tricks to organize workflow

Online board meetings can be a convenient method for nonprofits and their staff members to conduct business. But, like any other meeting, the effectiveness of an online board meeting is affected by many factors. This article provides suggestions for making your virtual board meetings productive and discusses common pitfalls that can be avoided.

A lack of engagement

Many boards of nonprofits find that they face challenges in keeping members who are not in the office. This is particularly the case if your company has made the transition to remote meetings from face-toface sessions. Meetings could be affected by low participation if members of the board aren’t comfortable speaking via video or aren’t comfortable with the technology.

It can be difficult to convince participants to participate in an online meeting when committee reports aren’t the most interesting item on the agenda. To combat this, you should encourage your committee chairs to include a question or request for feedback from the board in their reports.

Inadequate meeting minutes

The minutes of your board’s appointed officials are accountable for ensuring that the most important discussions and decisions from your meetings online are recorded in a clear and concise manner. They should not discuss personal opinions or informal discussions and should 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 secure storage of all documents such as governing documents, financial reports, and much more. This will reduce confusion and improve accountability.