Online board meetings are a convenient way for nonprofits and their staff to conduct business. Like any other meeting, a variety factors can affect the productivity of an online board meeting. This article highlights tips on making your virtual board meetings efficient and discusses the most common mistakes that can be avoided.
Many nonprofit boards discover that they face challenges in keeping participants from remote locations engaged during meetings. This is especially true if you’ve switched from face-to-face meetings to remote sessions. Meetings can be affected by low participation if members of the board aren’t comfortable speaking via video or if they struggle with the technology.
It is hard to convince participants to take part in the virtual meeting if committee reports are not the most interesting portion of the agenda. Encourage your committee chairpersons to include in their reports a question or a request for feedback from the Board.
Your board’s designated minute-takers are responsible for ensuring that all important discussions and decisions from your virtual meetings are documented in a clear and concise manner. They should not discuss informal discussions or personal opinions and strive for a balance between clarity and thoroughness. It is important to record your minutes verbatim and have an organized system for storing all documents with security including governing documents and financial reports. This will help prevent confusion and improve accountability between meetings.