Make Your Committees More Effective Today

Part of being on an HOA board is participating in and chairing committees. Some board members hate this part of the job because they feel like committees are pointless or like they take forever to make any decisions. However, that usually has more to do with how the committee is run than with the committee itself. Here are a few things you can do to make your committees work more efficiently and to help them achieve their purposes effectively.

Make the Purpose Clear

Make sure that each committee knows what it is there to do. You should also make sure that the committee knows what it is NOT there to do. If there are some decisions that the board wants to make itself, for instance, make sure that the committee knows that so they don’t spend valuable time debating those questions. Tell the community why each committee is there, too, so they know what to expect and who to expect it from.

Fill All Essential Positions

Every committee needs a chairperson, and that should be one of the first positions that you fill. You’ll also want to make sure that every committee has someone responsible for taking notes and marking decisions. It’s a good idea to put someone on each committee who can function as a liaison between it and the board, so everyone on both sides knows who to talk to.

Find the Right People

Once you know what positions need to be filled on each committee, make sure you get the right individuals for those jobs. The chairperson should be a good communicator skilled in building consensus and managing meetings. Your financial people should have a background in accounting or related fields. Choosing the right people for a committee can also mean finding individuals in the association who care about those particular issues.

Schedule Meetings Early

Get all of your meetings on the calendar at least a few months in advance. Make sure they work for the majority (if not all) of the committee members and that everyone receives and accepts any relevant calendar invitations. That way, people don’t have an excuse for missing the meeting later unless there’s a legitimate emergency.

Plan Ahead

Treat each meeting as if it was important. Set aside at least 30-60 minutes to prepare for the meeting by reading the minutes from the last meeting, prepping any presentations, or thinking

through the questions that will be on the table. If everyone does this, meetings will go faster and be more efficient than ever before.

Show Appreciation

When committees achieve their goals, recognize both the committee and the people on it. This doesn’t have to be a major thing. You can publish their names in a newsletter or in a special letter produced by the board. This tells people that their contributions were appreciated and may make members more likely to serve on committees in the future.

If you need help running committee meetings for your HOA, contact us at AMI today!