Tips for Making Online Board Meetings Productive

Online board meetings are a convenient and efficient method for nonprofits to conduct business. But, like any meeting, the efficiency of an online board meeting can be impacted by several factors. This article outlines how to make virtual board meetings more productive and the common pitfalls you need to avoid.

The lack of engagement

Many nonprofit boards find that they are struggling to keep members who are not in the office. This is especially true when ibabs board management software you’ve changed from face-toface 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 aren’t comfortable with the technology.

Committee reports are usually the least interesting items on the agenda, which is why it’s difficult to get participants to engage in discussion about them in meetings that are virtual. Encourage your committee chairs to include in their reports a query or request for feedback from the Board.

Inadequate meeting minutes

The designated minutes-takers on your board are responsible for ensuring all important discussions and decisions of your virtual meetings are recorded in a concise manner. They should not discuss informal discussions or personal opinions and should aim for a balance of clarity and thoroughness. It is also important that your minutes are recorded exactly as they were and that you have an established system to ensure the safe storage of all documents that are related to the meeting, such as governing documents financial reports, and much more. This will avoid confusion and help improve accountability.