May 2022 HOA Living Magazine

THE CAI-CV MEDALLION AWARD A BOARD MEMBER EXPERIENCE

By Tony Michaelis

How is your HOA doing? As a board member, I have taken the time to learn about our HOA’s finances and operations, but I often wondered whether we were following best practices in all areas.

One of our longtime board members and our community manager, suggested we consider applying for the Community Associations Institute – Coachella Valley Chapter (CAI-CV) Medallion Award Program in an effort to obtain an independent review of our HOA operations. I was a bit skeptical at first, but our Board agreed to the process and I have found the review and benefits to be a huge positive for our community. The following is a summary of our journey:

Application: The Medallion Award application is a questionnaire designed to evaluate an HOA’s best practices in all operational categories: governing documents, elections, meetings & committees, record keeping, policies, legal, board education, insurance, sales and resales, contracts, financials, reserves, maintenance, rules enforcement and architectural control, communications and building community. The application is reviewed by a CAI-CV homeowner leadership committee, which provides feedback and determines whether you meet best practice status in all categories. If there are deficiencies, the $300 application fee is waived and you can apply again, once all standards are achieved.

Award & Benefits: We received our Medallion award plaque at an award ceremony in our community (we also created an entrance sign from the award design. There was also a photo session that was used to highlight our homes and community common areas which culminated in a feature article in CAI-CV HOA Living magazine. We purchased article copies which were sent to all homeowners and are currently being used in our welcome packet for new residents. These benefits instill confidence in our board, promote homeowner pride in our community and enhance property values (CAI-CV sends a list of Medallion communities to local Realtor associations).

Overall, it provides reassurance that we are on the right track and have gone through an independent review of our HOA operations.

The CAI-CV MedallionAward Program is just one ofmany benefits our HOA andBoard have received for ourmembership in CAI. To applyfor the Medallion Award,CLICK HERE

Tony Michaelis is President of the Montage at Mission Hills HOA. Tony can be reached at tonymichaelis@icloud.com.