The best condo boards of directors understand their roles and responsibilities and of course their shortcomings. Owners who purchase a condo do so for many reasons but at the end of the day all owners are responsible for the governing of their building so asking for their help with projects, emergency situations and many other tasks or events should be a top priority and of course its very easy to do.
Boards of directors should seek out owners assistance and expertise in all types of scenarios. Owners don't expect that board members know everything and have the knowledge and expertise to handle every situation so if there are times when the board is overwhelmed they need to go to their owners and ask for help! Use the expertise of your owners to work together to complete tasks in any situation its not only practical its good leadership. Creating committees shows the ownership that the board is working to serve the community and the corporation. When you own your home you don't have the luxury of asking your neighbor to assist with your lawn or insurance claims but that's the beauty and benefit of living in a community you have the advantage of people who have experience and knowledge that you don't have, use it...take advantage of it ...ask all owners for input or suggestions or assistance.
Creating committees is the easy part - committees should be created from the smallest issues to the largest emergency situations. You have a building full of people and those people have all kinds of expertise that could improve the governing of your building. While not all owners may have the time or inclination to join the board full time they do have time to join a committee for a couple days or weeks in the year. Put up signs or send emails asking owners for their expertise and if they can make a small sacrifice and spare some time to help with their investment. You can develop standing committees that can be added to the bylaws or ad hoc committees that are finished once the task in completed. All condo boards should look into creating the following committees to ensure the best possible governance:
Budget or Finance committees - budgets are the most complex and daunting task, put out a call for owners who have experience in this area. You can ask if there are owners with book keeping expertise, accounting experience or owners who deal with budgets in their everyday life;
Emergency committees - all corporations should have an emergency plan in place. This is required by the city fire department and of course good practice to ensure the safety and security of all individuals in the building. The emergency plan should be extensive and include all possible scenarios. You can ask for volunteers to contact certain individuals to activate the plan once its created. You need individuals to act in certain capacities during an emergency event these persons don't have to be board members they can be owners who work different hours or are more available and or have knowledge or training in these areas;
Cleaning committees - does your condo board do annual cleaning inspections? developing a cleaning committee will ensure your building is well maintained the more people who are looking at the building and its needs the better off the entire building is. Not everyone can see every dirty wall or spot so a cleaning committee is the best answer. Create your cleaning committee and walk around the building monthly or semi annually together to look at areas that need to be looked after. Do you need a pressure washer for the entire building? have the windows been washed? do the garage doors need to be cleaned? Do the inside walls need to be washed? what about carpets and chairs or sofas? The daily cleaners are not equipped to deep clean so this is an important step in maintaining a well kept building;
Research committees - these can be created when you are looking into additions or purchases for your property. These are temporary committees that gather together the best resources in your building;
Risk and strategic planning committees -corporations who fail to plan and assess the social, environmental and technological are met with a big surprise once something happens. Be prepared, think ahead and develop committees to address these types of situations. A condo board that looks to addressing the future and ensuring long term sustainability within an organization is a corporation that is successful and contributes to increases in property value. Look to recruit owners who work in these types of areas. This type of committee can address many issues - these types of committees are great for condos who are looking to potentially save money in the future by improving the practices of the building. These committees can look into solar, ways to cut electrical costs, reduce waste, environmental impact etc. there are so many factors that affect a corporation these committees can provide invaluable assistance to your condo corporation.
A condo board that works with its community is a successful condo board. Let us know if you need help developing committees or need resources or materials, we are happy to help. Our goal is to create successful condo communities!
