A board meeting for nonprofits must be an entertaining and informative occasion. This can be accomplished by keeping the focus on the organization’s objectives and mission with clear communication. Meetings are often dominating by updates from the organization that are time-consuming or by heated discussions of particular topics from only a few participants (we all know who that person is). Adding a little something extra to the meeting could keep it lively and assist in helping board members stay connected to the goals of your organization. For example showing a video of a testimonial from a client can be a powerful way to connect board members to your mission.
Check that the agenda for your board meeting is organized well in advance. If necessary a facilitator at the meeting can be employed to help with this, or a committee of board members should be responsible for preparing the agenda and ensuring important documents are prepared and sent out ahead of the board meeting. Board members who are rushing for important documents while they are being discussed or, even worse, do not have them at all, can kill an effective check meeting.
Boards should not spend more than 25 percent of their meetings on updates and “have to’s”. Too much time is wasted by board members who are lost in the details of committee chair reports, officer reports, and other items that are routine. Many of these items can be reduced to 5-10 minutes. They can easily be included in a pre-meeting agenda or as a part of regular e-mail updates sent to the board.
