I do a lot of work with boards of various nonprofit organizations, work that I really love to do, and it’s amazing to see the dedication and hard work that so many board members bring to the table.
 
This article from BoardSource talks about making your board meetings efficient, engaging and an effective use of everyone’s time. ‘The Best Board Meeting!’
 
Some great strategies to incorporate to make your board meetings even better. Of course you don’t need to incorporate everything, just pick and choose a few that resonate with you and give them a try. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find fewer ‘bored’ members and more board members.
 
Here are the nine essential points (1). You’re encouraged to read the full article.
  1. CONSENT AGENDA – The monthly meeting began online and 10 days prior to the physical meeting with approval of the consent agenda …
  2. MEETING AGENDA – The most important business and strategic issues were first on the formal agenda, and the rest was in descending order …
  3. DASHBOARD FINANCIALS – The financial report — the first business item on the agenda — was presented as a one-page, color-coded (green, yellow, red) dashboard of key financial …
  4. BOARD SUCCESSION – A “Governance Leadership Succession” agenda item followed with a discussion of the cadre of potential future board members …
  5. REDUCED JIBBER-JABBER – Board members had read the board packet, and their contributions were cogent and to the issue. No repeating what other board members had said …
  6. EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES – Staff and committee presentations/recommendations were in “executive summary” one-page formats. Background information …
  7. STRATEGIC DIALOGUE – Thirty minutes into the agenda, the board had completed its “business oversight” (fiduciary accountability) and moved on to a significant strategic issue …
  8. BOARD DEVELOPMENT – The meeting ended with a short board development segment focused on the discussion of a governance article on the board’s role …
  9. IMMEDIATE ASSESSMENT – Finally, using an old concept from good meetings practices, each board member completed a quick evaluation survey of the meeting …
(1) Link, BoardSource
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