A nonprofit board meeting must be engaging and informative. The best way to accomplish this is through clear communication that is focused on the organization’s mission and objectives. Many meetings are dominating by updates from the organization that take up time or by heated discussions of particular topics from only a few people in the room (we all know the person). A little extra to the meeting can keep it engaging and help board members stay connected to the purpose of your company. The presentation of a video with client reviews is an effective way to connect the members of your board with your mission.
Ensure your board meeting agenda is well-planned in advance. If needed an event facilitator could be hired to assist in this or a committee of board members should be responsible for preparing the agenda and making sure that important documents are prepared and sent out ahead of the board meeting. Board members who are scrambling for important documents while they are being discussed or, even worse, do not have them in the first place could ruin an effective meeting.
Boards should not devote more than 25 percent of their time at meetings on updates and “have to’s”. A lot of time is wasted by board members who are lost in the details of committee chair reports, officer reports, and other routine items. Many of these items could be reduced to 5-10 minutes and easily included in a meeting packet or regular emails to the board.
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