Online board meetings are a convenient and effective method for nonprofits to conduct business. As with any meeting, a variety of factors can impact the effectiveness of an internet board meeting. This article highlights tips on making your virtual board meetings efficient and discusses common pitfalls that can be avoided.

Inactivity

Many boards for nonprofits discover that they have difficulty 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 meetings. Meetings may be affected by low participation when board members aren’t comfortable communicating via video, or if they struggle with the technology.

Committee reports are typically the least engaging items on the agenda, and it can be difficult to get participants to engage in discussion about them in a virtual meeting. 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 responsible for ensuring that all critical discussions and decisions of your virtual meetings are documented in a clear and concise manner. They should be careful not to describe informal discussions or personal opinions, and should aim for a balance between thoroughness as well as simplicity. It is essential to record your minutes in a formal manner and have an effective system to store all documents in a secure manner, including governing documents and financial reports. This will help prevent confusion and help improve accountability between meetings.

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