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Governance for Nonprofit Organizations

From Little Leagues to Big Universities

BOARD OF DIRECTORS/TRUSTEES:
EFFECTIVE MEETINGS

ONLINE VERSION:
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Governance Documents

Board of Directors/Trustees:

Making Board Service Fulfilling

Guides and Tips

Governance for Nonprofits: From Little Leagues to Big Universities
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Effective meetings can mean the difference between an engaged, effective board and one that doesn't accomplish much. Running effective meetings is the role of the chair, whether of the board or of a committee. This is an art, in many ways dependent on the interpersonal skills of the chair. However, there are certain basics which can help:

Written agendas focus everyone on the matters to be covered and aid the chair in keeping the meeting on schedule. Agendas are typically developed jointly by the chair and the executive director (or in the case of committees, the staff person assigned to support the committee chair).
Limiting agenda items helps allow for adequate discussion.
Focusing principally on strategic and forward-looking issues, rather than reviewing past history, helps keep meetings interesting for board and committee members, and makes the discussion more useful to the organization.
Providing regular opportunities for discussion of the work of the organization and offering directors key insights into substantive issues allows directors to learn more and to feel more connected to the organization.
Using executive summaries and cover memos to help guide board and committee members through financial statements or other reports can help focus attention on important issues and eliminate confusion and the need for time consuming questions.
Using written reports rather than oral reports from committees can be an effective way to deliver a great deal of information without taking much time at board meetings.
Gathering routine, general business items all together at either the end or beginning of the meeting (sometimes referred to as the ‘consent agenda') allows the board or committee to act quickly and all at once on matters that don't require much discussion.
Having draft resolutions prepared in advance and distributed to directors prior to a vote helps insure that everyone clearly understands what action is being requested.
Maintaining order, not allowing small side discussions, or dominance of discussion by a small group, helps keep everyone focused and the meeting moving.
Establishing a culture of open discussion, respect for all views, and free exchange of information, helps ensure that all views are heard and no one is intimidated.
Holding regularly scheduled executive sessions (where some or all members of staff are excused from the meeting) provides an opportunity for directors to ask questions or raise issues they might not feel as free to do in the presence of management and can help ensure that such concerns are surfaced and addressed in a timely manner.
Documenting actions of the board in concise, written minutes not only facilitates tracking of board actions, but also provides a useful mechanism for keeping directors who could not attend a prior meeting informed and up-to-date on board deliberations, particularly if draft minutes are sent out promptly following a meeting.
Meetings between the chair and the executive director promptly after a board meeting to discuss what went well, what needs to be improved, and what follow up is needed, helps create both improvement and continuity from meeting to meeting.