Community
Building: Coming Out From Behind the Screen
By Ila Dickenson, CMCA W
hen I was in college, my journalism professor used to tell us to GOYAKOD. GOYAKOD was this magical phrase in our department that solved all
writing and sourcing woes: Get Off Your [Butt] And Knock On Doors. I don’t practice journalism full time anymore, but this phrase has come in handy so many times in my professional life as a community association manager.
It’s my motto when I take on a new property or when I’m trying to develop and progress with an established one. It’s how I navigate a board who is brand new to community associations or a board member who has held some position on the board of their last half a dozen homes and have tons of volunteer experience. It’s also how I encourage homeowners and boards to get to know each other.
We’ve all heard the major pains about HOAs and COAs and the apathy and politics which tend to rule over relationships and collaboration. But my favorite part about living in an association and also about managing them is that they are actually awesome for growing community, if you make the effort.
Site Walks
simply to see it. I believe that the best way for a board to grow community within their association is to walk the property regularly. Most of our documents have requirements and rules based on the “community standard”. These words are generally related to the physical part of the property. But I think they relate to the people, too.
building style. Maybe your population is older and can’t do regular weeding.
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