Online board meetings are a convenient and efficient method for non-profit organizations to conduct business. But, like every meeting, the efficiency of a meeting held online is affected by various factors. This article highlights tips on making your virtual board meetings productive and also outlines common pitfalls that can be avoided.
Lack of engagement
Many boards for nonprofits discover that they face challenges in keeping remote participants engaged during meetings. This is particularly when your organization has made the transition to remote meetings from face-to-face sessions. Meetings can suffer from low participation in the event that 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 a virtual meeting when committee reports aren’t the most interesting item on 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
Minute-takers from your board are accountable to record all discussions and decision from virtual meetings. They should be careful not to describe informal discussions or personal opinions and strive for a balance between completeness and clarity. It is also important that your minutes are recorded exactly as they were and that you have an https://protectednetwork.org/ established system to ensure the safe storage of all documents that are related to the meeting, such as governing documents financial reports, and more. This will reduce confusion and improve accountability between meetings.