How to Attract Volunteers to Run Your HOA Committee
It can be tough to find the manpower necessary to run a successful HOA committee. Usually when a new HOA is formed, everyone wants to get involved, and the community center down the street is packed. But eventually, the crowd tends to thin out, and you’re left with a few die-hards who are in it for the long haul.
Now, sometimes that’s enough, but sometimes you’re going to need a few more hands on deck to attract volunteers and make things work. Here are a few tips on how to attract volunteers to dedicate their time and energy to the HOA board:
ASK.
Sounds simple, but launching consistent email/hardcopy campaigns will get people involved if it is done the right way. Throughout daily life, your neighbors get busy with work, family, school, sports, etc. and HOA priorities can fall by the wayside. A bright pink slip of paper with a couple of paragraphs explaining why you need volunteers will remind them of the issues facing the neighborhood. Just be sure that it is written with the right balance of clarity, conciseness, and be sure to be earnest in your appeal to your neighbors. If you remind them that you’re working hard and that you’re all in this together, they will start showing up again.
Clarity is Key
A lot of the time, community members are reluctant to volunteer because they’re not sure about what kind of time commitment they are putting in – let alone what kind of task they’re volunteering for. Be sure to explain the role of each volunteer position, whether it be for the safety committee, the financial committee, the communications committee or others.
Consistency
Clarity and consistency go hand in hand. Structure is incredibly important to the health of an HOA. Of course, all HOAs, committees, and even board members are different, but there needs to be a strong consistency for methods of communication, organization, and the carrying out of actionable items in order to maintain a strong attendance and participation from the rest of the community. From everything from procedural issues to the big picture, there should be a clear method of communication through all of it. If things are messy, more and more people will start to jump ship.
Persistence
The duties of an HOA committee never really let up, and there is always a need for the help and input of the community. It may sound irritating, but keep reminding your neighbors to come to meetings. Again, be sure to explain the current needs to the board, as well as remind them that being proactive is the best way to avoid problems in the future. It’s better for everyone if they volunteer.
Give Back
Interact with your volunteers. Show them how grateful you are by publicly thanking them either in person or more publicly like on the HOA website. If you have a lot of volunteers coming, be the first one to bring the donuts and coffee to the meeting, and make sure that you follow up every time with each person about what’s coming next. Guaranteed your neighbors will be grateful, and will want to get more involved.
Of course, there’s no silver bullet for running the perfect HOA committee, but it starts with finding the right people in the community to help out. Don’t be afraid to ask your neighbors to dedicate their time and effort for the good of the community. As long as you stay with it, you’ll have more than enough people on board.
Recent Comments