INDUSTRY JOURNAL Vol . 8 please give me at least one suggestion as to who they thought within the group might make a good candidate for service , either as a committee member or in leadership . In other words , I asked for names and recommendations . When this sheet went around the room , I told anyone whose name ended up on that sheet who really wasn ’ t willing to give service that they would be entitled to cross their name off . I got the sheet back full of suggestions , with no names removed or crossed out . In other words , don ’ t just look for people to volunteer ; look for ways to ‘ pull them out of the woodwork ’. Most of the people who are really good volunteers are already busy , but I would also venture to say that most of those who are already busy can usually take on some additional responsibilities for a good cause .
In the homeowners association context , the approach might be sending out a notice to all of the homeowners that the association is forming a landscape committee to identify the needs of the association , solicit bids , and interview landscapers , with the intention of bringing a recommendation to the board of directors on one or two companies that seemed the most promising . If the association must pay extra to have some of this work done by the manager , then the ‘ solicitation ’ for volunteers might mention that if there are no willing volunteers , the board will have to pay for the service . One could remind the homeowners that the rands are coming out of their own pocket . One might rather emphasise the fact that the health of the whole community depends on the willingness of volunteers to fill the necessary roles with qualified people . You know better than I what kinds of people live in your community , and I always ask board members ( when they ask me for assistance on these issues ) what they think might get people ’ s attention . One might peruse some of the publications put out by the government to entice ‘ volunteers ’ for various areas of the service , and see what ‘ Uncle Sam ’ uses to draw people in . It isn ’ t always about money . the ability to do business may come to a halt . The bylaws for a homeowners association should specify the number of directors . The board should be filled up to that number of directors , and not more . The number of directors can be stated as a ‘ range ’ wherein the specific number of board members could be determined either by the board , or by the membership . ( However , always keep in mind that the board cannot decide about board size that would result in someone losing their ‘ duly elected ’ term .)
The quorum of the board should also be stated in the association ’ s governing documents . It may be stated in terms of a percentage of the full board ( such as ‘ a majority of the number of board members provided in these bylaws ’). It may be stated in a ‘ sliding scale ’ such as ‘... most of the board members currently in office ’. It may be stated as a specific number . The provision in bylaws that states ‘ most of the board members named in the bylaws ’ is beneficial in that it prevents the association from acting without a reasonable number of board members in attendance . However , the downside to such a provision is that it paralyses the association if board members start dropping out because of some difficult issue or power struggle within the association .
Voting on action items
Any time a board of directors is consistently unable to get a quorum of directors to the meetings , there is a serious problem that needs remedy . Some associations have taken care of the quorum problem by lowering the number of people serving on the board . If a board of seven or nine is difficult to fill , a board of five or seven may not be . If a board of five is difficult to fill , a board of three may not be . Again , keep in mind that board seats cannot be taken away from someone who is duly elected by decreasing the number of people who serve on the board .
When apathy affects an association to the point of a series of uncontested elections , or worse yet , a long period of time when board members must be sought out , chased down , cajoled , and shamed into service , it is time to take the matter seriously . Shaming and dragging people into service , or operating year after year under the same uncontested leadership , very often leads ( eventually ) to burnout , dictatorship , frustration , control issues and ‘ cliques ’. The kind of power that develops over a long period of time , when one , two or three people control the board , isn ’ t always healthy . Those in leadership roles come to expect that their decisions will not be challenged , and often bristle when they are .
What happens when you absolutely cannot fill a board with the number of directors specified in the bylaws ?
An association needs all possible resources , and the only way to get optimum benefit is to make sure that all of the board positions are filled with resourceful people . If you cannot fill the board , or there is anyone on the board who isn ’ t serious and attentive about coming to meetings , the integrity of the whole board is compromised . Worse yet , if an association cannot get enough board directors to show up for meetings to constitute a quorum ,
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