Nonprofit boards are vital in governing organizations and helping guide their progress toward meeting their missions and goals. One crucial component of their role is conducting board and committee meetings, which are increasingly being held virtually as a way to save both time and resources.
For boards that are firmly embracing the digital environment for their meetings, consider the following best practices to help maintain productivity, enhance engagement, and streamline decision-making.
- Use reliable, secure technology. Choose a virtual platform that provides cybersecurity protections for your organization and can also meet your virtual meeting needs. Once a platform is selected, it is important to confirm that all participants have access and are familiar with its features. Conduct tests in advance to identify and troubleshoot any technical issues.
- Set clear meeting objectives and agendas. Clearly define the objectives and desired outcomes for each meeting. Develop a well-structured agenda that outlines topics to be discussed, time allocations and any pre-meeting materials. Share the agenda with participants in advance to allow for preparation.
- Establish meeting etiquette and ground rules. Set clear expectations for meeting etiquette, including guidelines for participation, muting and unmuting, raising hands and using the chat function. Encourage participants to engage, but to also be respectful and adhere to time limits. Participants should also be instructed to minimize distractions and maintain a professional environment.
- Facilitate effective communication. Encourage open, inclusive communication and provide opportunities for all participants to contribute and share their perspectives. Use video whenever possible to enhance engagement and non-verbal communication, and utilize features like chats, polling, and/or breakout rooms to spur participation and gather input.
- Share and review meeting materials. Distribute meeting materials, such as reports, presentations and documents, in advance. During the meeting, share the screen to present materials and/or use collaborative tools for real-time editing and annotation.
- Address virtual engagement challenges. Virtual environments may present unique challenges to board member engagement. Creating meaningful participation opportunities, such as interactive discussions, breakout sessions and virtual social events, is essential. Regular evaluation helps identify engagement barriers and allows boards to implement strategies to overcome them.
- Make inclusion and diversity top of mind. In a virtual environment, it is important to intentionally foster a culture of inclusion. This includes making sure there is equitable access to technology, providing accommodations for those who need them, and actively seeking diverse perspectives. Regular evaluation helps monitor progress and identify areas for improvement in creating an inclusive virtual board environment.
- Include virtual considerations in board performance evaluations. In a virtual environment, communication and collaboration may be more challenging, making it even more critical to evaluate board performance. It helps identify areas for improvement, such as virtual meeting etiquette, technology proficiency and engagement. Identify areas where board members may benefit from professional development and training. This may include enhancing technology skills, virtual meeting facilitation and cybersecurity awareness in a virtual environment.
- Embrace virtual board governance tools. Explore and utilize virtual board governance tools specifically designed for nonprofit organizations. These tools can streamline meeting management, document sharing, voting, and collaboration, making virtual governance more efficient and secure.
The current nonprofit landscape – and the ways it is being impacted by new technology – underscore the importance for nonprofits to adapt to the virtual landscape. By embracing these best practices, nonprofit boards can maintain the integrity of their operations and can continue to guide and govern their organizations toward their missions and goals.