Most HOA boards in San Francisco are led by volunteer homeowners who are interested in serving their community and making their building better for themselves and their neighbors. It’s hard to take time out of your own busy schedule to participate in the management of your community. We know it’s often a challenge, but we appreciate the commitment that HOA boards have to their community, and we enjoy supporting them in whatever way we can.
HOA board meetings can be especially difficult, particularly if they’re disorganized, not well-attended, or over-run with off topic items. Respect your time and the time of your fellow board members by making your meetings more effective and efficient. These HOA meetings need to be worth your time and energy, and you want them to be productive.
Let’s look at some strategies for making HOA meetings better.
PREPARE TO TAKE GOOD MEETING MINUTES
Documenting the decisions that come out of your HOA meetings is an important part of your corporate record. Don’t forget this important step. Assign someone the responsibility for taking minutes during the meeting. Typically, this is the board secretary, but anyone can take notes and type them up into official minutes.
1. PRODUCTIVE SAN FRANCISCO HOA MEETINGS BEGIN WITH AN AGENDA
Have a detailed and specific agenda ready before the meeting starts, and distribute it to board members and homeowners so everyone will know what to expect from the meeting.
A good board meeting agenda will have the following:
Specific points of discussion. - Compliance with your governing documents, which may have their own requirements about what’s discussed and voted on.
- Speaker leading the agenda item discussion.
- Time allocated for each agenda item.
The agenda does not have to be five pages long with various sections and sub-points. Keep it simple and easy to follow. Any discussions or questions not on the agenda can be tabled for the next meeting or a separate committee. Avoid long debates and discussions because that’s the best way to push your meeting off track.
2. ENCOURAGE ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION BUT MANAGE THE CROWD
Put out a lot of advance notice about your meetings. You want homeowners to feel welcome to attend.
Board meetings that are well-attended often reflect a healthy and engaged community.
While participation and attendance should be encouraged, you want to make sure you’re limiting the time spent on each topic and the direction of your discussions. Reserve some time in the agenda at the beginning or the end of the meeting for homeowners to introduce a grievance, share an opinion, or make a statement in favor or against an existing rule or policy. You don’t want your meeting to turn into a free for all.
A good strategy is to have community participants submit their questions or comments in advance. This gives the board an opportunity to prepare, and no one will feel caught off guard.
3. ADJOURN WITH AN ACTION LIST
As the meeting draws to a close, provide an oral summary of what was discussed and decided. Then, create and review an action list for each board member, committee, and if necessary, attendee. An action list can keep everyone accountable and clear on expectations and responsibilities.
Spend a few minutes to confirm that everyone agrees what was discussed and decided. Confirming with everyone while you’re all together is more effective than having emails fly back and forth between meetings.
San Francisco HOA Meetings Can be Positive and Pleasant
Sometimes, you’ll hear a collective groan when a meeting is proposed or called. That’s usually because people tend not to love meetings. But, when your HOA board is engaging, willing to listen, and
proactive with community communication, these meetings can be productive and effective.
SAN FRANCISCO HOA PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
It’s possible your HOA board is already pulled in so many different directions that planning for a meeting is simply not a priority. If that’s the case, you may need
professional San Francisco HOA management. At BanCal Property Management, we’ve been doing this for associations like yours for decades. We can make sure your meeting meets its potential and its goals.