Planning for Association Meetings

Homeowner's Association meetings are rarely as simple as they should be. They often devolve into chaos if not handled correctly, so it is the Board of Director's job to ensure that the meeting goes smoothly. The way to ensure this is to make a plan beforehand and to set forward an agenda. All of this should be tackled long before the meeting is ever in session.

The first thing the Board of Directors need to determine is, what sort of meeting is it? Town meeting, annual membership meeting, party, special meeting, etc. These are all different types of gatherings with different meanings and purposes. They each have their time, but to confuse one purpose with another can be incredibly distracting. If people show up expecting to be able to participate but the Board of Directors is in Executive Session the whole time, problems could arise. Paul Mengert, President of Association Management Group, has seen this happen again and again.

So, how to plan? It is important that the Board understand that meetings should not be called for no reason, but neither should they be scared to call one. They have a purpose and should be used for that purpose. Effective communications and notices are also essential.