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