Online board meetings are a convenient and effective method for nonprofits to conduct business. However, as with any meeting, the productivity of a virtual board meeting can be affected by a variety of factors. This article outlines how to make virtual board meetings more productive and common pitfalls you should avoid.
The lack of engagement
Many boards of nonprofits find that they face challenges in keeping participants from remote locations engaged during meetings. This is especially true if you’ve changed from face-toface meetings to remote sessions. Meetings may be right board portal use affected by low participation if board members aren’t comfortable communicating 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 people to engage in discussion of them during the virtual meeting. To combat this, encourage your committee members to include a question or request for feedback from the board in their reports.
Inadequate meeting minutes
Minute-takers in your board are accountable to record all discussions and decisions made during virtual meetings. They should not write about informal discussions or personal opinions and should try to strike an equilibrium between thoroughness and brevity. It is also essential that the minutes are recorded accurately and that you have an established system to ensure safe storage of all documents, including governing documents, financial reports, and more. This will eliminate confusion and help improve accountability between meetings.