Homeowners’ associations in Florida are like any other major entity – they must manage and operate multi-million-dollar non-profit organizations and must do so against the backdrop of changing legislation and ongoing pressure from their residents. This is a tall order for anyone, but it can be done – and when done well (which generally requires assistance from a team of professionals), HOAs can be a vibrant and thriving place for their members.
To see how you’re doing against your HOA’s goals, now is an opportune time for board leaders to pause and reflect on their accomplishments. While this often happens as a matter of course during the annual budget planning process, it’s also a worthwhile exercise to do any time of year.
Making Time to Look Back
Reflecting on your HOA’s accomplishments is a good way to recognize hard work and leadership efforts, but it does more than that. It also helps build transparency, trust and community. As you look back on the board and community’s accomplishments, tune in to some of these key areas as you call out big and small victories.
- Community improvements – How have maintenance and upgrades to shared spaces, landscaping or infrastructure contributed to the overall quality of life for residents?
- Engagement initiatives – An engaged community is a strong community. Did you host any community events? Were you proactive with communication? In what other ways did you bring together residents and foster community?
- Financial management – How well did your HOA stick to its budget? Were you able to bolster reserves and avoid special assessments?
- Disaster preparedness – Emergency preparation is essential in Florida. Was your emergency response plan up to date and were you able to successfully communicate with residents during storm season?
Celebrate Successes
As you review accomplishments, make time to recognize successes both big and small. HOA efforts require team contributions, and it’s important to highlight the work of all those volunteers.
It can be easy to find yourself looking ahead to the next project, the next year, the next…fill in the blank, but reflection gives us all an opportunity to pause and celebrate the wins that make your community a great place to live. If your association needs help getting more victories under your belt, reach out to our team at Dania Fernandez & Associates, P.A.
