5 Tips For Planning Your Next HOA Meeting

Want to make your HOA meeting better attended and more productive? Proper planning and execution of a board meeting is a vital component of accomplishing items in a timely and efficient manner. Our property management division helps work with associations to coordinate and run meetings based on best practices in the industry. Here are 5 tips any association can use:

1. Give as much advance notice as possible

Start the process as much in advance as possible in order to get the most attendance and allow people to make accommodation for the meeting. Check your governing documents and make sure you are giving notice in accordance with them. 6 months is a typical timeframe but up to a year can help you get the most from your meetings.

Have a mailing go out 60 days in advance with another a month out. It can be a great idea to include a “save the date” in your newsletter as well as a reminder.

2. Consider upcoming events that could tie-in

Hosting a coffee hour or holiday party can be a great way to get people more excited about coming to a meeting. Consider holidays around the time you want to hold a meeting and see if you can come up with a successful tie-in. Be cautious, however, that it does not make the event overly long or that it runs into time you set aside for the actual meeting or speakers coming in.

3. Be sensitive to “hot topics”

If there is an issue or big topic that is going to be discussed, be prepared. One of the best ways to do this is to educate people ahead of time and arm them with as much information as possible. This allows them to research and understand the facts so you can have a better discussion during the actual meeting.

4. Think positive

There are always going to be sensitive discussions and topics that cause a bit of discontent during an HOA meeting. Handling these is important but it is also a good idea to have positive items on the agenda as well. Mix in things that are good and will make people happy – not just all negative or chaotic things.

5. Know your bylaws

Understand the rules that were made to run the HOA and its meetings and follow them. This may seem simple, but there are lots of areas – such as voting privileges, that boards sometimes think they understand but actually do not. Giving yourself a refresher of the rules often is a smart thing to do and can eliminate problems down the road.