Community Associations Institute (CAI), the nation's advocate for an estimated 250,000 association-governed communities, began 2004 with a new logo depicting the organization's commitment to the millions of volunteers and professionals who strive to foster better, more harmonious communities.

A short video introducing the new logo can be viewed at www.caionline.org. "Our new logo reflects who we are and the nature of our mission," said CAI President J. David Ramsey, Esq. "We are a community of members - homeowner volunteer leaders, community managers, business partners and other professionals. We support, educate and innovate. These attributes help us inspire our communities, and these are the same attributes that inspired our new logo."

The logo is the result of extensive research and surveys to determine the images CAI members associate with particular words and phrases. Concepts that helped crystallize the final design include:

• Community
• Professional
• Education
• Expert

The new design replaces CAI's "diamond" logo, which was introduced in 1991.

"This is a major step in our drive to strengthen CAI in the growing community association field and a reflection of our renewed commitment to member value and service," said CAI Chief Executive Officer Thomas M. Skiba. "More than just a new logo, our new visual identity emphasizes our most important asset—the people who work together to create more livable communities."

CAI was created in 1973 to meet the needs of an emerging segment of the housing market. Today, close to 50 million Americans live in an estimated 250,000 condominium and homeowner associations, cooperatives and other association-governed communities.

More than a million homeowners serve on community association boards. Their communities are served by tens of thousands of professional community managers and supported by countless other professionals in the fields of accounting, communications, engineering, finance, law, maintenance and security.

CAI's new logo is the first step in a broad undertaking known as the Member Value Initiative, a series of innovative, member-driven enhancements designed to maximize the value of CAI for volunteer community leaders, professional managers, management companies and business partners.

The initiative will include:

• Redesigning our membership structure to provide greater value to members and, ultimately, to serve as a driver for increased membership.
• Developing mechanisms that will enable CAI to provide more targeted products and services to professional managers and community association volunteer leaders.
• Creating a new, streamlined system of governance that will enhance administrative efficiency, promote more effective policy-making and give greater voice to each membership group.
• Acquiring new information technologies that will help CAI and its chapters improve member communication and service.

The changes are expected to be launched during the latter part of 2004. They are the result of a long, deliberative and interactive process led by the CAI Board of Trustees. "We are making a good organization even better—and making membership more valuable to each and every CAI member," Skiba said. "Over time, we believe our initiatives will generate increased membership, especially among professional managers and community association volunteer leaders."

CAI and its more than 50 state, regional and local chapters represent condominium and homeowner associations, cooperatives and planned communities. Its members include community association volunteer leaders, professional managers and management firms, builders and developers, accountants, attorneys, lenders and other product and service suppliers.