A successful board meeting begins with an agenda that gives context and inspires conversation for the whole group. A well-crafted board meeting agenda also results in efficient minutes that are clear and concise, but also capture the full breadth of the discussions, even when those minutes reorder or expand on the agenda items originally.
The top of the board meeting agenda should include a brief introduction and be aware that this is an important business meeting with significant responsibilities for the organization. This will establish the tone for all the other meetings and ensure everyone is aware of their role and duties.
After the introduction and reminder, it’s time to review any prior minutes and then proceed to report presentations, for example executive director or committee reports. As time passes, you’ll get a sense for the time it takes to finish these kinds of reports. You can alter the time allotted to your agenda in line with that.
Now is the moment to discuss any new initiatives, projects or other initiatives that could aid your organization in increasing awareness and increase the number of donors and members, provide more volunteer opportunities, and ultimately achieve its audacious big hairy goal. It’s important to leave room at the conclusion of the meeting for any other topics or concerns that the board may need to answer. This will allow the board to be more deliberate regarding how it tackles these issues, and reduce the amount of time spent on routine tasks such as reporting and “have to” items (like the approval of previous minutes of meetings or financial reviews). ).