Nobody trains you to run a neighborhood.
You got elected, and then somebody handed you a bank account, a set of covenants, and a hundred neighbors. Board Academy is the course we wish existed — fifteen short lessons, in the order a new board member actually needs them. Free, no signup.
What a new board member needs before the second meeting.
What a board actually owes the community
Fiduciary duty in plain English: the duty of care, the duty of loyalty, and the business judgment rule that protects a board that does its homework.
Read the lessonRead your own governing documents
The order of authority — statute, declaration, bylaws, rules — and how to find the three clauses that answer most homeowner arguments.
Read the lessonThe math of running a community
Where the money goes in a full-service management contract, what software replaces, and how to calculate your community's real number.
Read the field noteThe part that keeps treasurers up at night.
Build a budget the community will pass
Line items, contingency, and how to present an increase so it reads as stewardship rather than a surprise.
Read the lessonFix underfunded reserves in three cycles
74% of associations sit below 70% funded. The three-cycle plan closes the gap in 3% annual steps instead of one special assessment.
Read the field noteChoose your payment rails
ACH, card, and lockbox side by side — what each really costs, who absorbs the fee, and how to move residents without breaking collections.
Read the field noteCollections without the courthouse
A humane escalation ladder — reminder, late fee, payment plan, notice, lien — and the point at which each step is worth taking.
Read the lessonMeetings, minutes, and the decisions that get challenged later.
Run an AGM from a single phone
Recording, transcription, motions, votes, and minutes from the device in your pocket — a field guide for a board with no staff.
Read the field noteMinutes that survive scrutiny
What belongs in the record, what never should, and how to handle executive session so the minutes still protect the board.
Read the lessonEnforce a rule fairly
Consistent notice, documented evidence, a hearing that is actually a hearing, and why selective enforcement is how boards lose.
Read the lessonArchitectural review without the feud
Written standards, a published timeline, and a decision letter that explains itself — the three things that keep ARC out of court.
Read the lessonCommunication, vendors, and the year-round rhythm.
Communicate before you have to
The cadence that prevents crisis email: a monthly broadcast, a real place for questions, and one channel that reaches everyone including the people who never log in.
Read the lessonHire and hold a vendor accountable
Scope, insurance certificates, W-9s, and the paper trail that makes 1099 season a five-minute job.
Read the lessonBuy software without getting sold
The five questions that expose the real first-year cost of any platform — including ours.
Read the field noteHand over cleanly
The board transition packet: access, records, open matters, and the institutional memory that usually walks out the door with the outgoing treasurer.
Read the lessonA board that knows the rules is a better customer.
Everything here works whether or not you ever use our software. We publish it because a community that budgets properly, notices violations correctly, and keeps minutes worth reading has fewer emergencies — and because the alternative, boards learning this from a lawyer after the fact, is expensive for everyone.
Two companion references sit alongside the lessons: the HOA glossary, which defines every term the governing documents use, and the state-by-state guide, which names the act that governs associations where you are.
- Free, no email gate, no drip sequence
- New lessons published as field notes on the blog
- Want a topic covered? Tell us and we'll write it
- General education, not legal advice — check your state and your documents
Start with one community. Or all forty.
Free for thirty days. No card required.
For management companies with 500+ doors, ask about Multi-Portfolio onboarding.