Inside: CAI N E W S MEMBERSHIP NEWS 6 Membership News 8 Upcoming Events 12 Maine News 13 Massachusetts News 14 Rhode Island News 15 Vermont News Best Practices Reports Benchmarking Excellence in Associations he Foundation for Community Association Research promotes and conducts research on community, homeowner and condominium associations. Its research and studies focus on enhancing communities and helping volunteer leaders and professional managers make more focused and effective decisions. Function-specific best practices have been developed using recommendations from industry experts and various industry-related publications and resources. Best Practices Reports include documented criteria for function-specific best practices, case studies of communities that have demonstrated successes and the development of a community excellence showcase. Benefits of benchmarking and best practices include: T Energy Efficiency CAI and the Department of Energy are dedicated to educating the community association industry — and the U.S. population it represents — on the many ways to increase the energy efficiency of their homes and thereby reduce both energy consumption and costs. In this report, associations will find information on the following areas: • Retrofitting existing homes and community structures (e.g., clubhouses). • Using the increasing support of the “Building Green” movement. • Gaining ideas from case studies of community associations that have demonstrated success in reducing energy consumption and costs. Top Hits on the CAI-NE Web Site www.caine.org The CAI-NE Web site – www.caine.org – provides invaluable resources and information for volunteer board members and industry professionals. Check out the following top 5 pages. • Feature Article – Internet Increases Efficiency & Risk • Legislative Update – VTCIOA Amendments Effective Jan. 1, 2012 • Program & Event Registration – Annual Golf Tournament • Helpful Resources – Resource Directories • Legislative Update – LD1332 Maine Condo Act Amendment • Setting high performance targets • Helping to overcome the disbelief that stretched goals are possible • Strengthened cost positions • More innovative approaches to operating and managing practices • Accelerating culture change by making an organization look outward • Bringing accountability to the organization, because it is an ongoing process for measuring performance For a free copy of the Best Practices Report, visit www.cairf.org. Green Communities This report explores “greenness” in communities. It considers the concept of sustainability through better designs, new technologies and social innovations. Each community’s resource savings, its greenness or its sustainability planning and acceptance should not come at the expense of the residents. What is accepted as the right behavior in one community should not be required for all. This report answers those questions and explores ideas and resources that professional managers and community leaders can use to help their association “go green.” CM 6 CONDO MEDIA • JUNE 2011http://www.caine.org http://www.caine.org http://www.cairf.org