Online Board Meetings Benefits
As a nonprofit, you likely have a few board member slots. A lot of these slots are hard to fill because of the time commitment required for travelling and attending meetings in person. Virtual board meetings can eliminate travel as well as the need to sync calendars, which makes them more accessible to busy board members and helps to increase the likelihood of participation.
Virtual meetings are also easier to plan, and it’s less work to attend them. This could reduce the amount of work that has to be done in advance of every meeting, as well as the necessity to coordinate the location of the meeting. This can reduce the workload of your board which can be beneficial to your business’ bottom line.
Online board meetings also have the advantage of connecting and engaging board members. A good technology platform can facilitate this engagement by using tools such as video conferencing, chats and presentations, and whiteboard collaboration. These tools can be utilized in a similar manner to a face-toface conference, and still abide by the rules of participation and meeting protocols.
To keep engagement high it is recommended to reduce the duration of meetings, and to take virtual boardroom software breaks as necessary. It’s also helpful to provide instruction to board members who are not tech-savvy and encourage them to use a variety of meeting tools. This includes using polling questions, muting, utilizing the virtual “raise hand” option and allowing members to submit questions via the chat box.
