What Makes CMA a Great Place to Work?

Community Management Associates (CMA) is a company that specializes in helping community associations thrive by providing over three decades of management and hiring expertise. If you love helping communities and being part of a great team, join CMA as an association manager and boost your community association career today. 

Our Background 

Dan Henning and Dennis Hoffman established CMA in 1989. What started as a company with 7 Associations and only four employees is now a full-scale enterprise with over 1,100 Associations located throughout the southeastern United States. CMA has local offices in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee. We currently have 150+ state-licensed association managers working across the southeast United States. 

Why should you work for CMA?

CMA has made its mark as a distinguished leader in association management for the past 35 years by offering continuous innovation and training to our team. When it comes to property management careers in Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, Augusta, Destin, and Naples, CMA is an industry leader that attracts the best and brightest leaders in association management. 

Robust credentials 

CMA is a part of the Community Associations Institute (CAI), Chamber of Commerce, and other licensing entities in the southeastern United States. CMA has also been ranked as the top association management firm in Atlanta by the Atlanta Business Chronicle for 20 years in a row. 

Employee benefits 

CMA employees boast of the benefits that they receive from their company. Some of these are:

  • Medical/Vision/Dental
  • Life & Disability Insurance
  • Flexible Paid Time Off
  • Volunteer Time Off
  • Company Sponsored 401K 

Fostering positive work culture 

CMA prioritizes a healthy work-life balance and believes that employees can only work to their full potential if they lead a happy life outside of the office. CMA strives to makes sure employees feel supported, encouraged, and satisfied with their jobs. For this, CMA offers flexible PTOs and telework opportunities. 

CMA seeks to cultivate a work environment that inspires new ideas and supports highly motivated individuals to be truly successful. Employees are valued for their talent, while their differences are acknowledged and accepted. CMA also ensures that employees have a respectful attitude towards varied perspectives. 

As a CMA client, our dedication to employee training and benefits means that your association has access to highly-trained staff that feel a sense of community in their workplace, which resonates in their behavior while offering services to their clients.

Inclusive employment practices 

CMA is an equal-opportunity employer. This means that CMA considers employee applications irrespective of the person’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, veteran, or disability status. 

What are the positions available at CMA?

  1.  Community Association Manager – responsible for allocating resources to ensure the management and support of community associations under the guidance of CMA. 
  2.  Compliance coordinator – responsible for enforcing restrictions imposed in the community’s memorandum regarding maintenance, architectural specifications, and the guidelines established by the homeowner’s association. 
  3.  Accounting – The financial services team keeps financial transaction records and the general ledger for accounts payable, and receivable, and adjusting journal entries. 
  4.  Administrative Assistant – By providing internal and external customer service, the Administrative Assistant assists the Community Association Managers and our client associations.

Click here to find the positions available at CMA today. 

 

What Does a Community Management Association Company Do

What Does a Community Management Association Company Do?

Ever wondered why your cul-de-sac was so peaceful growing up? No fights, clean lanes, friendly neighbors- your local community association probably had something to do with all this.

Local Community Associations 

Neighborhood homeowners play an essential role in maintaining common spaces and improving community welfare. 

A community association comprises volunteers, as well as elected and mandatory members. Larger communities often have member fees, while smaller neighborhoods are mostly civic bodies.

When to Hire a Community Management Association Company

With an efficient community association at the helm, people don’t easily notice things like property taxes or association fees and vendor rates. It is when this system breaks that they realize the importance of their roles in their daily lives. 

In dire cases, a community management association company is called to help oil the gears of this resident community.

Role of the Community Management Association Company

 It offers assistance to the HOA (homeowners association) in administration or finance. This service helps the community association a great deal. More prominent neighborhoods benefit particularly from the budget sessions and vendor billing tips that the company associate provides.

Community management association companies have been around for some time. Businesses like Atlanta’s Community Management Associates have over three decades of experience.

They are usually hired by overworked community presidents or stressed boards of directors. And after signing relevant paperwork, the company starts on its role. 

Role of Community Association Company Manager

A community association manager is dispatched to the neighborhood as a representative. The manager also helps the struggling local association in tasks like neighborhood budget planning, professional billing and common area maintenance.

While his roles may include finance and administration, his goal is always to enrich the entire community.

Finance and Administrative Skills

 The company manager is skilled in community management while being an expert in negotiations and conflict resolutions. If the board of directors are hesitant about loan applications, they can consult with the community association manager. 

