. . . anytime I bring residents together for a common interest function it is possible to create the feeling that they belong to something bigger than themselves.

Building Community

Joe Shearer, CMCA, AMS

A community association is a business where we are responsible for budgets, rules enforcement, facilities maintenance and other business concerns. But an association is also comprised of people: owners, renters, the Board members and staff. These are all people, with families, hopes, dreams and needs. The business aspect of an association is the skeleton that gives the HOA form and purpose. The people put flesh on the skeleton and bring it to life. Life is instilled into the body by building community.

How do you build community?

Community is about relationships and a feeling that you belong to something bigger than yourself. As a manager I help to build community not only between owners but also with renters, Board members, the staff, and with people in our local area.

The single most important aspect of this relationship is communication. I make myself available to listen to people’s problems and concerns. I can’t always give people what they want but I can always explain why this is not possible. I can explain to them that my hands are tied because of federal or state statutes, the HOA’s governing documents, rules and regulations, the budget or majority votes. I find that the majority of people understand if I give them honest reasons why something can’t be done. Sometimes by putting our heads together we can come up with a compromise that is acceptable. I’m not a dictator that controls everything but I do have a duty to guide and seek to keep chaos at bay. I seek to find that point between acting as the dictator (which often causes an open revolt), and not leading at all, which can end in a breakdown of the HOA community.

For example, I had an owner who was in violation of exterior neatness rules. It was my job to inform her that she was in violation of these rules, that she had a specific amount of time to come into conformance, and that she had a right to a hearing board. From a business perspective I had done my job. Even so, in order to help build community I talked to her to see if I might help in some way. She told me how difficult her life had been recently and explained how much she had on her plate. She wasn’t being difficult, she had just prioritized and decided cleaning up would take up too much time. She was willing to pay the fine and committed to clean up the exterior of her unit at a later time. I told her about a common storage area that she was unaware of and offered to help her move her possessions

after hours. Later I got a call from someone who was willing to pay for the cost of moving her possessions if the identity of the caller could remain secret, to which I agreed. This created community between the owner, myself, the Board, the secret helper and those who had originally complained.

By open and honest communication with the so called violator, you may, as Paul Harvey used to say, learn “the rest of the story.” By using this approach the owner has the opportunity to be heard and to seek a solution that is satisfactory to everyone.

Also, the Board can directly help to build community by having open meetings so that owners can hear first-hand what is going on (rather than gossiping about “what goes on behind closed doors”). During these open meetings the owners can also be provided an opportunity at the end of the meeting to ask questions and express their opinions.

Another strategy is to use projects to bring people together. For instance, one of our residents got the idea to put a float into our local Irrigation Festival. I asked the Board if the staff could help build the float and the Board agreed. As a result, we had the residents, the Board, the staff and the local town’s people working together. In another instance, our residents put on a monthly pancake breakfast that was open to our local residents. These types of interaction can help build community, not only in our Association, but also within our town.

I have found that anytime I bring residents together for a common interest function it is possible to create the feeling that they belong to something bigger than themselves. We’ve had our local college hold classes that are open to our residents in our facilities. We have had a pea patch where we allow people to grow their own fruit, vegetables and flowers (this has had the side effect of developing comradery at the garden and provided free vegetables for the clubhouse kitchen). In a similar manner, our Residents’ Council has held a flea market once a year, where our residents can dispose of unwanted items. Some people price such items for the sale; others assist with the set-up, and still others have helped out by baking “goodies.” The proceeds are then used to buy things that benefit the whole Association.

So how does one build community? We do it through good communication, seeking compromise wherever possible, and by pursuing activities that create and enhance camaraderie.

22 Community Associations Journal | www.wscai.org