For those who don't volunteeer to serve in your HOA/COA, Why not?

When I did volunteer, it was because I wanted to help save the HOA money (free labor, occasional supply donation) and I wanted to make a difference, to show that an hour of weed whacking at the mailbox could make life easy for everyone for the summer, that a half day of sanding and painting could turn the bulletin board into something nice.

I do not volunteer anymore, because one board member irritated me to no end, with his constant bickering, know-it-better than everyone else attitude, and his demeanor (and eventual insults) towards my wife. Because of that, and because none of the other board members would do more than sit mutely while he insulted her in a public meeting, the entire board and my HOA can now go straight to Hades. I wouldn't lift a finger to help my HOA now.

Tim,

This may not respond precisely to your question but these are some of my thoughts.

I think volunteers are great for short-term projects where there is a definite end. Examples of this would be planning the annual meeting or painting the bulletin board.

Using volunteers for regular duties such as keeping the books, mowing the lawns, or maintaining the website should not be delegated to volunteers. My experience has been that when there is no end to a project that the volunteers will burn out.

For example, my HOA exists primarily to maintain about 300 miles of dirt roads. We have a position titled Vice President of Roads and it has always been filled by a board member. This volunteer position is more than a full-time job. We have paid employees who operate our equipment, but the VP of Roads is their supervisor and ultimately responsible for all that happens. Over the years the position has improved somewhat as we now supply the VP with a small 4x4 truck for his use instead of using his own vehicle. The problem is that no matter how well the job is done, there is always someone complaining about the condition of his road. Eventually the VP hears one complaint too many and tells the rest of the board to take this job and shove it. I think we are now on our fifth or sixth VP of roads in ten years. The problem is that we are asking way too much of a volunteer and eventually he says enough is enough. BTW, all those who filled this position did a great job.

We had a similar problem with our first official website. One of our former presidents volunteered to build and maintain a site for us but she put it all under her own name (she paid for the whole thing herself). The website was adequate and I made lots of use of it. After years of accepting her work for free, someone made a comment that she took as an insult and she removed the entire website without notice, leaving us high-and-dry until our then-new management company provided a new site.

Very few of us perform jobs where we do not get some criticism. Paid professionals accept this as part of the job but volunteers who bust their butts for free want to receive at least a pat on the back. When they feel their work is not appreciated they head for the door.

In the last incarnations of both my HOAs I would not volunteer.

In both I used to volunteer time, money, and participate in neighborhood events. When the neighborhood changed I could no longer continue.

In both neighborhoods they converted from voluntary to mandatory using dubious means. In both, participating meant joining for eternity and I did not want to add that liability to my property, especially when both boards seemed intent on ignoring their governing documents and the statutes they were to abide by.

One board was a clique that refused anyone that disagreed with them and they carried along a mysterious set of proxies that shut everyone down. The other involved a hyper-ambitious president who loved patrolling the neighborhood in a golf cart, calling county code enforcement, slandering neighbors, and publishing lies in the monthly newsletter.

In both neighborhoods when I tried to help I was attacked and labeled a troublemaker. The HOA attorneys sent threats when questions were asked. It got to the point to where the only way I could volunteer my time is outside the community and that is what I did. I tried to organize homeowners and make them aware, I set up websites, went to meetings (when allowed) and distributed information, contacted public officials.