Online Board Meetings Benefits
A virtual board meeting is an excellent method of saving time and energy for your nonprofit organization. It allows your members to take part regardless of their schedules, quarantine restrictions and travel restrictions. Virtual meetings can be quite challenging when they’re not managed correctly. A few simple rules will result in a successful online session that includes strong board involvement and effective documentation.
Begin by creating a concise, clear agenda. Include the members of your board in establishing the agenda and send them a copy of it at least a month in advance to give them time to prepare. This helps keep your board on course and ensures that all relevant topics are covered during the meeting.
Use video conferencing in your meetings so that participants can see each the other. It’s more difficult to get people involved when board members aren’t able see body language or hear each one another clearly. Video conference is a great way to get rid of distractions like pets, children and household activities.
Record all decisions made during the meeting and add notes from each person who took part in the decision. This will make your minutes easier to refer to in the future, and ensure that all decisions are recorded in detail. If you do not document your decisions correctly, it could cause confusion or conflicting information later on. Make sure you have an individual minute-taker who is aware of the importance of recording every discussion and decision verbatim.
