Board meetings are meant to be a time for directors to come together to engage in productive discussions and make impactful decisions. But all too often, board meetings don’t go as planned, and directors leave the boardroom feeling as though nothing meaningful was accomplished.
“Meetings can go off the rails. Unstructured time can really make those conditions right for that,” said Erik Hanberg, author of “The Little Book of Boards.”
Creating a solid agenda is foundational to ensuring your board meetings run smoothly and are as productive as possible. An effective agenda provides a clear framework for addressing topics and managing time – and it helps keep the board accountable and compliant.
“Planning your board meetings is really worth the effort,” said Hanberg. “Structured time and really putting in the effort will help the board be their best selves.”
But how can you start creating more effective board meeting agendas?
Recently, Hanberg joined us for an ATLAS Leadership Series webinar to share practical guidance for developing agendas that enhance the productivity and impact of your board meetings. During the session, attendees learned:
- How to design a meeting agenda that ensures all critical topics are covered efficiently and no time is wasted
- Methods for keeping board members engaged and focused, inside and outside of the boardroom
- How to use the agenda to set clear objectives and actionable steps for your meetings to drive your organization’s mission forward
Here, we share key takeaways from this session.
Avoid Marathon Meetings
Many boards struggle to determine how long their board meetings should be. According to Hanberg, the ideal length of a board meeting depends on how often the board meets.
A board that meets monthly can usually stick to meetings that are 90 minutes to two hours long. Boards that meet less frequently may need longer meetings. However, boards should avoid holding excessively long meetings.
“We need to really respect board members’ time,” said Hanberg. “You want to avoid those marathon meetings as much as possible.”
Hanberg also stressed that starting meetings on time is another important way to respect people’s time.
“If a meeting is supposed to start at 5:00, it might be 5:03 or 5:05. But it shouldn’t be 5:10 or 5:15,” he said. “The board president sets expectations. This is on you to get the meeting started as close to the scheduled time as possible.”
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Connect the Board to the Mission Right from the Start
Typically, directors join nonprofit boards because they care about the mission of the organization. But it’s easy to get caught up in budgets and strategic plans and lose sight of why they’re really there.
Hanberg recommends connecting the board to the mission of the organization at the start of the meeting. He shared some simple ways to do that, including:
- Reading a testimonial
- Watching a short video clip
- Bringing a culturally appropriate dish
- Asking a board member to share a story
“These start the meeting on the right foot by reminding everyone why they’re there,” he explained.
Share Executive Director Reports in Advance
The executive director report is an important component of any board meeting. “It’s one of the closest ways the board can hear about operations,” said Hanberg.
Ideally, the executive director should submit a report in writing prior to the meeting, and directors should read it in advance. Then, the executive director can speak to any changes that have happened since the report was submitted and allow time for questions.
“In general, board members should not be dictating operations,” said Hanberg. “They can ask questions and express skepticism. But it really should the the executive director’s role to do operations.”
Avoid Committee Reports That Rehash Past Meetings
Committee reports are a common agenda item. However, Hanberg believes committees should only have time on the agenda if they have a question for the board or a request for action.
“Committee chairs should not give oral reports of their meeting, which just rehashes the meeting,” said Hanberg.
If the committee doesn’t have a question for the board or request for action, they can share a written report in advance – which can be a paragraph or two at most.
Allow Plenty of Time for Strategic Discussions
Once you’ve gotten through the key business of the board meeting, you should allow for 30 to 45 minutes for a “real discussion about a big topic.”
“The thing that you want the board to focus on goes here,” said Hanberg.
Some examples Hanberg gave include:
- Budgeting
- Recruiting
- Planning
- Term limits
- Fundraising
“Giving the board time to have meaningful discussion will have a significant impact on their effectiveness over the course of a year or two,” said Hanberg.
Executive Sessions are a Great Way to Tackle the “Big” Things
An executive session is a time when a board can excuse its guests and meet on its own. There are no minutes and no votes. Executive sessions are traditionally reserved for discussions about matters including:
- Personnel
- Real estate
- Litigation
While executive sessions are common (and important), they may not be necessary at every board meeting.
“Some boards will end every board meeting with an executive session. It’s a chance to talk about the executive director or other things like that,” said Hanberg. “I don’t think you need that many executive sessions. It really should be for the big things.”
What Happens Between Board Meetings Matters
The bulk of the webinar was focused on how to develop a great agenda that allows for maximum productivity and impact. However, Hanberg reminded attendees that what happens between board meetings is also important.
He shared some practical tips for ensuring your board members can be as effective as possible.
Send the board packet in advance
Ideally, you should send it a week in advance. If that’s not possible, give members the weekend or three days to review.
“It’s a really helpful way to make sure people have time to prepare. You have to give people a chance to dig in,” said Hanberg.
The packet should include components including:
- The agenda for the board meeting
- Financial reports
- A written executive director’s report
- Any written committee reports
- Draft of policies the board is expected to vote on
- Supplemental material that will help with discussion
Use online communication tools between board meetings
Boards should leverage communication tools to keep the dialog going between meetings. “Keeping the board informed between meetings relieves stress on the meeting itself,” said Hanberg.
While it’s important to keep in touch between meetings, Hanberg’s advice is to save decision-making for the meeting itself.
Set a norm that the board doesn’t pass things the first time it sees them
Commitees can share a new proposal or policy at one meeting and get feedback. “Say thank you for the feedback, then take it back to the committee for review,” said Hanberg.
Then, the committee can bring it back to the board at the next meeting for a vote. “It will pass quickly because people will feel they have been heard,” explained Hanberg.
While this process takes a bit longer on the calendar, it actually saves a lot of time during board meetings.
Stagger committee meetings
It’s a good idea to have standing committee meetings. However, Hanberg advised attendees to ensure committee meetings aren’t too close to the board meeting.
Consider staggering meetings. This will give committees time to accomplish work prior to the full board meeting.
Use the executive committee to plan meetings in advance
Rather than only planning for the next board meeting, Hanberg advised attendees to plan further in advance. Convening the executive committee regularly can help you plan your calendar.
“You’re not planning every single line item,” explained Hanberg. “You’re just considering what will go into that big block of the meeting.”
For example, you may determine that in November, you’ll always review the budget, and in October you’ll typically review board nominees.
“It prevents a single meeting from becoming a marathon,” said Hanberg. “And there will be a good flow throughout the year.”
Board evaluations are an important way to determine whether your board is effective and where there are opportunities for improvement. Are you looking for advice on how to improve your board evaluations? Then save your spot for “Better Board Evaluations,” featuring Donna Hamlin, Founder & CEO of BoardWise.
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About The Author
- Adam Wire is a Content Marketing Manager at OnBoard who joined the company in 2021. A Ball State University graduate, Adam worked in various content marketing roles at Angi, USA Football, and Adult & Child Health following a 12-year career in newspapers. His favorite part of the job is problem-solving and helping teammates achieve their goals. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and two dogs. He’s an avid sports fan and foodie who also enjoys lawn and yard work and running.
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