Online board meetings are a convenient method for non-profit organizations and their staff to conduct business. However, as with any meeting, the productivity of a virtual board meeting can be impacted by many factors. This article discusses how to make virtual board meetings more efficient and common pitfalls you can avoid.
Inactivity
Many nonprofit boards find that they have difficulty keeping participants from remote locations engaged during meetings. This is especially true if you’ve moved from face-to-face meetings to remote sessions. Meetings can be affected due to low participation when board members aren’t comfortable communicating via video, or if they aren’t comfortable with the technology.
It is difficult to get participants to take part in the virtual meeting if committee reports are the least interesting part of the agenda. Encourage your committee chairpersons to include in their reports a query or request for feedback from the Board.
Inadequate meeting minutes
The designated minutes-takers on your board are responsible for ensuring that all important discussions and decisions in the virtual meetings are documented in a concise manner. They should avoid describing personal opinions or informal discussions, and aim for a balance of completeness and clarity. It is crucial to keep the minutes completely and maintain an effective system to store all documents safely including governing documents and financial reports. This will eliminate confusion and increase accountability between meetings.
