Board meetings are an important time for everybody in a community. In theory, members of a community can make sure that their concerns are addressed, and the board members get to discuss and vote on changes to their community’s policies and developments. But the reality is that most boards have a hard time motivating their residents to attend these meetings, let alone participating in them.
Vesta has compiled a list of strategies to avoid this very situation. To boost resident attendance and participation at future board meetings, consider discussing the implementation of the following strategies with the rest of the board members. By applying some, if not all, of these tips, you’ll be sure to see more residents attending on a more consistent basis.
Creating a Clear and Interesting Agenda
Making sure your agenda items are clear and interesting is the first strategy to boosting resident attendance. If the agenda items are clear, then residents won’t be able to tell if it applies to them or if they have any interest in hearing about it. In these cases, it’s best to be as specific as possible. Substitute “Updates”, “Old Business” and “New Business” to things like “Fence Construction Discussion” and “Security Meeting”. If residents can see what is being discussed, there is an increased chance that they’ll come to at least the meetings that involve topics that interest them or affect them personally.
Give Advance Notice
It is always a good idea to announce the agenda for a meeting ahead of the scheduled meeting time to give residents a chance to look over the topics to be covered. The more notice you can give, the better as this extra preparation time will allow residents the ability to make time in their busy schedules to attend.
Announce Meeting and Agenda Topics through Multiple Channels
While most boards post their agenda topics on the club house bulletin board, there are ways to go above and beyond that to reach as many residents as possible. Some residents don’t go to the club house regularly, but many now are on their phones and computers at least once a day. Posting reminders along with the agenda on your community’s website and social media channels, like Facebook and Twitter, will ensure that the notice reaches almost all of your residents.
Keep the Meeting Short and On-Topic
If the board gets stuck on one topic longer than the rest or starts to go on a tangent about something not on the agenda, residents can grow frustrated and leave. Creating this frustration can also force them to not want to come back. But it is also important to strike a careful balance of getting through the agenda items at a reasonable pace while also genuinely listening to residents’ questions and concerns. It is a good idea to open or close the meeting with asking residents if they have any questions or concerns so that the board isn’t constantly getting interrupted throughout the discussion.
By implementing some or all of these tips into your board meetings, you’ll find that not only will your resident attendance grow; but you’ll see more participation and a happier community as well.
