Effective delegating to other board members

It is a VOLUNTEER. You can't really force volunteers to do more than they want to do. It's kind of like herding cats. If you want to delegate learn not to be a micromanager. The time table isn't yours. Work with others on what they want to do. They will do it if it is something they have an interest in or their job. So start enabling others than taking it on yourself.

Been there, bought the movie soundtrack AND t-shirt! Your first sentence summarizes part of the problem- you something that needs to be done, people agree but no one volunteers and you say I'll do it myself. That's how I started as a mere board member and then became newsketter. That so on morphed into attending local CAI meetings because our president had started chemo and she really wanted someone there. Then we needed a treasurer - still don't know how I wound up with that.

Eventually I flamed out and you're almost at that point. From what I've seen of your posts, you would be a huge loss to your community, but your peace of mind is important too. Start by NOT stepping in all the time. Tell your colleagues the truth, you've been doing a lot of association business and it's getting a bit much, so going forward some things will be turned over to the property manager and it would be helpful if everyone else found an area they're interested in so the can oversee. It doesn't have to take over their lives and if everyone did a little, everything would get done a lot faster.

At first people will be slow to respond, probably because they're used to you stepping in anyway. That's when you stick to your guns - if it doesn't get done, oh well. Sometimes people have to see you mean what you say before they stand up.

When someone says I think we should do X, suggest that person oversee it. It may be something small like drafting a RFP. That can be done with the property 's help and the the member can provide a summary at the next meeting. Someone else could make a few phone calls. Another might draft an article that can be posted on the community website Or do some research on what it might cost to pay someone to do it.

I've always felt all board members should have an area of association business to oversee - you can take advantage of their skill set and when everyone exchanges information on what they've done, you can all learn from each other and hold each other accountable. U s one thing for people to talk, let's see who can back up the talk with the walk.

Oh, and use committees. You have homeowners who are really interested in specific areas, give them something to do and hold them responsible - that helps you find out who's serious or just talking out of their behind

I agree with others about burnout. I hit my "enough is enough" point when I found myself on a three-person board with two others who had no clue about what board service involved but didn't care because they wanted to do what they wanted to do and weren't going to let pesky things like CC&Rs stop them. I resigned (and almost immediately got hit by a case of vertigo that took months to straighten out and that made it impossible to change my mind about stepping aside).

Basically I've made my peace with the fact that I'm just one person, I can't single-handedly protect others from their own folly, and a painful experience is a far better teacher than I could be. (Rumor has it that the remaining two board members got themselves an education.)

You have to decide what you can live with. Yes, the community will pay a price when an energetic and competent board member steps down, but that's the nature of community associations. And frankly, every other homeowner in your community has an equal responsibility to see to it that the association functions well - if they can't be bothered, then a good dose of natural consequences is probably the best thing that could happen in the long run.

For decades, I would start each new job with the goal of "I will not stress myself out over this job. I will fulfill my responsibilities to the best of my ability, but I will not take on extra work."

And for decades, I have failed. Because if you're the kind of person who is wired to Get Stuff Done (as I suspect most of us here are!) you just cannot sit back while something doesn't get done, or gets done badly. But for your own sanity, you must.

Say, Jack, I can't remove this. would you remind us of the number or homes or units indoor HOA? And tell us about your amenities?

I believe you wrote you have a portfolio solo manager who only works for your HOA x hors a week. Remind us? I think I suggested that your HOA needs a PM who works more horus for your hOA and perhaps is onsite xx hors a week if you have an officer for PM.

Unless you HOA is not yet finished, how do you not know the exact number of homes you have and number of community parks? I'm also very curious about your 5 community parks and 4 separate play areas . . . this seems a bit excessive for what, home-wise is a somewhat small HOA.

Finally, you have referred several times to having to meet with vendors and manage/oversee projects. Can you explain a bit more in regard what sort of vendors you are meeting with and projects that need to be overseen? It sounds like much of what your HOA is responsible for is landscaping maintenance of the common areas and community parks as well as maintenance of whatever items are within these parks. It sounds like something where there should be a relatively straightforward contract to maintain with perhaps routine installation/removal of seasonal plantings. It doesn't sound like something where there has to be so much going on at all times and constant monitoring/supervision needs to be performed . . . unless your vendors are a disaster. But maybe your HOA is unique in layout, design, intent.