Online board meetings are a convenient and effective method for non-profit organizations to conduct business. But, like every meeting, the efficiency of a board meeting online can be impacted by many factors. This article discusses how to make virtual board meetings more productive and common pitfalls you should avoid.
Lack of engagement
Many boards of nonprofits find that they struggle to keep remote participants engaged during meetings. This is especially when your organization has made the switch to meeting remotely from face-to-face sessions. Meetings can be impacted by low participation in the event that your board members aren’t board software: empowering corporate leadership used to video-based communication, or if they are struggling with the technology itself.
Reports from committees are often the least engaging parts of the agenda, which is why it’s difficult to convince attendees to discuss them during the virtual meeting. To combat this, get your committee members to include a question or ask for feedback from the board in their reports.
Inadequate meeting minutes
The designated minutes-takers on your board are responsible for ensuring that the most important discussions and decisions in your virtual meetings are recorded in a concise manner. They should avoid describing personal opinions or informal discussions and try to achieve an equilibrium between completeness and clarity. It is important to record your minutes verbatim and have an effective system to store all documents in a secure manner including governing documents as well as financial reports. This will reduce confusion and increase accountability between meetings.
