Ongoing board member resignations can cause operational disruptions, interfering with your board’s efficiency and effectiveness. However, you can use the following strategies to help avoid resignations and gain control of condo board member churn. 

Focus on Resignation Prevention

Resignation prevention focuses on simple strategies that help ensure board member satisfaction and success, including: 

• • Formalize your board member onboarding process to ensure members receive thorough training and understand their roles and responsibilities
  • Provide resources to assist in member tasks such as working with a property management company to implement new policies, oversee projects, tender capital projects, etc. 

• Enlist residents for committee work on new projects to reduce board member stress and workload  

Develop a Succession Plan Based 

A succession plan ensures new board members experience less friction when stepping into their roles. Introducing a policy in your governing documents outlining board member resignation/onboarding guidelines contributes to new member success. However, you should also formalize a project hand-off process, so nothing falls through the cracks. Leveraging project management software also facilitates smooth transitions, keeping everyone updated on project progression. 

Develop a Condo Corporation Document Management Policy 

A document policy ensures you maintain control over information following a resignation. The policy addresses how board members access, create, save, and store documents using a secure central hub and common naming conventions that make document searches easier. 

You also need security measures including immediately changing data storage passwords when a board member resigns. Also, email addresses based on board member titles allow you to simply change account passwords to deny access to former members and immediately bring new members into the loop.

Always Be Recruiting

Creating a pool of board member candidates makes it easier to fill director positions. A good place to start is your community committees. However, you can also hold homeowner meetings or share information via newsletters to teach the community about the role, benefits, and opportunities of becoming a director. 

Introduce a Stronger Vetting Process

Introducing a stronger vetting process helps ensure potential board candidates strengthen the board with relevant skills, commitment, and integrity. Provide a realistic view regarding the amount of time they’ll have to spend on board work to manage expectations. 

Hold Exit Interviews

Exit interviews provide insights on the why’s behind resignations. It also maintains control of institutional knowledge board members might otherwise take with them. Some questions to ask during the exit interview include: 

• What are your reasons for resigning? (If it is something the board has done, ask relevant questions to help provide more valuable feedback.)
• Is there anything we could do that would persuade you to reconsider your resignation? (Only ask this if the board member was a truly valuable member)
• What could we do better to help future board members feel equipped to succeed? 
• Did you feel valued and respected by fellow board members?
• What suggestions do you have to help us improve?
• Are there any core competencies you feel our board is lacking?
• Is there anything else you’d like to share or add?

Having a neutral party conduct the interview can help ensure feedback is honest. For example, if the board member was experiencing sexual harassment, or personal conflict with other board members, they need to feel safe to share that information.

Preventing resignations helps maintain continuity of your management structure. A property management company can assist in writing policies, training, and onboarding/offboarding processes to reduce board member churn. 

At CPO Management Inc., a property management company in Toronto and the GTA, our comprehensive suite of services includes the development of effective, thorough policies and orientation packages customized for your condo corporation’s needs. Contact us today.