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I have just been elected to the board and was wondering what I should learn. the other board members have suggested we gather to discuss issues. what questions should I be asking to become knowledgable about issues.
My advice is to relax and attend the orientation meeting with open mind and open ears. Actively participate in the meeting by asking questions when something may not be clear to you. It may have been poorly stated or the person assumed that the language used to express a problem or a concept was familiar to you.
To prepare for the meeting, you may wish to review the board minutes for the last 12 months to know what were the major issues and current ones. From these, you may have a short list one of those that are still outstanding.
You may also request a copy of the financial reports for December 2007 to get an idea of the expenses, budget against expense report; also, you may ask for the past 4 months monthly reports. Examine the arrears, take a look at the expenses without passing judgment as being too high or too low, and the current financial position of the co-op.
If you are not too versed in accounting, don't worry; financial reports are very much like your checking account or a credit account. Just read them to familiarize yourself but don't loose sleep over it!
Aymara
NewBM,
This may sound simplistic but read the mang contract, house rules and by-laws carefully. Last year, six months into a new board, we discovered that three of our new members did not have copies of the Mang contract or house rules -- and had not read the By-laws.
The Mang company had taken advantage, and were running the building as if they owned it. Fees, SH complaints and calls were not returned, unauthorized checks written,,,etc.... They no longer work for us.
Also, pass rules and make decisions that looking into the future, you as a Shareholder, not board member, can live with.
Be careful of going along with Board-team-decisions -- that you know are wrong. Although bm's admitted the old Mang was incompetent, we kept this Mang co, for an extra six months because Board members did not want to offend other bm who supported and were friends with the Agent. Two bm's refused to be part of the team, joined a group of Shareholders (dont underestimate the SH) sent out a petition which was signed by 80% of the CoOp, and fired the Company.
And finally: Leave you Ego at the door.
AliceT
Yes, you're right!
I overlooked these very important documents. Without them, you cannot really make decisions.
Ignorant BM of the contents of the documents make poor decisions.
Thank you!
AdC
I advise new board members to read the executive minutes as far back as you can. It gives you a quick history of what has gone on before both good and bad.
As others have mentioned, the Proprietary Lease, By-Laws, and House Rules are fundamental (but dry) reading. Going through recent meeting minutes is also a good idea. For more interesting reading, the Habitat archive is a gold mine. Habitat is the *only* magazine I read cover-to-cover every month.
Also, don't be shy about asking a more experienced board member to sit down with you and talk about how things work. Then Google some articles on "What is a Co-Op?" and that sort of thing.
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The best place to start may be to read through these posts, try the Cooperator at http://cooperator.com/ also for allot of useful info.. between hab mag and them you can keep real busy for a while. there’s of course always this board to post any specific questions you have... good luck to you
~AR
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