Online board meetings can be a convenient method for nonprofits and their staff to conduct business. However, as with any other meeting, the board portal innovation for decision-making agility effectiveness of a board meeting online can be affected by several factors. This article will discuss how to make virtual board meetings more productive and common pitfalls you should avoid.
Inactivity
Many boards of nonprofits struggle to keep their remote attendees engaged during meetings. This is especially true if you’ve switched from face-to-face meetings to remote sessions. Meetings may be affected by low participation when members of the board aren’t comfortable communicating via video or if they aren’t comfortable with the technology.
It is hard to convince participants to take part in meetings via video when committee reports are the least interesting portion of the agenda. To combat this, ask your committee chairpersons to include a question or request for feedback from the board in their reports.
Inadequate meeting minutes
Your board’s designated minute-takers are accountable for ensuring that the most important discussions and decisions that are made during your virtual meetings are recorded in a concise manner. They should avoid describing informal discussions or personal opinions and should seek to achieve an appropriate balance between thoroughness and clarity. It is also important that your minutes are recorded verbatim, and that you have a system in place to ensure secure storage of all documents including governing documents, financial reports, and much more. This will reduce confusion and increase accountability.
