Volunteer?

It really does take a village and your HOA needs your help.

Many people might wonder if they would make a good volunteer or board member because they have never lived in an HOA before or they have never served on a Board before. However, no experience is necessary to volunteer your time. All it takes is a desire to ensure that your neighborhood continues to uphold design and aesthetic standards, that the recorded Declaration of Covenants and policies of the Board are enforced and to make your neighborhood a great place to live and play for its residents.

There is always a need for participation on neighborhood and standing committees. Your participation at the Board level or on the various committees is your opportunity to be an integral part of the association and your neighborhood. All Board and committee members must be association members in good standing and must be able to participate/attend committee meetings.

Here is a summary/overview regarding duties of the Board of Directors:

President - The leader of the Board of Directors, the President of the Board works in close conjunction with the community association’s manager to manage the day-to-day activities of the association. The President conducts all board meetings. The President is also the Voting Member and representative for the district/neighborhood association at the CVCA meetings.

Vice President - The Vice President of the Board takes the place of the Board President when the President is absent.

Treasurer - The Treasurer has a prominent role in overseeing the associations finances. This officer has the responsibility of working with the association's manager to develop the association’s budget as well as overseeing the financial operations of the association. If the association has a Finance Committee, this is usually headed by the Treasurer. This is a vital position for any association, and it would be beneficial if the Treasurer had experience in accounting, business, or financial management, although this is not required.

Secretary - When an association has a manager, the duties of the Secretary are greatly reduced. However, the Secretary should ensure that all official documents of the association are true and correct and work closely with the manager to ensure quorum criteria are met, notices are sent in accordance with the governing documents and all documents are executed properly and documents needing recording are properly done so.

Assistant Secretary or Director - Any Director not serving in an office or capacity listed above could be an Assistant Secretary, a Director At-Large, or other designated office assigned by the Board.

Committee Volunteer Opportunities

Keeping in mind that each association in Viera is very different in their committees and how they choose to govern, most associations have standing committees that work on special projects and carry out some of the day-to-day work of the association. Check with your Board or your association manager to find out what committee opportunities exist for you. And, if there is a committee you think your association needs but does not have - suggest it to your Board! Here are some possible committee volunteer opportunities (if applicable to your association):

Transition Committee - When your district/neighborhood is starting the transition from developer to resident control, the Transition Committee is tasked with reviewing association documents, contracts and policies and making recommendations for the transition to resident control.

Covenants Committee - The Board of Directors must appoint a Covenants Committee consisting of at least three (3) and no more than five (5) members in order to enforce the Declaration of Covenants and impose fines for violation of the Covenants. Members of the Covenants Committee may not be officers, directors or employees of the association, or the spouse, parent, child, brother or sister of an officer, director or employee. The Covenants Committee is the hearing tribunal of the association for violations of the Declaration and must conduct all hearings held pursuant to the association Bylaws and Florida Statutes.

Modifications Committee - The Board of Directors may appoint a Modification Review Committee consisting of at least three (3) and no more than five (5) members to review and approve or deny all applications for modifications after the initial construction of residences. The Modification Review Committee (MRC) can only take over this responsibility if it has been delegated to the District/Neighborhood by CVCA. Members of the MRC may not be officers, directors or employees of the association, or the spouse, parent, child, brother or sister of an officer, director or employee. The MRC promulgates reasonable rules and policies to regulate the modification review application procedure.

Finance Committee - This committee reviews budgets, financial statement and audits for the association and makes recommendations during the budget development process. This committee may also make recommendations for investments for association funds.

Landscape Committee - The landscape and/or maintenance committee inspects association property and reports to the Board of Directors on all issues requiring action and committee activities. The landscape/maintenance may also make recommendations on related issues and assist in the evaluation of landscape and/or maintenance bids. The committee could also provide assistance to other committees such as the MRC or Covenants Committee.

Social Committee - Volunteering for an association doesn't have to be all work and no play. If an association has a social committee, you can be involved in planning block parties, holiday parties, ice cream socials and casual get-togethers.

Communications Committee - In this day and age, most communities have a Facebook page or a NextDoor account to manage, but this work can take a back seat to other Board duties. The communications committee can help solve this by being in charge of making sure district/neighborhood residents have the information they need about community activities and issues. They could use social media, email, a newsletter or possibly even keep a website updated with the latest information.

Safety Committee - The safety committee acts as primarily an advisory committee to the Board of Directors on safety or security related issues. Also, the committee can provide a platform to residents to voice their opinions regarding these issues and discuss opportunities for improving community safety.

Ad Hoc Committees - The Board of Directors is permitted to form any committee that they feel is necessary to perform specific tasks. These committees could be very short-term committees to explore a specific issue or could be formed to become a long-term standing committee.

If you are interested in becoming involved in the governance of your community, please contact your Board of Directors or your association manager to discuss available opportunities.