The same can be done for advice on tax returns, service contractors and venue management.

All good community management association companies interact with the people of the neighborhood. The residents provide crucial feedback on necessary changes for protection against vandalism or the monthly billings.

Importance of Community Management Association Company

A neighborly bond is a valuable thing, but it can be a con in some instances. Community volunteers and the board of directors are often reluctant to broach the topic of finance with their fellow residents. 

Hiring the service of a management company like Community Management Associates can easily solve this problem. A third party will have no problem talking bills, fees and finance with the neighborhood residents.

Even tricky conversations regarding complaints and fines can be presided over by the community management association company. The manager relieves an enormous load off the community president/board’s back. As a result, they can focus on more important work like budgets and community safety.

Hiring a community management association company is the answer if you want your neighborhood to work like well-oiled clockwork.

A Day in the Life of an Association Manager

A Day in the Life of an Association Manager

Don’t you hate having to argue with your neighbors? Hiring a professional management company can help keep the peace among neighbors!

The main task of a licensed community association manager with a professional community management company is to assist the board with the day to day operations and maintenance of the community and provide financial transparency to its members. Managers also help residents by taking calls, emails, handling property emergencies, and maintaining the standards of the community by sending out compliance communication to residents. Life as an association manager is full of rewards and many challenges!

Who is an Association Manager?

Community managers and management companies are the professional backbone of the associations they serve, providing the skills and expertise that are essential to the successful management of community associations. When neighborhood associations face problems or wish to improve the conditions of association common areas, they look to hire a professional community management company that is licensed by the state. Community Management Associates assist community volunteer board of directors in matters of finance and administration related to the association. 

Community Management Company Associate Manager: A Day in the Life

Associate managers have a broad spectrum of roles to fulfill in the community neighborhood. They take care of everything from solving petty misunderstandings to drafting the annual budget for the community so the board can finalize. Any feedback or complaints is quickly brought into consideration or resolved. But among their roles, community finance and neighborhood management are their primary areas of work.

Management Work

The maintenance and renovation within the community fall under the responsibility of the associate manager. If a roof leaks or a pipe break, he is the first individual the resident contacts. The manager is always patient and actively work towards solving the problem in such cases.

Their service also includes acting as a mediator between residents and service vendors. The manager also has to resolve any conflict that may arise between them. Bill delivery, repair of communal areas, health inspections and venue organization are the other areas they must handle.

Financial Work

The essential financial roles that the associate manager must fulfil are maintaining community funds, registering bills, and sharing tax histories. Sometimes, the boards of directors involve them in brainstorming the annual community budget. In such cases, the manager may assist in formulating loan applications to meet the financial needs. Regarding accidents with the residents in the community, the insurance company usually contacts the company manager for deeper insight.

Tough Love

Juggling bills and answering phone complaints are not the only thing an associate manager handles. Maybe it’s that guy from B-3 who plays rock at the oddest hours, or perhaps it’s the gentleman who always keeps the gate unlocked- there are times when the residents need a bit of tough love. These are the moments when associate managers come in most handy. For the community directors and the board, these people are neighbors and acquaintances. These community association members live next door to these people. Any harsh language and chastisement can lead to a detriment in the relationships. Therefore associate managers from companies like Community Management Associates are hired to do the tricky bits.

Simply informing residents about the rules or scolding them is not professional. All good managers have excellent interpersonal skills that open up communication. They must make residents aware of their mistakes while still maintaining a good relationship for the sake of the future.

End of Day 

As a result, an ordinary day of an associate manager is anything but boring.  Things don’t get slow in the block, from meeting contractors for repairs to putting out sudden fires to simply having a stimulating conversation.

What to Look for When Selecting an Association Management Partner

What to Look for When Selecting an Association Management Partner

Managing a community is hard work. From maintenance issues to complaint resolution, it is easy for untrained local volunteers and homeowners to get overwhelmed.

Why Do You Need an Association Management Partner?

In many community bodies, the board mainly consist of homemakers who volunteer for the role. They lack proper training in accounting and conflict management. 

As a result, their community associations responsibilities are not executed efficient. In such cases, a third party enters to guide them and provide necessary assistance.

Many homeowners’ associations hire community management firms to improve, maintain and resolve community management. 

After signing a contract, companies like Company Management Associates send a representative as a point of contact to advise and guide them. These are experienced agents excelling in finance as well as interpersonal skills.

With over 345,000 community associations in the country, there is plenty of demand for partners. 

Homeowner associations must pay careful attention to these traits in management companies to bag the best of the lot.

