property Solutions’ certified and highly trained property managers empower well-organized and efficient communities. The firm maintains offices in both Knoxville and the Tri-Cities.