Hey Reader,

The first quarter is coming to a close which means….it’s the season of board meetings. There’s a lot that goes into board meetings, but there's just 3 things you need to focus on in order to run an effective board meeting:

1. A strong agenda - Ahead of each board meeting, you should have a very clear (short!) list of objectives and goals, no more than 2-3. It can be an "open" list that you share with board members, or it can be more "secretive" that only you know. But regardless, you need to be clear with yourself on your main objective and goal for the meeting. This will naturally produce a strong and clear agenda, where each part of the agenda should contribute in some way to your goals and objectives. Make sure you share or co-create the agenda with your board chair, share well in advance with your team of colleagues, and send it out to the board at least a few days before the board meeting.
   ​Here are a few questions you can ask yourself right now to help you create a strong agenda:
   1. What are you looking to get out of this board meeting?
   2. What will a successful board meeting look or feel like?
   3. Who else (board members, staff, volunteers) do you need to loop in now to help you accomplish this?
2. Prepare your board members - While it is the board’s role to govern the overall strategy and health of the organization, it is your role as a key member and leader of the organization to ensure they are properly informed, equipped and prepared to do so. Ask yourself - will the board need to make a decision? If so, do they have the information they need to provide their guidance?
   Here are a few questions for you to reflect on right now:
   1. Is there anything you need to happen during this board meeting (for example: vote to approve a strategy, secure 100% board giving, get board members more engaged in your programmatic work, etc)?
   2. What information does your board need prior to the meeting in order to be well informed and equipped?
3. Follow up - Follow up is everything. You can have the best meeting in the world, but without follow up, very little could actually come from it. Make sure someone is taking notes (especially as you’ll need an official record of meeting minutes) and capturing all action items. Follow up with board members collectively and individually, listing out clearly who is responsible for which action item. If there’s any action items assigned to you, make sure you follow through. It’s hard to ask your board to follow through with their action items, if you haven’t followed through with yours!

If you're looking for more support with your next board meeting, check out the board meeting packet - it has everything you need to run your best board meeting yet! ​

Got a burning question about your next board meeting? Reply to the email and let me know, I’d love to hear from you!

Cheers,
Kay

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