Drafting an agenda, preparing presentation slides, rounding up HOA residents; planning and running an HOA meeting can get stressful fast. If you fail to plan ahead of time, the meeting could get away with you. Long HOA meetings can frustrate HOA residents, leading to less participation in the future.
Before that happens, use these tips for running more efficient meetings. Applying these tips can help your HOA community complete more tasks in less time. Plan ahead today!
Prepare Early
To ensure an efficient, productive meeting, prepare ahead of time. Determine:
- Key concerns
- What topics you'll cover
- Who will be present
Try to anticipate the questions your HOA residents will ask during the meeting. Prepare your answers beforehand to avoid lengthy, unnecessary discussions.
Preparing for the meeting ahead of time will allow you to develop the meeting's structure. It can also help you recognize potential issues and how to best avoid them.
Encourage HOA residents to attend by offering incentives like food and drinks. Let them know what topics the meeting will cover. You can also boost attendance by hosting a raffle.
If you're still struggling to boost attendance, consult your association manager.
Create an Agenda
Your HOA board meeting agenda will serve as a guideline. You can determine how the meeting will proceed from beginning to end. Within your agenda, highlight:
- Issues you need to address
- Committee reports
- Action items
- Business updates
Include the meeting name, homeowners' open forum, and officer reports. Plan for roll call, approval of minutes from previous meetings, old business, and new business.
Your meeting agenda will set the pace of the meeting. It also ensures all discussions will remain on track.
Use Technology
Boost your HOA community's productivity during meetings by advancing accessibility. Technology can make meetings more accessible.
For example, you can start hosting shorter meetings virtually. Virtual homeowner association meetings lead to increased attendance nationwide. Make sure to consult your governing documents to ensure new policies are in line with the community's rules.
Hire an HOA Management Company
About 2.5 million community association board members perform 98.5 million hours of volunteer service a year. Your HOA board volunteers could experience burnout without help. The time they spend preparing and leading HOA meetings is time they could dedicate to their families instead.
Support your HOA board by hiring an HOA management company. An experienced HOA manager can help you discover ways to function more efficiently.
For example, they can improve and protect recordkeeping for your HOA community. You can use your minutes as a reference source.
After meetings, your community association manager can create a brief. They'll post it on the community website. Anyone who didn't attend can review the brief, which will increase communication and transparency.
Maximize Productivity at Your HOA Meetings
HOA meetings don't have to feel stressful and daunting. Use these tips to make your next meeting more productive. With these tips, you can conduct success meetings and accomplish your goals.
Remember, you don't have to do it all alone. Hiring an HOA community manager can give you access to expert guidance.
Our team at PMI Cross Timbers strives to elevate the standard of association management. We can tailor our solutions based on your community's needs. Contact us to learn more about how we can support your HOA community.
