Nonprofits
Everything you need to know about board management.
How to run a nonprofit board meeting
Board meetings can be a huge source of stress and frustration. And, in many cases, the time you spend on board meetings doesn’t actually help you make progress toward your goals. But if you run them thoughtfully, board meetings can be extremely valuable, giving you the opportunity to solve problems, get strategically aligned, and set yourself up for success in the months ahead.
What to include in an agenda for nonprofit board meetings
An effective agenda provides structure and focus for your meeting, helping to keep conversations focused and purposeful.
Generally speaking, your agenda should allot time for the following topics:
Opening session: call the meeting to order, review and approve minutes from your last meeting, and make sure everyone is on the same page for the meeting ahead
Executive director update: review the progress you’ve made since your last meeting and outline any major milestones you’ve hit or unexpected challenges that have come up
Committee updates: invite committee leaders—like your finance committee, fundraising committee, and program committees—to share updates about what they’re working on
Strategic discussion: present key strategic issues to discuss with your board and get aligned on your goals and plans for the months ahead
Closing and recap: summarize key takeaways and action items from the meeting
How much time you allot for each topic can vary based on your particular needs, but we recommend setting aside the most time for strategic discussion. Digging into big-picture ideas or critical decisions for your organization is the best way to maximize the value you’re getting out of meetings. Routine updates, on the other hand, can (and should) be shared with your board asynchronously between meetings.
When in doubt, follow the 80/20 rule—spend 80% of your time on strategic discussion and only 20% on updates.
Nonprofit board meeting agenda templateBoard meeting best practices
As the leader of an organization, you are responsible for making sure board meetings run smoothly. Luckily, following a few best practices can help you get the most out of each meeting.
Invest in meeting prep
How valuable your meeting is directly correlates to how you prep for your meeting. We recommend sharing your agenda and board materials at least 3-5 days before the meeting (but even earlier is better). This makes sure your board members have enough time to review all of the information and show up to the meeting ready to dig into important discussions.
Sending materials early also enables you to collect questions or feedback before the meeting. Once you have a general sense of which topics will require more discussion, you can tailor your meeting time to focus on the highest priority topics.
Ultimately, the goal is to avoid spending time recapping past updates and instead dedicate your valuable meeting time to high-impact discussions and decisions.
🌟 Pro tip: compiling all of your meeting materials in one location makes it easy for your board members to access the information they need. Board management apps make it easier to securely store and share information, manage permissions, and collect questions before meetings.
Ditch the slides
The most productive meetings allocate time for in-depth discussions instead of one-way presentations, but using a slide deck instantly sends the message that people should sit and listen.
To foster more active participation during meetings, avoid using slides as much as possible (we recommend only using them when visual references are truly necessary). Instead, share all of the relevant information before the meeting so everyone has a chance to review the important points on their own time. This allows you to jump right into discussions during your meetings, maximizing the amount of time you have to share ideas, collect feedback, and conduct strategic planning.
Establish rules of engagement
Outlining specific rules of engagement is an important way to keep your nonprofit board organized during meetings. Essentially, rules of engagement provide official, shared expectations for how you expect your board to show up during meetings.
You can include any expectations or guidelines you find useful in your board’s rules. For example, are you comfortable with people taking breaks on their own time or would you rather they wait for scheduled breaks? Should people feel free to use their phones and laptops or would you rather limit distractions? Even things that seem obvious can be worth outlining in your rules—clear expectations can eliminate a lot of uncertainty.
Give everyone the opportunity to participate
The value of your board lies in the diverse perspectives you’ve brought to the table. And while some board members are naturally more outspoken than others, that doesn’t mean quieter board members don’t have valuable ideas to contribute. Be mindful of whether a few board members are dominating the conversation and make sure everyone has the space they need to share their thoughts. If needed, you can always request feedback from specific individuals or even touch base one-on-one before the meeting (but after you’ve sent your prep materials) to collect feedback individually.
Distribute accountability
At some point during your meeting, you need to turn feedback and ideas into actionable plans. When you do, don’t be afraid to delegate tasks to specific board members. Making sure every member of your board knows exactly what they’re responsible for before you leave the meeting is a powerful way to spread out accountability and keep your momentum going between meetings.
Make sure someone is responsible for recording minutes
Taking minutes while you’re running a meeting can be pretty difficult, so its a good idea to delegate this particular task. In many cases, taking minutes falls under the responsibilities of your board secretary. If you don’t have a board secretary, make sure to appoint a specific person who is responsible for recording minutes.
It can also be helpful to provide some guidance around how you want to manage minutes, like how much detail you want recorded or whether you have a particular format in mind (you can read more about board meeting minutes in the next section of the guide!).
