Pacific Business News

December 2 , 2005

How to make nonprofit board meetings less boring, more fun

by Sally Little

A board of directors’ meeting should be 80 percent inspiration, learning and fun and 20 percent business.

These were the lessons learned from a recent National Philanthropy Day conference workshop conducted by David Gillig, senior vice president of Children’s Hospital and Health Center in San Diego.

Having just spent two-and-a-half days at a board meeting in Washington, D.C., where I experienced near death by Robert’s Rules of Order and nonstop reports, I could not agree with him more.

Members of the board of directors are volunteers and very important customers. They should also receive as much as they give.

The following tips will help reduce the number of reports and mundane details and increase the learning and fun at board meetings.

* Limit the standing committee reports. Some boards delete these reports from the agenda unless action is required. Although this is an effective tactic, on occasion a report is necessary. In this instance, limit the report to two minutes or less. Beyond this time limit, the report is clouded in story telling.

* Keep the details in committees. The board of directors is most interested in knowing that the task at hand was or will be completed in a timely manner. Hearing a detailed account of how the committee secured a specific site for the upcoming fundraiser may guarantee more than a few heavy eyelids.

* Save the trees. Please, don’t drown your board members in reading material. They can’t possibly read it all. If prior information is critical, limit the report to one page, use bullets and make sure it is received at least one week prior to the board meeting.

* Provide timely information. If information is more than a month or two old, it has lost its impact and should be deleted from the board meeting. This does not include the most recent financial statements that board members need to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities.

* Pay attention to your meeting schedule. Board of directors of small start-up nonprofits may need to meet more often then established governance boards. The determining factor is whether or not there is business to transact or critical information to share. Board members must feel useful, otherwise they may determine that their time is wasted, and lose interest in the nonprofit. An obvious symptom is declining attendance at meetings.

* Meet at interesting locations. Think beyond meeting in the building conference room. Variety is the spice of life and an occasional change of venue can spark creativity. If you have an environmental focus, meet at one of the beautiful botanical gardens on the island and learn how the garden has met their environmental challenges.

* Invite a speaker to each meeting. Most board members are interested in learning or they would not have agreed to serve on a board. Use this love of learning as an opportunity to engage them in the work of the board. For example, board members may be interested in emerging trends in nonprofit management or a presentation on e-philanthropy. They may also be interested in how similar nonprofits overcame specific challenges.

* Understand the dynamics of your board members. Each board of directors has their own specific culture. Some boards are social, others are serious and wish to tackle the business at hand immediately. Understand the needs of both and plan for them accordingly.

* Highlight a success story. Everyone wants to be on a winning team and we all want to feel good about our efforts as volunteer board members. When board membe rs leave a meeting, they should be inspired about the good work the nonprofit is doing. Even t hose organizations that are struggling financially or managerially have a client or customer who benefited from the organization’s services. Promote and build on these successes; they are the energy that supports the board of directors.

* Equip your board members with 60-second sound bites. At the conclusion of every board meeting, give your board members two 60-second sound bites regarding your nonprofit or the board meeting. If pertinent, you may repeat the same sound bites from the previous meeting. No one wants to be caught off guard and people will ask board members about their involvement with the organization. Make sure the board members have something to say. The person asking may be a potential donor.

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