How to Hold an Effective Nonprofit Board Meeting

A board meeting for nonprofits must be engaging and informative. The best way to achieve this is through clear communication that is focused on the organization’s goals and mission. Many meetings are filled with organizational updates that take up time or by heated discussions on particular topics by only a few participants (we all know that person). The addition of a few extra elements to the meeting can keep it lively and help board members stay connected to the goals of your organization. For instance, showing a video of a testimonial from a client can be a great way to re-connect board members to your purpose.

Make sure your agenda for board meetings is properly planned ahead of time. If necessary, a meeting facilitator can be hired to assist in this, or a committee of board members should take responsibility for preparing the agenda and ensuring important documents are prepared and distributed prior to the board meeting. Board members who are rushing to find important documents as they are being discussed or, worse, do they not have them available at all could ruin a productive meeting.

Boards should allocate no more than 25 percent of their meeting to updates and «have-to’s.» Too much time is wasted by board members drowning in the details of officers’ reports and committee chair reports and other items that are routine. Many of these items can be check reduced to 5-10 minutes. They can easily be included in the meeting packet prior to the meeting or as part of regular e-mail updates to the board.