Community Association Annual Action Plan

What a good one includes

• A high-level executive summary that outlines the primary themes and major goals for the community over the next twelve months.
• A quarterly maintenance schedule that details seasonal physical property inspections, routine servicing, and scheduled capital improvements.
• A clear linkage between planned projects and the operating or reserve budgets to ensure every initiative is fully funded.
• A social calendar detailing community events, town halls, and volunteer days designed to build neighborly relationships and boost meeting attendance.
• Key dates for reviewing, bidding, or renewing service contracts for landscaping, security, waste management, and property management.
• A structured communication schedule detailing how and when project updates, newsletter issues, and meeting minutes will be shared with residents.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Board members often plan major upgrades without consulting their official reserve study, leading to unexpected cash flow shortages.
• Creating a long list of goals without assigning a specific board member, committee, or property manager to lead each task ensures they will get forgotten.
• Writing the entire plan in a vacuum without surveying homeowners leads to political pushback, low event turnout, and a lack of community buy-in.
• Cramming too many major infrastructure projects into a single quarter can overwhelm volunteer board members and lead to vendor scheduling conflicts.

Frequently asked questions