Need Assit in writing stern letter to members

Over this past weekend one of our volunteers, a resident of the community and member of the Association, was out walking the dog when another resident/member stopped them and started a verbal assaulted on them about the recent architectural inspection. Per the volunteer, the verbal assault contained the F word multiple times as well as questioning parentage. The volunteer wanted to just "go off" on this member but held tongue so as not to put a bad light on the Association. Instead an e-mail was drafted to the Board from the volunteer stating that they were resigning effective immediately as they do not need this type of grief.

Bottom line, because of the acts of a few we have lost a dedicated volunteer and, possibly, the entire Architectural committee (as they have a comradary that has them stand as one).

As President, I wish to address this issue strongly in our newsletter that is due to be printed next week. Knowing this is the act of a few vs. the acts of many, (and the fact that I am still a bit ticked off about the whole issue) I am asking for suggestions in the way of snipits, thoughts or whole paragraphs I should use in the article so the issue is addressed but I don't offend the majority of the members who don't act like immature children.

I've already have come up with the following:

communication should be in writing as it helps document the issue for the member
loss of volunteers may result in hiring a management company, thus increase in assessments
disagreeing on an issue tends to be adversarial but should always be civil

Thanks in advance.

Tim

Tim, try this article from an Ohio attorney on this matter, you might find a phrase or two. It also suggests sending a violation letter against the perpetrator.
http://www.ohiocondolaw.com/articles/verbal_abuse.htm

We are blessed with having a very large, intimidating looking board member who resembles a pro-football linebacker.

When we run into residents who exhibit that sort of behavior, he is usually the board member who makes a personal contact to see if he can help "resolve" any issues, misunderstandings or communication issues.

It's amazing how the resident's tune and tone changes after speaking with him.

This board member is a professional problem solver, by the way. He works for a large company here in our area and one of his responsibilities is team building.

He's really very good at his job, but I'm sure a good portion of his success comes from his appearance. I've never seen him mad or raise his voice, but somehow, just looking at him, people tend to calm down!

By the way, your volunteer is right. S/he does not need to take that sort of grief. But one of the things we make sure to tell our volunteers is that this sort of thing CAN happen. Often it's about managing expectations upfront. (I know, redundant, how can you manage expectations after the fact?)

At any rate, if you let them know ahead of time that this can happen, and ask them how they would handle such a situation, it can work to take some of the sting out of it when it does happen. They need to know that they can potentially become the lightening rod for criticism, sometimes quite blunt and vulgar. They need to think about that before stepping forward. Of course let them know that the board will support them in their duties on XYZ committee, but that sometimes neighbors aren't so neighborly --

Well I just received an e-mail and the volunteer has decided to stay thanks mainly to the support of the Board and other members of the committee. I've written the following which will be included in our next newsletter and, if names are provided by the volunteer, will send a separate letter from the board.

I know it's not great, but I'm up against a deadline. Thanks again for the assist.

Disagree with a decision or an action of the Association?

Lets face it, there will be times when you may disagree with an action taken or a decision made by the volunteers who where elected or appointed to manage the affairs of the Association. When this happens it is best to communicate this disagreement in writing as this will provide documentation of the issue that will aid future volunteers to understand the issue and what actions were or were not taken. By putting the issue in writing, the chance of a misunderstanding is minimized as there won’t be a need for someone to relay the message to entire Board/Committee.

If you believe that the facts surrounding the issue are easier to describe verbally, you are welcome to attend any regular scheduled meetings to express your opinions and concerns to the members of the board or committee. In order to ensure enough seating and copies of handouts are available, it is requested that you contact the Board or Committee in advance to let them know of your attendance.

If you do disagree with the Board or a Committee you should remember that individual board/committee members do not make decisions. Decisions are made by a majority of those who were elected to the Board or appointed to the Committee. An individual’s opinion of the issue is simply used, as are all the members’ opinions, in conjunction with the governing documents of the Association, in consideration of making a decision or taking an action.

Nice job...it sounds like the entire situation has been in a very good way...kudos to all involved.