​Kelly G. Richarson, Esq., CAI President

​This time of year typically means budget season for community associations and CAI chapters. That means it's an excellent opportunity to help CAI grow. 

Community association managers and management company executives: Ask your board member clients to include CAI dues in the coming year's budget. Where else, if not from CAI, are association volunteers going to receive education about their responsibilities? Some managers, such as Past President David Caplan, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, in Maryland, require association clients to be members. That's a great way to gently push the agenda of better informed volunteers and grow our community association volunteer leader (CAVL) membership.

CAI chapter board members: Take the courageous step of moving beyond "business as usual" and begin budgeting for marketing the chapter to the real-estate-owning public. Homeowners need to know about CAI, and it will take extra effort and vision to make that happen. 

Our chapters excel in so many ways, and some already do a phenomenal job recruiting volunteer leaders. For example, about 55 percent of members in the Channel Islands chapter in California are volunteer leaders. Nearly 50 percent of Nevada's membership also consists of volunteer leaders. Channel Islands Executive Director Leah Ross, Nevada Executive Director Mary Rendina and the chapter boards there do a great job engaging homeowners. All of us could learn from their methods.

CAI is the good governance organization, and community associations need the volunteer leader and manager education we offer. Growing the ranks of our volunteer leaders helps everyone. Better educated boards make for healthier relationships with managers, increase opportunities for business partners and help the power of our federal and state legislative outreach efforts. 

Let's help community association board members find CAI and all we have to offer.

Originally appeared in the September October 2016 edition of Common Ground.