Brad van Rooyen, National Vice President of HOA at HomeRiver Group, was interviewed by the Community Association Management Insider where he shared his insight on boosting your volunteer recruitment. Here’s highlights of his quotes, and you can read the entire article here.
1) Always be recruiting
You might not want these people to gain a position of power. “You want to look for volunteers who are volunteering for the right reasons, because they genuinely care about the community,” says Brad van Rooyen, president of HomeRiver Group-Florida, the management company for about 160 associations in the state.
2) Don’t fear the fussy
Almost every association has those owners who the board and the manager hear from a lot. “Sometimes, we can grow frustrated with owners who overly communicate or ask a lot of questions, but try to channel that energy into getting them on a committee or to run for the board,” van Rooyen says.
3) Be upfront
When you come across strong prospects, you should start off by explaining exactly what the potential job will require. People are less likely to step down if they know what they’re getting into. “Take the time to explain and educate what it means to be on the board,” van Rooyen says. “Make sure they know that they don’t have to do all of the heavy lifting, that that’s what the manager is for.” Set clear expectations for committee volunteers, too. “When we have committee positions, we’ll send out email requesting volunteers and explain what the position entails,” van Rooyen says. “For example, for the Architectural Review Committee, you could review one to 10 proposals per month, have open dialogues, check out the property where the change is requested, and vote. We try to spell out what the expectation is.”
Committee members also need to understand that they have limited authority. “They can make recommendations to the board, but it’s up to the board to accept or reject,” van Rooyen says.
4) Use your committees for succession planning
Formal succession planning is seen as aspirational for many associations. “We talk about succession planning, but, in reality, it just doesn’t play out in the day-to-day practice,” van Rooyen says. “You see it more in big associations with big budgets.”
