HOA Resources & Tips for Conducting Annual Meetings

1
HOA Resources Tips for Conducting Annual
Meetings
2
HOA Resources

• Practical homeowner resources covering a wide
  range of topics should be available to every HOA
  board.
• One especially useful subject involves annual
  meetings.
• Guidelines and tips for how to conduct annual
  meetings is helpful to any HOA board.
•  
• Running an annual HOA meeting requires a sizeable
  amount of preparation.
• Because they can be so labor-intensive,
  organizing an annual meeting increases the risk
  of some tasks falling through the cracks.
• By developing strong HOA resources and annual
  meeting guidelines, board members can avoid any
  glitches.

3
HOA Resources

• Plan, Plan, Plan
• Planning is the foundation of the annual meeting.
  
• Without careful planning, board members wont
  know schedules, tasks and follow-up items.
• The boards HOA resources should include prepared
  processes, templates and more to help simplify
  planning.
•  
• Schedule
• The board needs to establish the annual meeting
  timeline.
• This timeline needs to work backwards from the
  actual meeting date to include all the activity
  involved prior to the meeting.
• An example might involve establishing a
  nominating committee and providing notices by a
  certain date to the HOA membership.

4
HOA Resources

• Review the Governing Documents
• The HOA Bylaws, for example, should clarify
  requirements for the annual meeting.
• The board will need to make sure they follow
  established rules for what needs to take place
  prior to the meeting.
• Either the HOA resources guidelines or the Bylaws
  should indicate the deadlines for these tasks.
•  
• Check with State Laws
• The HOA resources should also indicate any state
  laws governing the annual meeting.
• These laws may dictate requirements for formats,
  schedules, notices, agendas, time frames or other
  aspects of the annual meeting.

5
HOA Resources

• Get Expert Opinions
• If the HOA works with a management company, its
  important to get input from this professional
  organization on the annual meeting.
• HOA management companies have exceptional
  expertise when it comes to a wide range of HOA
  resources and can help ensure annual meetings are
  conducted without issue.
• In addition, the HOAs attorney should be
  consulted as needed.
•  
• Dont Discuss Issues Before the Meeting
• If issues are on the agenda for the annual
  meeting, board members must be careful not to
  discuss and/or resolve the issues among
  themselves before the meeting.
• Doing so may be a violation of some state laws.

6
HOA Resources

• Develop an Accurate Check-in Process
• Thorough HOA resources should include a process
  for checking in members at the annual meeting.
• Because voting takes place, getting an accurate
  attendance list is critical for accuracy.
•  
• Decide on an Agenda
• Developing an agenda is one of the most
  challenging tasks for an annual meeting.
• Too many agenda items will cause the meeting to
  go longer than it should.
• On the other hand, if some important issues
  arent covered, some members could feel the board
  did not do its job.

7
HOA Resources
Decide on an Agenda (cont.)

• Agenda items must also pass muster on
  confidentiality and privacy criteria. However,
  its critical the board always include positive
  items on the agenda.
• Although issues should be discussed, the annual
  meetings should not turn into solely a gripe
  session.
• Incorporate feel good stuff about the
  neighborhood and the accomplishments of its
  members.

• Determine if a Social Event is Appropriate
• Some HOAs hold social get-togethers in
  conjunction with the annual meetings.
• These events, such as a dinner or dessert social,
  could be held before or after the meeting as a
  way to enhance community relations.

8
HOA Resources

• Establishing and following HOA resources helps
  board members manage the associations projects
  more efficiently, including the annual meeting.
• The guidelines above turn an annual meeting into
  a productive and meaningful community event.

9
About the Author
Susan Williams is the Vice President, Business
Development and Marketing for Associated Asset
Management, a community management firm that does
business in Arizona, New Mexico and
Florida. Learn more about HOA Resources by
visiting http//www.AssociatedAsset.com.