Board meetings are vital to the success of a non-profit organization. However, it can be difficult to get productive discussions started. Fortunately, there are many strategies that can improve productivity and make your organization run smoother.
Board members want to know the organization is moving forward, so begin your meeting with a positive note. This can be as simple as highlighting a great achievement of staff or an individual board member. It could be as significant as an innovative source of funding or the launching of an innovative program.
A board portal with document-management allows you to create and distribute documents for board meetings. Searchable references aid attendees to find information during discussions. It's also less expensive to keep and distribute board documents electronically rather than print and send them.
Discussions over the board can take up a lot of time therefore it's essential to plan the agenda and keep meetings on schedule. You should consider including estimated discussion times with each item on www.boardroomhelp.org/notice-of-board-meeting-crafting-effective-notifications-for-successful-meetings the agenda, so that you can reach every item on the agenda.
Also, be aware that the rules of conduct will dictate how many members must be present to ensure quorum at a meeting. This will allow you to avoid wasting time on trivial matters when there aren't enough participants to continue the discussion.