Are your HOA meetings attracting little to no interest in your Sugar Hill community?
Whether it's a board of directors meeting or a community-wide meeting, you want everyone who's supposed to attend to show up. Some meetings, especially where a crucial vote is to be taken, might not go ahead if attendance falls below the minimum threshold.
As part of your HOA community's leadership team, you must ensure your meetings are well-attended. If your efforts to ensure that happens have borne no fruit, today is your lucky day! Here are a few effective strategies you can use to get more people to attend the meetings.
Give Ample Notice
Imagine you're about to clock out on a Friday then your boss sends an email for an urgent meeting. Not a pleasant feeling, right?
No one likes impromptu meetings, and you shouldn't try to organize such meetings in your HOA. Always give ample notice, and in this case, we aren't talking about a few weeks' notice.
For an HOA annual meeting that's slated to happen at the end of the year, for example, the schedule should be out in the first quarter of the year. Residents will be well aware of the meeting long in advance, and all that will be left on your part is to send reminders when the date of the meeting approaches.
For smaller meetings, such as board or committee meetings, a few days' notice will suffice.
Choose Convenient Times and Locations
HOA meetings aren't like company meetings where the boss has the freehand to dictate the time and location for meetings. In a community where everyone has a busy schedule, how well a meeting is attended can come down to the timing and location.
As an example, it would be odd to hold an annual meeting during the summer when families are traveling for their vacations. Similarly, it wouldn't be prudent to hold a meeting on a weekday when almost everyone is busy with work and school.
If you're struggling to pick a convenient time and location, you can run a poll and allow attendees to air their views.
Set a Clear Agenda
Many people believe meetings are a waste of time, but as an HOA leader, you know well the value meetings bring to your community. You don't want to make your meetings any more boring for the attendees by failing to have a clear agenda.
Prior to the meetings, everyone should have a detailed idea of what will be discussed. This will help them prepare adequately.
Act on Meeting Resolutions
Many HOA homeowners stop attending community meetings because they don't result in anything anyway. Well, if you have a habit of doing little or nothing to the resolutions made in a meeting, don't be surprised if subsequent meetings yield low attendance.
Attendees want to know if their voices are being heard in HOA meetings. The best way to demonstrate the impact of the meetings is to act. Implement the resolutions diligently.
Hold Packed HOA Meetings
Increasing HOA meeting attendance shouldn't give you sleepless nights. With these strategies, you're now in a strong position to organize and hold packed HOA meetings. If you'd like the help of a professional, PMI Northeast Atlanta is here for you.
We're a team of experienced property managers who know what it takes to run a successful homeowner's association. From accounting and financial reporting to vendor coordination and asset maintenance, you can count on us to deliver.
Contact us for more information.
