Virtual board meetings let you discuss and discuss important issues for your nonprofit organization in a time-efficient and convenient manner. They take away the hassles of cancellations, traffic or delays in travel and allow you to schedule meetings for the convenience of your board members without interrupting their work. Furthermore, they allow you to recruit and retain talent regardless of geographical location, which expands your options for recruitment and broadens your board’s composition.
But, despite the benefits of virtual board meetings there are still issues with them. The first is keeping your attendees engaged. It can be difficult to keep people focused without the camaraderie that comes with a physical meeting. To avoid this, create an agenda that has a clear plan to ensure that everyone is on the same page, and set a time limit for discussion.
It’s equally important to ensure that all attendees are heard, even how to run board meetings if they don’t speak during the meeting. Ask them to muffle their microphones if they’re not speaking, and then unmute it when they are ready to speak. Use a video conferencing tool that records the audio and the visuals so that your less tech-savvy team members are able to participate.
In addition, it is essential to have a board management software suite with secure document storage that allows for the sharing, archiving and annotation of documents prior to the meeting as well as during the meeting. This will enable your board to share and review important materials such as governing documents, financial statements, and other important information. It will then be simple to create accurate and detailed minutes of the meeting.