Cohousing-L Mailing List: How do cohousing communities orient boards to fiduciary duties?

[Kathryn Lowry (kathryn.lowry]

Hello friends,

In our condominium-based cohousing community, every unit purchase comes
with a seat on the Association’s board of directors. That means most of our
neighbors step into fiduciary responsibilities under state condo and
nonprofit law simply by virtue of ownership.

I’m curious how other communities structure this.


   -

   Do all owners automatically serve as directors, or do you elect a
   smaller group to serve?
   -

   How do you ensure that directors are trained in their fiduciary duties
   of care, loyalty, and good faith?
   -

   Have you developed orientation materials, brought in outside trainers,
   or found other ways to build this knowledge?

I’d love to learn what’s worked for your communities so that we can
strengthen both our governance practices and our shared life together.

Warmly,

Kathryn Lowry

Daybreak Cohousing, Portland OR