Community associations can provide an inclusive way to engage with members of a group with a common interest, whether focused on the local environment, social activities, events, youth sports, or other areas.
Learning how to start an association is the first step, with factors such as deciding how to manage each association vote, what voting powers members will have, and how your code of conduct, articles, and policies will aid strong governance and democratic processes.
Most associations begin with a core base of founders, who can ensure their community association achieves its objectives by setting up a management committee to make collective decisions about who will take responsibility for the group, recruit members, and manage its functions. In many cases, association management software can be useful, particularly where time constraints mean that efficiency is a key priority.
What is association management software? In essence, this provides one platform where you handle all community association affairs, from keeping databases of members, managing voting and communications, logging finances and budgets, and maintaining a calendar of events.
The initial task to help define which software or administrative functions you need is to assess the group's goals, evaluate the resources necessary to meet them, and create governance documents or guiding principles that underpin association activities.
Governing documents work like an association's constitution and tell prospective members, current members, and organizations you may work with your aims and how you conduct association business.
For example, your governing documents could include the following:
Governance is important because it sets out the rules that apply to every member and function, reducing the potential for future misunderstandings or disparities. Voting and budgets are often key, where your policies should detail how you will protect transparency and controls, showing members how their funds are safeguarded from misappropriation, and providing equal access to voting eligibility.
Most associations will require a central bank account held separately from any personal accounts belonging to founding members, board representatives, and the chairperson, secretary, and treasurer. Keeping funds separate is essential because if your association is involved in not-for-profit or charitable activities, you may need to provide details of your banking to potential funding partners.
Bank account statements make it easier and clearer to define which expenses and incomes are linked to the association when preparing budgets, forecasts, and financial reports for your members. Insurance is also a consideration because, depending on the purpose of your association, you may require the following:
Some states and municipal areas may have rules around mandatory insurance, so this is worth investigating beforehand to identify the coverage that will be compulsory.
Long term, your success and the impacts you make will depend on how well you can attract new members and retain their interest and involvement. Teamwork and communication are imperative, where every member feels valued, involved, and able to contribute, whether through proposing items for the next meeting agenda, voting on important association matters, or submitting an application for a position within the association board.
In a modern world where most community members will access communications digitally through a laptop, tablet, or mobile, one proven way to bolster your membership engagement and advertising activities is to combine in-person meetings, dialogues, and events with online communications. For example, your association could circulate upcoming meetings or events by email, create digital voting to ensure every member can participate from any location, or use social media and other forums to publicize association activities and campaigns to attract new members to strengthen your membership base.
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