Tips for Making Online Board Meetings Productive

Online board meetings are a convenient and effective way for nonprofits to conduct business. As with any meeting, a number of factors can impact the effectiveness of an online board meeting. This article outlines how to make virtual board meetings more efficient and the most common pitfalls to avoid.

Lack of engagement

Many boards of nonprofits struggle to keep remote attendees engaged during meetings. This what virtual data room information do you need is particularly true if you’ve changed from face-toface meetings to remote sessions. Meetings may suffer from low participation if your board members aren’t accustomed to video-based communication, or if they are struggling with the technology itself.

It is hard to convince participants to participate in an online meeting when committee reports aren’t the most interesting part of the agenda. Encourage your committee chairpersons to include in their reports a question or request for feedback from the Board.

Inadequate meeting minutes

The minutes of your board’s appointed officials have the responsibility of ensuring that every critical discussion and decision that are made during the virtual meetings are documented in a concise manner. They should refrain from describing personal opinions or informal discussions, and aim for an equilibrium between concision and thoroughness. It is also important that your minutes are recorded verbatim and that you have a system in place to ensure the safe storage of all documents, including governing documents, financial reports, and much more. This will reduce confusion and help improve accountability.