A meeting of the board of directors for a nonprofit should from this source be a lively and informative meeting. This can be accomplished by focussing on the organization’s goals and mission by ensuring clear communication. Meetings can be dominated by lengthy updates from the organization or heated discussions on specific topics by one or two people (we all recognize that person). A little extra effort can keep the discussion lively and help the board members stay engaged with the organization’s mission. For instance showing a video of a testimonial from a client can be a powerful way to re-connect board members with your mission.
Make sure your agenda for board meetings is organized in advance. A facilitator for meetings can be helpful, or the board members can assume the task of preparing the agenda. Nothing can ruin a successful board meeting more quickly than board members who are trying to read important documents at the same time they discuss them or, worse, don’t have those documents available at all.
Boards should limit their time to no more than 25 percent of the meeting time to updates and “have-to’s.” Too much time is wasted by board members getting bogged down in the specifics of the officers’ reports, committee chair reports, and other routine items. Many of these items can be cut down to 5-10 minutes, and can easily be included in a pre-meeting agenda or as a part of regular e-mail messages to the board.
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