Nonprofit directors can discuss a variety of subjects at board meetings. These topics can range from evaluating the performance of an organization to discussing future strategies. Nonprofits usually rely on advice of board members with different backgrounds and experiences to help steer the organization to success.
In order to have a productive board meeting, it’s crucial that everyone is well-prepared and has read the relevant documentation ahead of time. The agenda should be created in collaboration and shared with the board members prior to the meeting so that all participants have time to review the materials and prepare for discussion. Nothing makes a meeting ineffective more than having people scramble to comprehend the key points at the same time, so it is crucial that meeting agendas include sufficient information to allow participants to fully participate.
By establishing clear guidelines for decision-making and communicating them to the participants and the board, it is possible to align discussions around an agreed-upon objective. This helps avoid tangential conversations that eat the time of meetings and hinder the board from reaching an agreement or taking a vote on important issues. Technology tools that facilitate real-time collaboration make a lot easier for board members to communicate with one others and share documents, even if they are geographically separated.
Having the right mix of board members can be a great way to energize meetings and help to create more productive discussions. It is essential to select a mix of optimism and pessimism, age with youth, and experience with fresh ideas. In addition, changing up the location of meetings or time of day can also encourage discussion by energizing atmosphere and getting attendees away from their routines. Additionally, evaluating the quality of meetings at least once per year is essential to make improvements. To do so, give each board member two sticky notes and ask them to rate their overall satisfaction the meetings on a scale of + (what is working well) to -(what is in need board meetings of improvement).