Volunteer Flyers

It seems to me that often people in organizations think it's a great idea to form committees not explicitly authorized in the organization's bylaws and declaration. The typical arguments for this are that committees "invite participation; build consensus; bring expertise; raise awareness;" and so on. Rarely in my professional and volunteer experience have committees done anything other than invite conflict or yield results that were ignored by the main board. It is not trivial that the board has the legal power, and those committees not explicitly authorized by the governing documents do not. Furthermore, years ago I attended professional training where the trainer explained that committees confound things. Command decisions are far superior to progressing an organization's mission. In the case of a board, to me this means meetings where the board's discussion is made in front of members and then published to members. I think a good board will ensure that any major discussion, and possible vote on same, is on its agenda. The board will ensure that proper notice that the item will be discussed at the next meeting is provided. I think HOA boards should invite commentary at some point in its deliberations of any major issue, with the caveat that civility must be observed and time limits on commentary may be imposed. The board should make as rational a decision as possible, in what it perceives are the best interests of the HOA and recognizing that not everyone will agree with the decision. Once in awhile, a decision will be highly controversial. Be ready to defend your decision. Also there is no crime in changing one's mind. Try to study up enough that you do not feel compelled to change your mind, but maybe always ponder that the measure of a person's character is perhaps her or his honesty. Mistakes happen. When a board member admits the mistake, she or he is likely to win respect, not lose it. If you know much of this already, I beg your pardon.

Thank you for your reply AugustinD. However, I didn't ask for anyone's opinion on whether we should have a committee, only if there were suggestions on how to write a flyer asking for volunteers and examples thereof.