Effective Virtual Board Meetings

In-person meetings allow for more natural conversation and nonverbal signals, which aren’t possible in a virtual setting. With a little planning and effort, nonprofits can maintain efficient meeting dynamics even when switching to the virtual format.

Adopting proven best practices can allow virtual board meetings to be as efficient as those held in person. To ensure that your meetings are engaging and productive be sure to consider the following guidelines:

Comprehensive Preparation

Virtual meetings require more extensive preparation than in-person sessions. A detailed agenda, with clearly defined discussion topics and time limits for each topic, should be distributed prior to the meeting so directors are able to research any information they need and make suggestions or questions before the meeting begins.

Meet materials for the meeting early

If you’re able to check your social media or email it’s easy to lose track of the meeting. Send out all meeting materials such as documents, documents, and other information at least a week before the meeting. Doing so will help keep participants from wasting valuable meeting time and give them more time to participate with discussions and participate in the decision-making process.

Use a virtual board management software platform, like OnBoard to provide your board members with access to all necessary resources and materials prior to the date of the meeting. You can stay clear of the distractions caused by connectivity issues and technical issues, which could make meetings unproductive or even canceled. To https://seboardroom.com/how-to-structure-nonprofit-board-positions avoid problems like these make sure you ask your board management software provider to test all the equipment and links for each participant before the meeting.