The Essential Components of a Successful HOA Board Meeting

If you’re new to being on your HOA board or you feel like your meetings aren’t as effective as they could be, try the following strategies. Making sure your meetings are running well will help motivate people to attend them and will help your whole organization work more efficiently.

Have an Agenda

An agenda is basically a list of things to talk about during the meeting, put in an order that makes sense. Some agendas even contain time blocks in which certain topics will be discussed, though this can be difficult to stick to if something comes up that complicates the proceedings.

Make sure that every member of the board receives a copy of the agenda well before the meeting so they have a chance to go over it. That way, they can request any changes or additions that they need so no one is trying to change the direction of the meeting as it’s happening.

Get a Quorum

A quorum is the minimum number of board members who must be present at a meeting so that decisions can be made during the meeting. If a quorum cannot be present, then no official decisions can happen at that particular meeting. This minimum number should be outlined in your HOA’s governing documents.

Meeting without a quorum can be frustrating. The board might discuss something extensively, but they cannot make any decisions because there aren’t enough people present. Making sure that there will be a quorum before the meeting happens helps ensure the board’s effectiveness.

Follow a Procedure

There are a number of variations of parliamentary procedure out there. The most common is “Robert’s Rules of Order”, and you may choose to use this one simply because many of your board members will already be familiar with it.

No matter what procedure you choose, make sure you stick to it. Get new board members up to speed so they know what to expect, particularly if they haven’t previously used the particular procedure your board has chosen.

Take Good Minutes

Make sure that you have a designated minute-taker, that they know they are the minute-taker, and that they know what is expected from them. Some boards have one person who always takes the minutes. Others rotate the job between all board members so everyone has a chance to both write and participate. Check out this blog for more information about taking HOA meeting minutes.

Schedule Regular Meetings

Your governing documents should outline the minimum number of times your HOA board needs to meet over the course of a year for maximum effectiveness. You may want to meet more than that, if the documents allow it, so you can make seasonal decisions, etc.

Make sure your meetings are regular and that they follow a pattern, like being on the first Thursday of the month. That makes it easier for people to plan to attend them.

If your HOA board meetings are a mess, contact us at AMI today. We’ll help communities in Venice, Longboat Key, Lakewood Ranch, and the surrounding areas get everything organized again so their boards can function efficiently.