How to run a nonprofit board meeting
Board meetings can be a huge source of stress and frustration. And, in many cases, the time you spend on board meetings doesn’t actually help you make progress toward your goals. But if you run them thoughtfully, board meetings can be extremely valuable, giving you the opportunity to solve problems, get strategically aligned, and set yourself up for success in the months ahead.
What to include in an agenda for nonprofit board meetings
An effective agenda provides structure and focus for your meeting, helping to keep conversations focused and purposeful.
Generally speaking, your agenda should allot time for the following topics:
Opening session: call the meeting to order, review and approve minutes from your last meeting, and make sure everyone is on the same page for the meeting ahead
Executive director update: review the progress you’ve made since your last meeting and outline any major milestones you’ve hit or unexpected challenges that have come up
Committee updates: invite committee leaders—like your finance committee, fundraising committee, and program committees—to share updates about what they’re working on
Strategic discussion: present key strategic issues to discuss with your board and get aligned on your goals and plans for the months ahead
Closing and recap: summarize key takeaways and action items from the meeting
How much time you allot for each topic can vary based on your particular needs, but we recommend setting aside the most time for strategic discussion. Digging into big-picture ideas or critical decisions for your organization is the best way to maximize the value you’re getting out of meetings. Routine updates, on the other hand, can (and should) be shared with your board asynchronously between meetings.
When in doubt, follow the 80/20 rule—spend 80% of your time on strategic discussion and only 20% on updates.
Nonprofit board meeting agenda templateBoard meeting best practices
As the leader of an organization, you are responsible for making sure board meetings run smoothly. Luckily, following a few best practices can help you get the most out of each meeting.
Invest in meeting prep
How valuable your meeting is directly correlates to how you prep for your meeting. We recommend sharing your agenda and board materials at least 3-5 days before the meeting (but even earlier is better). This makes sure your board members have enough time to review all of the information and show up to the meeting ready to dig into important discussions.
Sending materials early also enables you to collect questions or feedback before the meeting. Once you have a general sense of which topics will require more discussion, you can tailor your meeting time to focus on the highest priority topics.
Ultimately, the goal is to avoid spending time recapping past updates and instead dedicate your valuable meeting time to high-impact discussions and decisions.
🌟 Pro tip: compiling all of your meeting materials in one location makes it easy for your board members to access the information they need. Board management apps make it easier to securely store and share information, manage permissions, and collect questions before meetings.
Ditch the slides
The most productive meetings allocate time for in-depth discussions instead of one-way presentations, but using a slide deck instantly sends the message that people should sit and listen.
To foster more active participation during meetings, avoid using slides as much as possible (we recommend only using them when visual references are truly necessary). Instead, share all of the relevant information before the meeting so everyone has a chance to review the important points on their own time. This allows you to jump right into discussions during your meetings, maximizing the amount of time you have to share ideas, collect feedback, and conduct strategic planning.
Establish rules of engagement
Outlining specific rules of engagement is an important way to keep your nonprofit board organized during meetings. Essentially, rules of engagement provide official, shared expectations for how you expect your board to show up during meetings.
You can include any expectations or guidelines you find useful in your board’s rules. For example, are you comfortable with people taking breaks on their own time or would you rather they wait for scheduled breaks? Should people feel free to use their phones and laptops or would you rather limit distractions? Even things that seem obvious can be worth outlining in your rules—clear expectations can eliminate a lot of uncertainty.
Give everyone the opportunity to participate
The value of your board lies in the diverse perspectives you’ve brought to the table. And while some board members are naturally more outspoken than others, that doesn’t mean quieter board members don’t have valuable ideas to contribute. Be mindful of whether a few board members are dominating the conversation and make sure everyone has the space they need to share their thoughts. If needed, you can always request feedback from specific individuals or even touch base one-on-one before the meeting (but after you’ve sent your prep materials) to collect feedback individually.
Distribute accountability
At some point during your meeting, you need to turn feedback and ideas into actionable plans. When you do, don’t be afraid to delegate tasks to specific board members. Making sure every member of your board knows exactly what they’re responsible for before you leave the meeting is a powerful way to spread out accountability and keep your momentum going between meetings.
Make sure someone is responsible for recording minutes
Taking minutes while you’re running a meeting can be pretty difficult, so its a good idea to delegate this particular task. In many cases, taking minutes falls under the responsibilities of your board secretary. If you don’t have a board secretary, make sure to appoint a specific person who is responsible for recording minutes.
It can also be helpful to provide some guidance around how you want to manage minutes, like how much detail you want recorded or whether you have a particular format in mind (you can read more about board meeting minutes in the next section of the guide!).