Posted:
Creating the governing documents for you new association is only the first step and the tip of the iceberg. Once your new Board of Directors is elected, it is now their job to apply/enforce the conditions,rules & regulations that have been specified. This is when the new volunteer BoD members get their first dose of reality. When viewed in the governing documents, everything appears to be quite organized and it is just a matter of implementing what has already been established. However, when they start to examine what exactly they should do first, it becomes woefully deficient. They quickly realize that there is no management system in place, the key business processes have not been defined, there is not a clear vision of the steps that should be taken, and more importantly, the sequence in which they should be taken.
The president of the newly formed BoD, is expected to lead them along this journey. If s/he has had experience in setting up new organizations, this may not be that difficult of a task. However, for most who have not, this can present a daunting challenge.
Currently, there is a wealth of information that can be found in the marketplace on virtually every aspect of managing a condo association including; rules and regulations, meetings, voting and elections, committees, the role of volunteer leaders, budgets, insurance, amending and enforcing documents, etc. But, there are few that give practical advice and a “roadmap” for all the things that a new condo president must do during the initial start up period.
At www.*********.com under the Contents section, you will find a time-based list of all the things that you should consider doing during your first year of operation. There is a lot more to creating a successful condo/homeowners Association than drawing up the governing documents.
Good Luck
JoeK