Question about SCHOA staffing

Discussion in 'Sun City General Discussions' started by Emily Litella, Oct 15, 2017.

  1. Emily Litella

    Emily Litella Well-Known Member

    Deleted.
     
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2022
  2. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Dang emily; i thought for sure one of the SCHOA directors or staffers would have answered this one. Guess i will take a whack at it and how SCHOA works tomorrow when i have time. Just hope my new found bias doesn't color how i feel about what is going on there.
     
  3. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    For most folks living in Sun City, the home owners association is an unknown. Almost all of us who have become volunteers (committee members, board members or served on volunteer clean-up crews) have watched in amazement how well the organization functions. And virtually everyone who has ran for the board, at the very least, has wondered out loud why membership isn't mandatory?

    Simply put, to do that would take a vote of the residents. Even more complicated is there are some 80 plus sections where each would need to pass the motion by a 50% plus 1. Too bad, but it's not going to happen.

    For the unknowing, SCHOA wasn't always what it is today. Several of us got elected back in the mid-2000's and we watched in horror as we got ripped daily in the newspapers for non-action. There were about 80 pending cases where we threatened to take action, but did nothing. The org was little more than a paper tiger.

    That summer board members told the staff we were going to put microscopes on what they were doing in an effort to make them more effective in doing their jobs. All but one quit within the month, which opened the door to a total rebuild.

    We had less than 10 employees and we quickly filled openings with folks who understood our vision for a better tomorrow. That fall we produced a full color magazine that we delivered to every doorstep (27,000 plus, all done by volunteers). The message was clear and concise...Compliance Matters. It featured homes that were in violation side-by-side with those doing it right. It had an amazing impact.

    From that point forward, SCHOA morphed into what it is today. There were several speed bumps along the way, but the outcome was nothing short of spectacular. It was one of those projects I iook back on, glad it is over, but proud of what we did.

    This post is already too long and your question E still needs to be answered. I will get to that in the next post, because it is quite revealing to see how the organization functions today in comparison to ten years ago.
     
  4. aggie

    aggie Well-Known Member

    I'll take a small stab at this thread. There are probably around a dozen +/- paid staff at SCHOA. The Board of Directors and committee members are all unpaid as well as a few volunteers. SCHOA has so many demands that it is necessary to have staff that is paid to guaranty there are sufficient bodies to complete the work. Sunshine Service is similar in that there are volunteers but paid staff to handle the demands for service on a daily basis.

    I'm not sure, but I think that the Sun City Posse may be one of the few organizations that are totally staffed by volunteers without any form of paid staff in management or corporate affiliation.
     
  5. Adam560

    Adam560 Member

    There is now a female compliance officer, as well as a female administrative assistant in compliance.
     
  6. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    So, let the fun begin. SCHOA dumped on me as well. I'll start new threads everyday about how this evolving organization is now more interested in their business partners than the people who live here. Sad fact is, i know as much about SCHOA as any board member or executive director who pretends to care about the residents.

    Shameful.
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2017
  7. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    So adam560, welcome to the board. Hate to ask, but, are you affiliated with SCHOA?
     
  8. Adam560

    Adam560 Member

    Yes, I am, and I wish I had known about your contractor issue before it got to this point. I probably care as much about Sun City and it's organizations as you do, and I hate to see any of them dragged through the mud.
     
  9. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the honest answer adam560. The great thing about the history of this community is the remarkable number of people who have lived here and developed a love affair for all that it offers. SCHOA was a labor of love for several of us as we rebuilt it from the ground up. Everything was about creating an organization that enforced compliance, but did it with a heart.

    The vendors program is fools gold, always has been, always will be. Nope, not against it, we just always recognized how fragile it actually was. Way too easy to get on it and more importantly it takes away from the core mission of SCHOA's primary role.

    You probably don't realize,or maybe you do, all of the events SCHOA runs at Sun Dial auditorium were once done by the visitor center. Paul Herrmann did it as a way to make money to keep the visitor center doors open. Now SCHOA does it and while it brings in some money, it compromises the organization as they grow strong relationships with the vendors. If you think i am wrong, consider this: When would you ever expect a group of Sun City residents (the board) to take the side over a resident who is a member who just got screwed by one of their vendors to the tune of $5000? My answer would be never.

    It gets worse and here's why: When we began rebuilding SCHOA, we understood how important it was to grow the membership. Having 7000 members was woeful and we set a plan in motion to aggressively grow it. Yes the money mattered, but more importantly getting buy-in by those living here was essential. It worked and we added 2500 more members. It was speeches and newspaper articles and home visits and bumped up compliance efforts. People began to know who we were and felt good about us.

    The difference today is SCHOA has more money than they know what to do with and the vendor program has supplanted the membership growth efforts. It's way easier to sell memberships to vendors than it is to residents and it's way more financially beneficial. I get it, i do...at least until the board and the executive director starts putting the vendors ahead of the people they were created to protect.

    Anyway, thanks again for being open.
     
  10. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member


    Exceptional comments E, hopefully board members are following your suggestions.
     
  11. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    I would be surprised if the board doesn't look at this on Tuesday. As i have said, i know every board member and their first concern is the resident, not the vendor.
     
  12. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    It is interesting, SCHOA clearly has way more employees compared to when we rebuilt it in 2007.
     
  13. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Such a shame, nothing more than a game eh?
     

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