How to Increase Annual HOA Meeting Attendance

It is THAT time of year again...Annual Meeting time...

As most seasoned board members come to discover, there is usually a challenge with annual meeting attendance. This is particularly troublesome when attendance is too low to achieve "quorum"  and the board is not able to conduct the meeting at all. 

Here are Some Tips on Improving Annual Meeting Attendance:  

The annual meetings, let's be honest, aren't always the most exciting meetings to attend. There can be detailed budgeting talk, break down of projects completed throughout the year, history of board votes, and information on dues. Though all of this information is important to the health of the association, it is not very exciting. So, some easy things you can do to spice up your meetings:

- Create some sort of booklet (packet) to hand out to owners prior to the annual meeting detailing (briefly of course) what events happened at the association that year and why everyone's input is important at the upcoming annual meeting. This can be a great way to alleviate some of the owner's anxiety around attending the annual meeting and encourage them to attend!

- Make the Annual Meeting an Annual Event! Reach out to local organizations and coordinate a wine tasting, charity organization, an art show or a local girl scout to bring a booth with cookies!  This can take minimal time to reach out to local organizations or charities and have someone stop by to give your owner's a reason to be at the annual board meeting. This may also be a great way to get their input and plan an event for the following year! 

The most basic and important reason to get attendance up at the annual meeting is pretty simple: create a great culture in your community. The whole reason for living in a community is to avoid the responsibilities associated with home upkeep and be able to be surrounded by folks you enjoy! So, as board members, find a way to encourage more community attendance at your meetings!