The short version of every "how do we…" a board asks. Every page in the board portal also explains itself as you go — this is the one to print and hand to the next board.
porchlightpoa.com/login with your own email — the one the community invited you with — and tap the link we send. No passwords. Board members always use their personal email so the audit trail shows who did what.
Settings & Integrations → Board members & roles → invite by email. Remove them the same place when their term ends; nothing else changes.
Homeowners → open the lot → Offboard the seller / Onboard the buyer. Dues prorate, key cards move over, and the buyer gets a welcome packet automatically.
Homeowners → open the record → Edit. Occupancy marks it a long-term, Airbnb/VRBO or seasonal rental with the tenant and manager on file; the Rentals filter lists them all. Import list loads many at once.
Homeowners → Invite to portal. One text and email per household; each taps once and they're in. Start with a handful of neighbors first.
Dues & Payments → find the homeowner → Record payment. Mid-year setup? "Record payments in bulk" marks everyone who has already paid in one step.
On their own, on the schedule in Settings → Dues rules: reminders before the due date, past-due notices after, late fees and interest on your dates. Each one is previewed on the dashboard the day before it posts and can be switched off in Settings → Automations.
Financials & P&L shows income, expenses by category, budget vs. actual and the bank balance. Settings & Integrations → QuickBooks → Connect (the treasurer signs in once) and every expense, deposit and balance flows in nightly — read-only, nothing written back.
Nothing unless you choose. Financials & P&L → "What homeowners see": stay board-only and publish a one-click annual report to Documents, or turn on a live summary in the app. Household balances are never shown.
Vendors & Bills → add the vendor once → enter bills as they arrive → approve. Recurring bills from QuickBooks show up on their own.
Announcements → New. It goes out by email and text under the community's name, from your board email as the reply-to. Schedule it, pin it to the portal, and see who received it in the delivery log.
Calendar → New event. Homeowners see it in the app and in their phone calendars if they subscribed.
Support Desk → open the ticket → reply. The homeowner sees it in the app and by email. Anonymous reports show no name — reply anyway; they can see it.
Documents → Architectural requests → Decide: approve, approve with conditions, deny, or ask for more info. The homeowner is notified and the decision is filed against the lot permanently.
Pool House Rentals → Approve or decline. Approved bookings land on the shared calendar; rules and deposits live on the same page.
Votes & Polls → New → pick election, official vote, or quick poll → set open/close dates and quorum. Notices and reminders go out on their own; results are certified and filed in Documents when it closes. Check your bylaws allow electronic voting first.
Documents → Upload. Choose whether homeowners can see it or board only.
Access & Key Cards. Change a code → it texts and emails households in good standing and reminds you next season. Cards: issue, suspend, replace. Both pause automatically when dues go unpaid and restore the moment they pay.
Email hello@porchlightpoa.com with your community name. Settings → Audit log shows every action and who took it, which usually answers "who changed this?"