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Studies show that there are more than 350,000 Homeowners and Community Associations in the United States today. If you're a Colorado Springs HOA board member, you may struggle to properly prepare your HOA meetings.
How can you run these meetings effectively in a way that makes them both enjoyable to partake in and a benefit for your community? One of the best ways is to ensure you're planning ahead.
If you're struggling to plan your next HOA board meeting, we're here to help. Read on to learn more about how to hold an effective meeting with your community members. We'll also look at some of the different types of HOA meetings to help you plan your meeting.
Decide Your Agenda
Your first step is to decide the agenda of your HOA board meeting. But how does the type of HOA meeting affect your agenda?
Some of the many types of HOA meetings include:
- Regular sessions
- Executive sessions
- Work sessions
- Special meetings
- Committee meetings
- Emergency meetings
- Annual meetings
Consider the type of meeting you're holding and the end goal. It's acceptable not to plan for an emergency meeting due to their sudden nature. For all other meetings, you should have a thorough and organized agenda to follow.
Prepare Your Materials
The next step is to ensure you've prepared your materials. These may include financial reports, documents to discuss, or transcripts from the last meeting.
If you intend to distribute any documents, you should ensure these are printed out beforehand. Doing so can help everyone stay on the same page, particularly in discussions of property management.
Give Proper Notice
You should never hold a meeting without giving proper notice to the attendants. Regular sessions (as well as most other sessions) are open to the community. If you don't tell your community you're holding the meeting, they'll feel as if they were shut out.
In the event of a closed meeting, such as an executive session, community members should still receive notice. Doing so can help members raise any concerns to board members they may have.
Encourage Participation
Finally, you should encourage the participation of all board members and community members.
It's tempting for an HOA board member to hold the meeting and lead all discussions. Doing so can sometimes give the feeling that you've called everyone to a lecture rather than a discussion.
Use your position to encourage and promote discussion rather than control it. Ask your community members questions and prompt fellow board members to discuss their thoughts on any relevant topics.
By doing so, you create a healthy and civil space for discussion. Community members will feel more satisfied and welcome to give their thoughts in the future.
Running HOA Meetings
HOA meetings may feel overwhelming, but with proper planning, they can nearly run themselves. Do your best to give the necessary notice to your community members and have your materials prepared ahead of time. Keep a calm and friendly atmosphere so everyone is comfortable speaking.
For more information, be sure to browse our site. You can also contact us to see how we can help your property management run smoothly.
