1. How to Have Your Best Board Meeting Ever!
Nonprofit Leadership Institute
March 1, 2010
Facilitator
Moderator
Inspiring excellence in community leadership
Michael Kumer
Executive Director,
Nonprofit Leadership Institute
Allison Jones
Nonprofit Leadership Institute

2. Don’t like working on your own?
Are you lonely?
Don’t like working on your own?
Hate making decisions?
Then call a MEETING!!!
You can…
SEE people
DRAW flowcharts
FEEL important
FORM subcommittees
IMPRESS your colleagues
MAKE meaningless recommendations
ALL on COMPANY TIME!!!
MEETINGS…
The practical alternative to work

3. Board Meetings or B-O-R-E-D Meetings?

4. What are Meetings For?
Decision Making!!!

5. What Drives the Agenda?
Vision
Mission
Plan

6. Two Weeks Before the Meeting…
Request recommendations from the board (place only items of critical importance on the Agenda)
Request one page summaries of all committee reports, Executive Director reports, minutes, etc.

7. One Week Before the Meeting…
Forward the Agenda (and all reports)

8. Zero-based Aural Reports (in the Meeting)
But what about fiduciary oversight?

9. What is the Consent Agenda?

10. Minutes Focused on Decisions and Accountability
What?
Who?
When?

11. One Week Following the Meeting (or Sooner!)…
Forward the minutes (1-2 pages)

12. Devote part of each meeting to ongoing education (governance best practices and/or something about the organization
Robert’s Rules or Roberta’s Rules
Evaluate the meeting; use the results to improve future meetings
Location, attendance, seating and scheduling

13. Resources Nonprofit Leadership Institute
Ten Quick Ways to Improve Board Meetings
Consent Agendas