Board meetings are when the board deliberates strategies that help their organization grow. It is essential that each board member feels their time and expertise are appreciated, and that conversation stays focused on the topics most pertinent to their participation. It is crucial to keep the discussion focused by applying a few fundamental practices that will help the meeting run smoothly.
Prior to the board meeting, send the agenda to all of the participants. This gives them time to familiarize themselves with the documents and prepare for their discussion at the meeting. This also gives them the opportunity to communicate their thoughts about the documents prior to the meeting and ensures that the pertinent details are covered at the meeting.
It is essential to establish specific goals for each topic and be specific about what you want to achieve of each discussion. This will save the board time. A board might have a plan to discuss future strategies during a meeting. But if the objective is not clear the board can continue to discuss current and past strategies, and unnecessarily prolong the decision-making process.
When discussing strategies, it is crucial to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) that will demonstrate whether your strategy is successful. KPIs can be diverse, but common examples include retention rates for donors or clients and staff turnover rates and revenue from acquisition. These metrics can help the board make rapid and efficient decisions during meetings.