Communications with Members

Started by RonaldW • 5 replies • 1564 views

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RonaldW (South Carolina)
Posts: 901

Posted:

Another thread got derailed and the subject turned to communications between the BOD and the members. Below is what I posted on the other thread:

Let me tell you about communications.

Our city is playing with the garbage/trash pickup dates until they get it right. A while back, they sent two men in a truck to every home in our community to hang a tag on the doorknob announcing the new pickup day. The next week I observed my neighbor putting her garbage out on the wrong day (she's a casual friend as well as a neighbor). I asked her if she had seen the notice on her doorknob. She stated that she had seen it but "I didn't bother to read it" !

We have others putting out garbage, trimmings, etc. on the weekends, parking boats, trailers, etc. in violation of the CC&Rs. Their response "I thought they stopped enforcing that".

We mailed every owner a copy of the condensed version of the CC&Rs last month with the newsletter just so nobody could say they never got one. Result - about the same level of violations.

Other that grabbing them by the neck and violently shaking them (just kidding), how do you get their attention to communicate with them?

We have a website (new a couple months ago), we have a newsletter, we place temporary signs at the entrance informing members of holliday trash pickup schedule changes, and a member of the ACC visits each violator and tries to explain the rules (this is getting tiresome for him).

-----------------------------------------

So - any suggestions for getting the information out? Anything working for your HOA?

Ron
SC

GeraldT1 (<Not Specified>)
Posts: 519

Posted:

RonaldW,

It's time to inform owners officially that a fining procedure is going to be enforced for all violations to the cc&r's. Otherwise the HOA is enabling the behavior.

GeraldT1
NNJ

DwightT (Idaho)
Posts: 664

Posted:

Ronald -

If you do come up with something, please let me know. Communications is one of my biggest issues. I set up a web site for our HOA and configured an email list server for the homeowners. It barely gets used. We put out a semi-monthly newsletter that includes not only general HOA info but also the names addresses and phone numbers of all the board members. Yet at the HOA meeting last month, there were several complaints about issues that none of the board members had heard anything about.

I read an article somewhere by a property manager who described one board member that she worked with who generally wouldn't participate, but would instead wait for other board members or vendors to make a mistake, then pounce on them in public. In her case this person was a retired homicide detective and she attributed it to his training, but I wonder if thats just the way some people are.

hoatalk (California)
Posts: 603

Posted:

Posted By DwightT on 01/03/2007 7:36 AM

If you do come up with something, please let me know. Communications is one of my biggest issues. I set up a web site for our HOA and configured an email list server for the homeowners. It barely gets used.

Dwight, For our website customers, we find the following:

(1) Any online tool must be very easy and quick to use. Email listservs are not easy for many people. Online forums like HOATalk are easier and get more use.

(2) In addition, we find you must 'pull' people into the conversation to get good involvement. One of our options is to have all members auto-subscribed to the online forum and email announcements when they register on the website. Then, they get emailed on all new discussions and announcements. In your case, it would be like auto-subscribing to the listserv. Of course, we put unsubscribe instructions on every email and tell the user in advance they are being subscribed. Communities have seen significant increased member involvement with this approach.

(3) The vast majority of HOA owners have no interest in participation, no matter how easy you make it. You could offer $50 a head to show up at the next HOA meeting and still might not have a good turnout :-)
The good news is that it only takes a small number of extra volunteers/involved members to make the difference between a thriving HOA and a dying one. So, if your website pulls in a few, your newsletter a few more, etc. then you have made a great positive impact in your HOA.

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JosephW (Michigan)
Posts: 882

Posted:

"You can lead a horse to water....." All you can do is to communicate in as many different ways as possible, and as effectively as you can. About 9 years ago, a management company I knew took a random survey of new owners moving into their communities. About 20% had read the documents and they had retained about 17% of what they had read. Not very encouraging. So he decided to try a different approach and created a 15 minute videotape introducing people to community association living. After a year, he surveyed the people who had received the video. He found about 50% watched the video and they had retained about 40% of what they had viewed. Not wonderful, but a huge improvement. He also noted that violations among first year owners' had dropped significantly. He tried to take the video national but it never really sold. You can see them at:

http://www.communityassociations.net/education_main.html (Videos for owners)

A number of management companies are now including CD's with new owner packages that include video or PowerPoint presentations, copies of all documents, forms, and other needed information. Not perfect, but an improvement over welcome letters.

The one thing I find that works a little better than all of the writing is to use as many visual components as possible. When you write a note about trash day in the newsletter or on the web site, put a photo of someone taking the trash out next to it. The photo will draw the reader's attention.

Use PowerPoints at meetings to direct people's attention. Sample presentation:

http://www.riverpinescondominiums.com/2006_annual_meeting_presentation.ppt

Just don't give up, it often takes repeated notices to get through.

Joe

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CharlesW1 (Georgia)
Posts: 826

Posted:

JosephW,

I just finished watching the video with Joe West that would be perfect for new homeowners to receive. I couldn’t ask for anything better than that.

You said you couldn't purchase that video or could you? HMMMMM Do you know where I could find something very similar?

Chuck W.

Charles E. Wafer Jr.

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