With the holiday season a distant memory and emergence of the first quarter of the calendar year, many community associations are scheduling their 2016 annual meetings and election of directors. Now is the time to begin planning for 2017 and 2018’s elections. Yes, you read that correctly.

A large percentage of condominium and homeowner associations have difficulty filling director positions. Perhaps it has something to do with: (a) the low pay; (b) long meetings; (c) rampant criticism from homeowners; or (d) all of the above. Successful communities have overcome this challenge by planning ahead and recruiting board of director candidates well in advance of vacancies. They achieve this goal by:

• Identifying potential candidates. Look to owners in your community who may not have experience with the association’s governance, but have leadership experience in business, non-profits or other organizations or groups such as Boy or Girl Scouts, schools or clubs.
• Grooming potential candidates. Once the candidate has been identified, invite them to slowly get involved by joining or chairing a committee, or volunteering to complete a special task (such as planning a community yard sale or holiday party). Ensure the candidate meets and interacts with each board member and the association’s manager.
• Recruiting the candidate. At an appropriate time, either the current board president or another board member should meet with the potential candidate to formally invite them to run for a director position. This meeting should be well thought out with examples of why the candidate would be a good fit for the association, and vice versa.

It really is never too early to begin recruiting potential board members. With sufficient foresight and planning, no community association should have to endure open board positions. Feel free to contact the Barker Martin team if you have any questions relating to board vacancies, elections or any other general counsel or litigation matter.