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Homeowner Association Committees Par Excellence

Committees are an often overlooked asset to your community. They provide individual members the opportunity to serve and shine in a focused way. Committees also act as a training ground for folks that may not want to jump into a board role right away. Here is the profile of an effective committee system: Chairman Look for someone with good leadership skills, organization and ability to motivate members. The chairperson is responsible for preparing and presenting committee reports to the Board, delegating responsibilities, calling meetings and soliciting input from members. Membership 4-9 members per committee is optimal. Be careful to include those members who can make a genuine contribution. Desirable characteristics include honesty, flexibility, dependability, and the ability to work well with others. Members should be placed into roles that best suit their talents. Types of Committees Standing Committees are created by the governing documents and function on a permanent basis. Examples are executive, rules and regulations, architectural review, finance/budget, landscape, newsletter and crime watch. Ad Hoc Committees are appointed for a particular purpose and exist as long as needed to complete a specific task. Examples might include budget and nominating, etc. Meeting Procedure The degree of formality depends on your committee. Meetings should be arranged so all members are visible to one another to encourage open discussion. Meeting dates should be established well in advance, so members can make necessary arrangements. Provide written agendas prior to each meeting and set time limit for a discussion of topics. Call on a different members for their opinion on each agenda item. Recognition is a vital part of all volunteer work. It generates a sense of group involvement and is an important tool for motivation. Timing is important. Delayed recognition is much less effective. Make recognition sincere, honest and fair. If you reward volunteers who are not performing, it may serve to diminish the value of volunteers who are performing well. Understand your volunteers. What satisfies and motivates one person, may not motivate another. Determine what type of recognition would be most meaningful to each volunteer. Some may appreciate a public ceremony, while others will better appreciate a small private one. Rewards are one way of recognizing volunteers. They are long-term motivators and include thanks and praise, giving more responsibility and reference letters. Awards are another way of showing appreciation for a job well done. Consider Certificates of Appreciation, plaques, personalized t-shirts, mugs, etc., gifts and gift certificates. Committees can be designed to fit individual talents like gardening, accounting and entertaining. It is also a great entree to a board position once comfort level increases. Do you have an unfilled need in your community? Form a committee and let it run! For more information on this subject, see www.Regenesis.net. Note: Thanks to Lauren A. Bush of CommunityNewsletters@onelist.com

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