Self-managed homeowners association (HOA) boards often rely on outdated methods such as paper checks, Excel spreadsheets, and personal email accounts to manage finances, communications, and records. This manual approach can lead to inefficiencies, lost information, and burnout among volunteer board members. According to Clayton Thompson, CEO of HOA Start, switching to specialized HOA software provides immediate benefits in payments and communications, freeing up time for board members.
For a community of 100 homes with a two-month payment cycle, online payments eliminate the need to check mail, open envelopes, manually reconcile payments, and make bank trips. The system automatically updates when payments are received. In communications, mass emails or text alerts can be sent from the platform in minutes, and resident directories update in real time. “It’s the difference between a board that’s always behind on communication and one that can send an alert to the whole neighborhood in two minutes,” Thompson said.
Thompson highlights a common issue: one board member, often called “Sue,” ends up handling most administrative tasks. When Sue leaves, years of institutional knowledge can vanish—meeting minutes on a thumb drive, vendor quotes in a property manager’s system, or a domain name held by a former web designer. With centralized software, all information remains accessible to the board regardless of member turnover. “Sue can leave and the next board member logs in and everything is right there,” Thompson said.
Many communities start by using software for payments or a community website and later discover additional features like online voting, which helps achieve quorum for meetings and is legally required in some states, and violation tracking for issues like unkempt properties. Thompson compares the software to a buffet: users start with their biggest need and gradually explore other offerings.
Brighton by the Bay, a 314-home retirement community in Ontario, switched to HOA Start after its outdated website was lost when the resident who built it moved away. Board member Stacey Grieve found the software easy to use and praised its document management and customer support. “You don’t have to be super technical by any means,” she said. “It really was a pretty easy process.”
For self-managed boards still relying on spreadsheets and personal email accounts, the transition to purpose-built software is often simpler than expected. The tools are available, and the decision is whether to wait for a crisis—such as a board member leaving or a compliance fine—or proactively adopt a system that saves time and preserves continuity. HOA Start (https://hoastart.com/) offers integrated software for online payments, resident communication, document management, online voting, violation tracking, and community websites designed for volunteer boards.