Community Associations Support CMCAs
As a board member, trustee, or volunteer leader working with your association or cooperative, you have fiduciary responsibilities that obligate you to make decisions that can have a profound financial and social impact on your community. Receiving professional and accurate advice and guidance on issues such as reserves, maintenance, insurance, budgets, governance, contracts, the law, and rules enforcement can mean the difference between prosperity and disaster.
It is in your community's best interest to support your manager's professional development. Qualified managers can ease the burdens of the board by handling the many details of association management. You can also rely upon your manager to know the best way to solve problems, to be familiar with the latest trends and laws, and to help protect your owners' property values.
You can be confident that a manager who holds a CMCA certification has the fundamental knowledge needed to manage your association and has shown a commitment to the profession and the industry. CMCAs are also committed to a high standard of professional ethics.
If you think you can't afford to support your manager's professional development, consider this. It could potentially cost you and your neighbors more in special assessments and legal fees if you aren't getting accurate advice on such things as reserves, maintenance, rules, insurance, and other potentially costly issues.
If you need more assurance as to how important your support is, data from CAI Research Foundation's Community Association Manager Compensation and Salary Survey shows that 86 percent of survey respondents indicated that their employers paid for some or all of their training and education.
Let your community manager know you care. Provide not only monetary support for professional seminars and publications; show respect and appreciation for a job well done.
The following are ways you can start demonstrating your support today and help your manager achieve professional excellence.
- Purchase an individual manager membership in Community Associations Institute (CAI) for your manager. As America's leading advocate for responsible communities, CAI provides resources and education for managers, board members, and others involved in the community association industry. For more information about CAI, visit www.caionline.org or call (703) 970-9220.
- Pay the costs for your manager to obtain and/or maintain the CMCA certification.
Budget funds for your manager to attend a CAI National Conference & Exposition, held every spring, and to attend local education programs sponsored by one of CAI's Chapters. These events bring together the leaders in the community association industry to discuss the latest issues affecting communities and improve their skills through innovative education sessions
