Effective Virtual Board Meetings

In-person board meetings provide more opportunities for conversation and non-verbal signals which aren’t able to be replicated in a virtual space. With a little planning and effort, nonprofits can maintain effective meeting dynamics when switching to an online format.

Virtual board meetings can be just as productive as in-person sessions by using the best practices. Take note of the following suggestions to ensure that your meetings are productive and fun:

Comprehensive Preparation

Virtual meetings require dataroom software more comprehensive preparation than in-person meetings. Before the meeting, directors should be provided with a written agenda that clearly defines the discussions topics and time limits for each. This will allow them to research any information required and prepare questions or ideas prior to the meeting.

Make sure you have meeting materials available early

When you can easily check your social media or your email, it’s easy to forget about the meeting. Make it a point to send out all the essential meeting materials, information and documents at least one week before the session. This will prevent participants from having to attend meetings for too long and allow them more time to participate in discussions and make decisions.

Utilize a virtual board-management software platform such as OnBoard to allow your board members access to all the needed materials and resources prior to the meeting. By doing so you will avoid the frequent distractions of technical issues and connectivity problems that can derail or delay meetings. To avoid these issues make sure that your board management software provider test all links and equipment for each participant ahead of the meeting.