The Business Model

Some companies have a fit-all approach to community management. They apply the same model to all localities and locations. 

A model customized for a large community will not work for a minor association. The governing bodies in these communities are usually volunteers. They cannot dedicate the same amount of time to their responsibilities as their more formal counterparts in more prominent associations.

Small communities tend to be civic-oriented, while prominent neighborhoods focus more on finance and administration. 

To get the best results, it is vital to choose a partner whose values align with those of the community.


Work History/Experience

Reviews from past customers are key to getting a ground-level knowledge of the company. A comprehensive of their daily workings can be unearthed with a bit of research.

Experienced companies like Community Management Associates are always more likely to be more efficient partners. With 32 years of professional management work, they know the little quirks acquired only with experience.

Larger, more established companies also have more employees. As a result, they have more varied talents and can provide a broader range of services. 


Connections

From drain cleanings to gas leak repair, local service providers are crucial for every community. Almost every maintenance issue requires their service. So, a good association management partner must have a wide range of such connections. 

Besides this, the service providers must be reliable and trustworthy. Sometimes these workers may get injured during work. If they are not appropriately insured, hefty charges may be incurred by the homeowners’ associations.  

Therefore, it is essential to validate the certification, license and insurance of these service providers.


Relevant Certifications/Credentials

A partner must possess relevant documentation and certificates to back up their years of experience.

It is crucial to verify the company’s trade associations certifications. The Community Associations Institute (CAI) is a leading international trade organization focusing on developments. 

The Professional Community Association Manager is a prestigious title that the CAI grants only select partners. If you find this tag on the company, their partner service is a cut above the rest.

Other noteworthy designations include Association Management Specialists (ACM) and Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA).


Latest Technology

Often, stagnation in technology goes hand in hand with the years in the industry. A working website and dedicated social media presence are the norms for most companies these days.

But only a few provide the best in the membership registration technology, emergency response and billing systems. 

Keep your eyes peeled for these firms.

Habitat For Humanity – How Property Managers Can Give Back

A good community associate needs more than merely showing themselves to homeowners and tenants. Property management is complex, but starting your own home isn’t easier.
Everyone needs help now and then, and managers can do something about it.

Habitat For Humanity is a NPO (non-profit organization) built by property managers and homeowners. It’s also an excellent chance if you want to give something back to people in need.
If you’re interested in helping others find and build the home of their dreams, you’re in the right place.

What is Habitat For Humanity?

Habitat For Humanity is a worldwide organization. It focuses on helping local communities around the world and most of the US. Their main objective is to help ensure everyone has a good home.

Their focus includes strength and stability for families helped by the organization. That means providing an affordable home that comes with all the amenities they need. Volunteers help Habitat homeowners to build these homes.

The goal behind Habitat

A community associate is a great advantage for anyone in need of decent housing. Habitat For Humanity’s mission goes beyond offering housing for people in need. They aim to develop self-sufficient communities, focused on cooperation and hope.

They come from the main Christian value: loving your neighbor. In this case, it’s quite
literally. Volunteers and Habitat homeowners work together to build the community they
always dreamed of.

Naturally, they’re strong affordable housing advocates and actively work towards it.
Transformative and sustainable development are two crucial pillars behind their
methodology, and education is another priority for all volunteers.

Building the right community association

Habitat For Humanity is more than a chance to find an affordable house if you need. It’s also more than volunteering to build houses. Community associates should actively work towards improving the community—not merely individuals.

That’s why Habitat aims to build cooperative communities. In other words, it’s more than
affordable housing. It’s the promise of a supporting circle that has its homeowners’ back
whenever they need.

Volunteering isn’t difficult, and you can get started quite quickly if you wish to give back to others.

Educating yourself

Volunteering can feel intimidating if you don’t know where to begin. Thankfully, Habitat For Humanity offers plenty of resources to help you understand what to do.

You can learn about their strategy as well as important terminology to ensure you’re an
authority in the subject.

Improving other communities

Of course, the main task for Habitat volunteers is to build affordable homes. That’s how they started over 40 years ago, but it’s not the only responsibility.

Additionally, property managers can provide valuable assistance from their experience. That includes financial and management preparation, encouraging strong relationships, and more.

Free volunteers

In the end, you don’t have to volunteer for a specific role. You’re free to browse their different options to find what’s more comfortable for you.

You can help local or global communities depending on your traveling preferences. The
same is true for becoming a short- or long-term volunteer.