7 minute read
President’s Message
“I work where they live.” Community Management – A Noble Profession
We recently completed our annual Law Seminar in Northern and Southern California, and the energy at both locations was electrifying! With greatly expanded breakout sessions, new legislative programming and lively receptions, you could feel the excitement in the air.
At the Northern California event, it was heartening to hear one of our Certified Community Association Managers, Christian Ellingson, talk about his profession and the importance of his role as a community builder. He spoke with such pride and clarity about being a member of CACM and how the CCAM certification has helped him in his career and in his role as a community facilitator.
For me, it was one of those moments when I feel the pride of accomplishment for what we do at CACM and its value to our members and to our society. Christian’s simple statement sums it up, “I work where they live.” This is a recognized privilege and a heavy responsibility for the professional community manager.
Community management is a noble profession, and the manager is the custodian of that profession. Through CACM’s focus on California laws and regulation and the administration of the Professional Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, we have helped organize our young industry by creating a baseline of expectations and a foundation for a healthy future.
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, “noble” is used to describe an air of “having lofty character, having high moral qualities.” Professional community managers follow an ancient code of professionalism as expressed through job performance and ethical decisions. If home is the castle, and the nobles are loyal and qualified servants working for the kingdom, then modern-day community management is much like the role of nobles in the days of our ancestors.
Recently I attended the retirement party of Bill Stewart, one of those nobleman at the wonderful Santaluz community in San Diego County. Bill is a founding member of CACM who recognized the need for our industry to self-organize and self-regulate in order to ensure its ongoing health and success. The founders’ vision was to have well educated and thoughtful, ethical community managers from which to build this industry. In an impassioned farewell retirement speech, Bill said that the real value of the Santaluz community is not the consistent increase in property values, nor the beauty of the setting and landscape, but rather the powerful “sense of community.” It is this sense of community that lives on in the vision and mission of CACM. As represented by the members of our community, CACM is the custodian of your noble profession, and we appreciate the opportunity to serve you.
By Brittany Montoya-Taylor, CCAM
ESTABLISHING A COMMUNITY VISION
It is not uncommon for an association’s membership to feel disconnected from their board of directors and the decisions they make. Homeowners may not associate the board with human faces, but instead identify those volunteers by violation notices and parking policies alone. On the other side, board members often do not consider relationship-building as part of their role but instead focus on day-to-day operations and fiduciary responsibilities. This difference in perception can make effective management of an association extraordinarily difficult. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be that way. As a manager, you have an opportunity to bring an association together and establish a real sense of community.
By doing so, not only will homeowners and board members be happier but all will reap the benefits of a smoother operation and, consequently, increased property values.
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Better Together
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Where to Begin
Community development may sound like a vague and daunting phrase to a board of directors. It is easy to get lost in the possibilities and end up right back where you started. As the manager, it is your job to guide the board on this journey. You will be critical in steering the conversation and keeping members focused on the task at hand. And what exactly is this task? Creating a sense of inclusion, belonging and community in a homeowners association.
To start, it is necessary to find out what is important to the community and then verbalize it in a succinct manner. In other words, you need a vision statement! While your board may not see the necessity in creating such a statement, realize that every major business organization has one and considers it necessary for communication, inspiration and motivation within the company. The same can be said for a vision statement’s impact within an HOA. By taking the time to brainstorm, solicit feedback from the community and present a homeownerapproved vision statement, the board is essentially establishing how the association will do business moving forward.
The board and manager should take the time necessary to make sure everyone’s voice is adequately heard. Send out newsletters and surveys to help narrow down the selection and then publicize the ‘big reveal’ of the final statement.
Make it Happen
Now it’s time to bring the vision to life. After all, actions speak louder than words! Utilize the association’s new vision statement in all appropriate capacities. Include the statement in board packets and have it handy during meetings so that board members get in the habit of considering the association’s vision before making decisions that impact homeowners. An association may even consider taking the vision statement a step further and incorporating it into a logo for the community.
Branding an association is a stellar way to give a community an identity and is a whole lot of fun to boot. Solicit bids from local designers and invite them to attend a board meeting so they can get a feel for the
community. If the association doesn’t have a website or maybe isn’t happy with the one they have, you should be able to work out a deal with the designer to have both the website and logo done at the same time at a reasonable price. Once the selection process is complete, work with the board and designer to create a handful of designs that the community can vote on. Post flyers at mailboxes and bulletin boards, include the designs as an insert in monthly statements, and create a survey for homeowners to cast their vote on the options provided.
The simple act of selecting a logo for an association can do so much to bring homeowners together and bridge the gap between the board of directors and membership.
Introducing a community logo design is a great opportunity to host an association function! A block party or barbecue would be excellent events to proudly display the winning logo and celebrate the community for joining together and selecting an image that truly represents who they are and what they stand for. Also consider the multitude of ways the logo could be used in the future. Perhaps the association is scheduled for a monument update down the road; the logo could be incorporated in the new design. Another idea is to have coffee mugs printed with the association logo and use them as prizes for a monthly or quarterly contest published in the newsletter.
Remember that little things can go a long way to encourage homeowner participation!
Reaping the Rewards
Equipped with a vision statement and logo, the board of directors will move forward with an increased sense of awareness for their fellow homeowners and a better understanding of how their management of the association affects each and every one of their lives. Additionally, homeowners will have a greater respect for the board of directors and all that they do. They’ll no longer associate the board of directors with violation notices alone but will take a good deal of pride in where they live and appreciate the effort that went into making their community feel like home.
Brittany Montoya-Taylor, CCAM is a community manager with Terra West Management Services in Las Vegas, Nevada.
