Helping Community Associations Thrive

Are you operating or working within a community association that is burdened by member complaints, poor work tools, service delays, rising threats and risks, inadequate budgets, and low morale?

There are plenty of doubts about whether many associations are thriving and whether they’re accessing the right management tools.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the issues that might be plaguing management teams and how we can rethink for a better solution.

Great People to Solve Tough Challenges

If you’re people surfing on Linkedin for community management pros, you’ll see plenty of lively, engaging, people-persons working in this industry.

We wonder if firms are relying on sunny dispositions to achieve community association goals. Will extra nice, happy people smooth out the troubles you’ll find listed below? Of course, community association work is ideally suited to those who like people.

There are others too, looking formidable and stern so when pleasantness doesn’t work, look out!

Too Many Headaches

Yet today, association managers and staff really are challenged to meet member’s expectations, adhere to association guidelines and rules, keep COA business running smoothly, and deliver the ideal experience for members and the COA board.

Given the complexity and demands of managing on razor thin budgets, are these wonderful people being ground down over months or years of association activities and poor support?

We have to ask, does your staff have difficulty getting members to participate, pay dues and fines, while cooperating with community rules? Are there signs of frustration and burnout in your community association staff? What would you say is the primary cause?

Communicating the Value of your Community Association might be Job #1

No association will survive unless staff, boards and members feel it has value. Communications and marketing can help raise the association’s profile and mission to attract members, budget, volunteers and supporters.

But what are they supporting?

Your association should demonstrate competence, positive attitudes, and professionalism (not just claim it). If you have digital tools for organizing and managing documents securely, doing administration easily, performing accurate accounting/bookkeeping, producing meaningful trustworthy reports, and carry out timely maintenance, then members might be getting the quality of service they expect.

With better association management tools, its easy for members to see in practice, that your board is working for them. Now they’re with you and not against you.

These software tools also empower a community association management or maintenance company if you should hire one.

Great services delivered to the right customer at the right time is what makes any business thrive

What is the Problem with Community Members?

Member experiences and complaints often appear on Facebook and community forums, hardly a great way to build the community spirit and value of your board and staff. Of course volunteers don’t like the strife and personal stress.

Many members of a community association may not be willing to accept financial responsibility for managing it.
They resent the dues, regulations, costs, and likely believe someone else (government) should be paying for it. They want their voice to be heard and to modify resolutions.

Good communications may help improve relations.

Build a Process That Encourages Community Cooperation

Without an excellent association philosophy, business model, and smooth workflow process, it is difficult for associations to keep dues coming in, maintain properties, and enforce rules without conflict.

Large community association management companies appear to be taking up that slack to enforce compliance and support. Yet enforcement and legal action doesn’t translate to support, especially during an economic downturn. A community must willingly support their association and comply.

Typical Problems and Challenges of Community Associations:

1. relying on inexperienced unpaid volunteers for difficult objectives that require cooperation
2. members not valuing the community association
3. too much association workload for too few staff
4. board expects too much of maintenance/management staff
5. insufficient financial transparency
6. staying on budget and collecting dues
7. HOA or COA management company has poor communication and customer service skills
8. poor understanding of government laws and local regulations
9. relying too heavily on community members
10. maintenance and enforcement can’t be kept up creating risks
11. members not willing to pay fines and membership fees, nor pay late
12. board exceeds its authority and are unsure of the rules
13. poor customer service and communication with members
14. unprofessional handling of complaints
15. low membership and member involvement
16. difficulty making payments to the association
17. unresolved member issues with many of the rules regarding pets, solar electric systems, insufficient parking, property use, noise complaints, etc.

Solve the Challenges of Cooperation, Time, Money and Technology

A professional quality association management software may help you give members everything they want, from clarity to value to responsive service. And the board will better understand what actually works in their communities.

The automation and streamlining of work helps your staff focus on member experience. And it’s more than just work efficiency.

ManageCasa’s mobile-friendly, featured and automated community association management software lets self-managed HOAs or community management companies:

• charge and collect owner dues
• track & resolve violations
• create budgets and track actuals
• enable easy online payments
• perform professional level association accounting
• receive complaints, tips, and maintenance request
• review architectural applications
• manage board member approvals
• create documents and share your reports with the board and with the entire community of homeowners conveniently
• stay compliant with relevant regulations
• communicate with the board and community members effectively
• communicate your mission and its value to your community
• member portals to allow information access for those who love self-service features
• fast mobile access for on the go staff and managers

ManageCasa’s association platform was designed to make association management (and HOA management) easy and reliable.

Your staff will enjoy the confidence from a system that protects the budget and their salaries, and yet removes the friction of their daily workloads, costs vs expectations.

Visit the association product page to learn more about our convenient association dashboard with features and capabilities that will make your staff enjoy their work day.

Give them all a break while ensuring your association thrives in the next decade. Create a great future for your community with ManageCasa.

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