By: Larry Hartman, Regional Manager, FirstService Residential
When I think about gaining volunteers to serve on association boards and committees, the childhood story of “Mother Hen” comes to mind. In many associations, the same volunteers have been selflessly serving for what may seem forever. They are the ones who serve on the board of directors, most likely several committees, plan and execute the social events, the list goes on and on. Often times when I speak to these amazingly dedicated individuals, I ask the question, why? Most of the time I receive the same response- “who else is going to do it?” Here are some tips to help gain more participation from homeowners so that volunteering for the association doesn’t become a full-time job.
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When I think about gaining volunteers to serve on association boards and committees, the childhood story of “Mother Hen” comes to mind. In many associations, the same volunteers have been selflessly serving for what may seem forever. They are the ones who serve on the board of directors, most likely several committees, plan and execute the social events, the list goes on and on. Often times when I speak to these amazingly dedicated individuals, I ask the question, why? Most of the time I receive the same response- “who else is going to do it?” Here are some tips to help gain more participation from homeowners so that volunteering for the association doesn’t become a full-time job.
- Social events – Whether you are a fifty-unit townhome community or a 4,000+ unit master-planned development, social events are a great way to encourage residents to become active in their community and an opportunity to begin planting the seed towards volunteering. Social events allow residents to meet their neighbors and interact with their board of directors. While the first few events may have low attendance, do not be discouraged. If you continue to host them, more people will attend. Consistency is key. To add potential success-driven factors to any social event, invite your vendors to attend and even contribute to the event by providing food, raffle prizes or a monetary donation. This will add value for your residents to interact with the association’s vendors and make everyone feel like they are all invested in the community.
- Find the “experts” – Every community has residents that have experience or are very passionate about one or more aspects of the homeowners’ association. This may be a landscape designer, a civil engineer, or even the homeowner who comes to the board meetings to discuss non-compliance issues. These are great individuals to build relationships with and encourage to serve on the various association committees, as their experience and passion typically ensures they will want to volunteer for an extended period of time and provide tremendous value. Keep in mind that your committees are great training grounds for future board members.
- Praise – It is essential when you do gain volunteers that you make them feel appreciated. This can be by acknowledgement of their dedication in the community newsletter, mentioning their hard work at the board and annual meetings, or even presenting a certificate of appreciation to them. When others see the praise that these individuals are receiving and the impact that they are making for the community, they will also want to be a part of it.
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