HOA Communications: Be Proactive To Manage Expectations About Board Member Accessibility
September 25, 2009
Some community members seem to think that their HOA board should
be available 24/7 to listen to every and any complaints,
suggestions and comments. This week's tip comes from a new
article about setting boundaries to protect yourself (and the
rest of your board) from this common problem.
Elizabeth White, a shareholder and head of the community
associations practice at the law firm of LeClairRyan in
Williamsburg, Va., hears board members complain about this issue
often. "A lot of it comes back to setting boundaries and
expectations," she says.
"What I communicate to association members is, 'Being on the
board is a volunteer position. You have lives and jobs, and
board members have the same. They're committed to you to lead
this community. But just as you're not on call 24 hours a day,
neither should they be.'"
Elizabeth adds, "There needs to be a balance between board members
being responsible and everybody realizing this is a volunteer
position—and that needs to be explained proactively, not after
there's a problem." Today's tip is to take that proactive approach. Think how and
where you can convey this concept to your community—whether
it's your next newsletter or a message on your HOA website, or
through some other means.
And for more tips on successfully setting boundaries so that your
volunteer board position doesn't become a 24-hour job, see our
new article. (Go there now.)
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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