When an organization’s board of directors convenes for a board or committee meeting, they have many topics to discuss and tasks to attend to. An agenda for a board meeting helps keep everyone on task and maximize the time the board has to spend together.
Learn more about what makes a board meeting agenda such an important tool for running a successful board meeting and insights into creating an effective agenda that best benefits an organization.
What is a Board Meeting Agenda?
A board meeting agenda is a vital document that outlines the various topics to be discussed during a board meeting. It serves as a well-organized blueprint for running a board meeting. Typically, the agenda provides a list of meeting topics in chronological order, starting with the call to order from the host and concluding with an adjournment.
A board meeting agenda is one of several important documents found within a board pack, a collection of vital reports and documents each board member receives in advance of the scheduled meeting.
(If you’re struggling to organize an effective board meeting agenda, OnBoard offers several powerful features purpose-built for board administrators, board of directors, and trustees.)
Ensure effective, efficient meetings with our comprehensive Board Meeting Agenda Template.
Elements of an Effective Board Meeting Agenda
The particulars of a board meeting agenda vary depending on the needs and workflows of each organization, but most effective agendas feature the following elements:
- Agenda header: Includes basic information like the name of the company, the convening body, and the date, time, and location of the meeting.
- Meeting objective: States the purpose of the meeting and its desired outcome.
- Agenda body: Details items to be covered during the meeting, including review of previous board meeting minutes, discussion of old business and new business, director and committee reports regarding current projects, making a motion to vote on certain matters, and comments.
- Post-meeting action items: Space to list any tasks or follow-up actions that need to be completed after the meeting, along with the responsible parties and deadlines.
How to Write a Board Meeting Agenda
Writing a clear and detailed board meeting agenda is an important step in keeping each meeting on task and ensuring that all important topics are included. Follow these tips to write an effective agenda:
1. Assign Agenda Owner
The first step to preparing a board meeting is to specify a designated individual who will be responsible for the meeting agenda. A board secretary or president is often responsible for creating and distributing a board meeting agenda. It may also be appropriate to have another board member or organization leader handle certain agendas that are closely linked to their specialization.
No matter who your agenda owner is, they must be familiar enough with your organization’s goals, priorities, and corporate governance obligations to write an agenda that addresses your organization’s current needs.
2. Review Past Meetings
Studying the past helps you make better decisions in the future. The process of writing a new meeting agenda should begin with reviewing the previous agenda and minutes. This helps create continuity between meetings and ensures that follow-up items or unresolved business ventures will be featured in the next agenda. It also helps your board maintain a consistent format from meeting to meeting.
3. Gather Input
An agenda owner is not always solely responsible for every aspect of creating an agenda. This person often benefits from consulting other individuals, such as the board chair or the organization’s CEO, about what the most important topics to include are. An agenda owner should also seek input from other board members or meeting attendees who do not hold a leadership position to ensure everyone has an opportunity to be heard.
4. Prioritize Agenda Items
Armed with a greater understanding of what other meeting attendees want to accomplish during this meeting, you can then prioritize the agenda items with the most importance to the business. Items should be prioritized based on their relevance, urgency, and alignment with the organization’s overall strategy. Consult with the board chair or other senior management officials to confirm the correct items are given prominence.
5. Finalize and Distribute Agenda
Now is the time to finalize the board meeting agenda. Reread the document to confirm its contents are clearly explained and easy to follow. Remember to include any supporting material that will add greater context to each item and the ensuing conversations. The agenda should then be reviewed by the board chair or executive director before being sent out to other board members.
Send the agenda in advance of the meeting, so recipients have time to review it and arrive prepared. Encourage others to suggest any additions or edits if needed. While being flexible enough to make adjustments to the agenda is a beneficial trait, prospective items that are more focused on the future should be discussed as a part of “new business” at the end of the meeting or held back for a future meeting.
Tips for Creating an Effective Board Meeting Agenda
Creating effective board meeting agendas that include all key information can take a bit of practice. Some helpful tips for writing a strong agenda that serves your organization well include:
- Ensure every item on your agenda has a purpose and goal.
- Allocate realistic time limits for each item to ensure there’s enough time to cover all high-priority items.
- Distribute the agenda well in advance of each meeting so attendees have time to prepare for the meeting.
- Balance discussion and decision items to ensure enough gets accomplished during each meeting.
- Encourage all board members to contribute to discussions to ensure diverse perspectives are taken into account.
Board Meeting Agenda Template
OnBoard has created a simple board meeting agenda template that you can copy and use during your own board meetings. This .docx board meeting agenda template enables board leaders to create (and manage) an effective board meeting agenda, leading to more efficient and effective board meetings.
Download the free board meeting agenda template.
Moreover, OnBoard offers a powerful drag-and-drop agenda builder. Effortlessly build an agenda from scratch or import from a Word document – it’s that easy. Additionally, OnBoard comes equipped with artificial intelligence to provide instant, relevant insights to your board meeting agenda and meeting minutes to enhance decision-making and streamline board governance.
Getting Started With OnBoard
Board management software is a helpful tool for creating, distributing, and storing board meeting agendas. Innovative programs like OnBoard include an abundance of features to simplify the process of organizing and recording meetings.
Find the best board management platform to power your meetings with our free board management software buyer’s guide.
The comprehensive blueprint for selecting a results-driven board management vendor.
Ready to level up your board meetings? Start a free trial of OnBoard today.
About The Author
- Josh Palmer serves as OnBoard's Head of Content. An experienced content creator, his previous roles have spanned numerous industries including B2C and B2B home improvement, healthcare, and software-as-a-service (SaaS). An Indianapolis native and graduate of Indiana University, Palmer currently resides in Fishers, Ind.
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