Tips for Making Online Board Meetings Productive
Online board meetings are a convenient and effective method for nonprofits to conduct business. However, just like any meeting, the efficiency of a virtual board meeting can be impacted by several factors. This article discusses how to make virtual board meetings more productive and common pitfalls you can avoid.
A lack of engagement
Many boards of non-profit organizations struggle to keep attendees from remote locations engaged during meetings. This is especially relevant if your organization has moved to a remote meeting from face-toface sessions. Meetings could be affected by low participation when members of the board aren’t comfortable communicating via video or struggle with the technology.
Committee reports are usually the least entertaining items on the agenda, and it’s difficult to get attendees to engage in discussion of them in an online meeting. To combat this, ask your committee chairpersons to include a question or request for feedback from the board in their reports.
Inadequate meeting minutes
The designated minutes-takers on your board are responsible for ensuring that all important discussions and decisions that are made during your virtual meetings are documented in a concise manner. They should not discuss informal discussions or personal opinions and should aim for a balance between thoroughness and conciseness. It is also essential that your minutes are recorded in a formal manner and that you have a system in place to ensure secure storage of all documents including governing documents, financial reports, and much more. This will eliminate confusion and increase accountability between meetings.
