Common Ground
CAI's Magazine for Community Association Leaders

Write for Common Ground!

What does Common Ground do best? Connect readers to experts—seasoned volunteers and battle-hardened professionals—who know exactly what they're going through. Maybe you're one such expert. If so, share your experiences and expertise with an audience—write a feature article or column for Common Ground. Just make sure you contact us first to see if we have need of whatever article you'd like to write. You can also check our editorial calendar to see if we're planning on addressing a topic of interest to you. If we give you the go-ahead, here are some guidelines to follow:

Feature articles. These are the full-length stories that form the spine of every issue of Common Ground. They address any topic relevant to community association governance, operations, or management, including community building, finance, collections, law, legislation, regulation, maintenance, hiring, contracts and bids, rules enforcement, land use, history, and development. A good rule of thumb is, if it will help our readers better understand common-interest housing and/or run better communities, it belongs in Common Ground. A typical Common Ground cover story is about 3,000 words long, while the other features are about 2,500 words. When writing a full-length article, here are a few guidelines:

• Style/tone. Many of our readers are volunteer board members and other laypeople with little specialized knowledge of law, zoning, finances, engineering, etc. So it's important that articles are not overly technical, and are written in a light, conversational tone. Often it helps to use second-person direct address: "If your community is having problems controlling its board meetings, what can you do? Consider adopting strict rules, such as allowing your residents to speak only during a specified period at the beginning or end of the meeting."

• Structure. Common Ground articles tend to be broken into three main sections, and while that structure isn't carved in stone, it is a helpful way to approach a topic. Typically a feature article breaks down like this:

  • Section 1—Identify the issue or problem.
    
    
  • Section 2—Spell out a plan of attack.
    
    
  • Section 3—Explain how to enact or apply the plan of attack.

  Another accessible way to address a topic is to structure an article around a series of questions. The angle for a story about raising the assessment rate, for example, might proceed from the angle "five questions to ask before you raise assessments." An article about running productive meetings could address "10 ways board meetings go wrong."

• How-to information. For the most part, Common Ground articles are service pieces, meaning they tell our readers how to do something. (The exceptions tend to be history or news-feature stories that explore an interesting aspect of community association development.) Think about the information community association volunteers and professionals need to know about your topic.
  
  
• Real-life examples and case studies. Whenever possible, you should use real-world examples from your own experiences to illustrate the point(s) you're trying to make. Be as specific as you can—name names of associations, if possible, and tell a little something about them (housing types, number of units, size, etc.). In fact, if you want to build an entire article around one particularly relevant case from your experience—involving an actual association confronted with the issue in question—that can be an interesting, accessible way to connect with our readers. For example, in recent years Common Ground has published "case study" articles profiling a Virginia association's 11-year capital improvement project; another Virginia association's prolonged campaign to raise its assessment rate; a California association's overhaul of its lighting and electrical work; and two Arizona associations' efforts to thwart a resident who took over both boards.
  
  
• Community types. Our readers include people who live in or work for many different kinds of communities, including high-rise condominiums, townhouse clusters, single-family developments, and large master-planned communities. You don't have to tailor parts of your article to each audience; but, on the other hand, if certain aspects of the issue you're addressing vary depending on community type, it would be helpful to note that. Otherwise, try to write your article in such a way that it's relevant to the most communities.

Departments and columns. While our feature articles are where we address entire subjects, often in sweeping detail, departments and columns generally are where we focus on smaller topics. But many of the same rules apply when it comes to style, tone, how-to information, and community types.

• "Good Thinking": Appearing in "Homefront," the news section at the front of Common Ground, "Good Thinking" is a short profile of a community association or management company that has done something exemplary, interesting, or just plain different. Recent subjects have included a Texas association that rescued several hundred displaced turtles; a California association that raised money to help a family left homeless by a fire; a Virginia association that held a 5K race to foster community spirit; and a Texas management company that celebrated its 25th anniversary by giving back to its clients. Average length: 300 words.
  
  
• "On the Board": Written specifically for community association board members, this department addresses leadership issues. Recent "On the Board" columns have dealt with leadership and management books, committees, and how to choose a management company. Average length: 1,000 words.
  
  
• "Nuts and Bolts": This is Common Ground's hardware- and maintenance-oriented department, offering straightforward, hands-on advice on repairs and upkeep. Recent "Nuts and Bolts" columns have addressed bidding out painting jobs, spring landscaping, flood-zone correction, and brick-mortar replacement. Average length: 1,000 words.
  
  
• "Ask the Experts": This ever-popular department offers two ways to contribute. First, you can send a question about community association governance, operations, or management for one of our attorney, accountant, manager, or other experts to answer. Or, you can try your hand at answering a question. Just e-mail us to let us know you're interested in writing an expert opinion. Average length: 400 words per answer.
  
  
• "The Back Porch": The final page of every issue of Common Ground is devoted to a personal essay about the community association experience. Often it's a silly anecdote, a deeply held opinion, or just an offbeat observation. If you have something interesting to share about associations—good, bad, funny, poignant, irreverent—thinking about writing it down for "The Back Porch." Average length: 450 words.

Contact Common Ground:
225 Reinekers Lane
Suite 300
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 548-8600
Fax: (703) 684-1581