Board Member Training for NYC Co-ops or Condos
The Training NYC Board Members Wish They Had on Day One
Folson Board Academy introduces Know It. Run It. Own It., a 9-module on-demand training course that gives co-op and condo board members the knowledge, tools, and confidence to lead from their very first meeting.
Volunteering for the Board Is the Easy Part
Every year, thousands of New Yorkers get elected or appointed to their co-op or condo board. Most walk in with good intentions and zero preparation. There is no orientation manual handed to you at the door. No required training before you vote on a $2 million capital project or sign a management contract.
The result? Boards that operate reactively instead of strategically. Meetings that run long and accomplish little. Decisions made without understanding the financial or legal consequences. And volunteer board members who burn out within a year because nobody told them what the role actually requires.
Board training changes that. Not the kind where you sit in a Zoom room at 7pm on a Thursday or a conference room during work hours (so you had to take a vacation day) listening to a lawyer read from a slide deck. The kind you can do on your phone between meetings, at your own pace, built by people who have actually sat in your seat.
What Know It. Run It. Own It. Covers
The course is organized into three sections across 9 focused modules. Each module includes a short video lesson, a quiz to confirm you absorbed the material, and a downloadable resource you can put to use in your building right away.
Built by Board Members, for Board Members
Folson Board Academy was created by Tina Larsson and Mark Foley, co-founders of The Folson Group. Their board education did not come from a textbook. It started when they organized a coup in their own NYC co-op, took over the board, and applied their Wall Street backgrounds to building operations, saving their building $340,000 in the process.
Since then, they have spent over 12 years advising dozens of NYC co-op and condo boards on property management, cost reduction, construction oversight, and governance. This course is built on everything they learned, sometimes the hard way, so you do not have to.
KNOW IT
Understand your role and responsibilities.
Know your board roles.
Learn your governing documents.
RUN IT
Know your fiduciary duty.
Navigate ethics and conflicts of interest.
Read your financial statements.
OWN IT
Run effective board meetings.
Master recordkeeping and policies.
Work effectively with your property manager.
Who Should Take This Course
Know It. Run It. Own It. was designed for three audiences:
Individual board members who were recently elected or appointed and want to be prepared before their first meeting. Or experienced board members who never received formal training and want to fill in the gaps.
Entire boards going through a transition, whether that means new leadership, a management company change, or a building that is reorganizing after a difficult period. When every board member goes through the same program, meetings improve, decisions get made faster, and the whole board operates from a shared foundation.
Property management firms that want to offer their boards a professional onboarding experience. Instead of fielding the same basic questions from every new board member, firms can point them to a structured training program that covers governance, finances, meetings, and the board-manager relationship.
See Pricing and Enroll
Folson Board Academy is available as a one-time enrollment for individual board members, a team plan for full boards, and a monthly subscription for property management firms.
FAQs
-
There is no law in New York that requires co-op or condo board members to complete training before serving. But the responsibilities are significant. Board members approve budgets, sign contracts, oversee capital projects, and make decisions that affect the financial health of the entire building. Formal training helps board members understand their legal obligations, avoid common mistakes, and lead more effectively from day one.
-
A comprehensive board training program should cover governance structure and board roles, fiduciary duty and ethics, how to read financial statements, meeting procedures, recordkeeping requirements, the building's governing documents, and how to work effectively with a property manager. Folson Board Academy covers all of these across 9 focused modules.
-
Yes. One of the most common reasons board members resign is frustration. They walk in without knowing what the role involves, get overwhelmed by the workload and the complexity of the decisions, and quit within a year or two. Training gives new board members a realistic understanding of the role and the tools to handle it, which leads to longer tenures and more stable governance.
-
Folson Board Academy is a professional development program created by The Folson Group, a consulting firm with over 12 years of experience advising NYC co-op and condo boards. Upon completion, participants receive a certificate of completion they can share with their board or add to their LinkedIn profile. The course is not affiliated with a university or licensing body, as no such requirement exists for NYC board service.
-
Free resources, such as articles, webinars, or guides published by trade organizations, tend to be general and introductory. Folson Board Academy is a structured, sequential program with video lessons, quizzes, and downloadable tools built specifically for the New York City co-op and condo environment. It was created by consultants who have worked directly with dozens of NYC boards, not by a publisher or trade group with a broad national audience.
-
Yes. Folson Board Academy offers a subscription plan designed specifically for property management firms. The firm subscribes on a monthly or annual basis and can provide access to board members across its portfolio. The program includes onboarding support and the option to add the firm's branding to the welcome experience. This is a scalable way for management companies to offer a professional onboarding experience to every new board they take on.
-
Each of the 9 modules includes a short video lesson of approximately 5 minutes. The entire course can be completed in under two hours, though some board members work through it one or two modules at a time over the course of a few weeks. There are no deadlines, no scheduled sessions, and your progress is saved automatically.
Want to Learn More About Folson Board Academy?
Visit our comprehensive resource site: Folson Board Academy