The document provides guidance on effective board meeting planning and facilitation. It discusses developing an agenda, identifying strategic discussion topics, preparing board members, setting ground rules, and following up after meetings. The goal is to help boards have mission-focused conversations and make informed decisions, while avoiding non-strategic or personal matters. Templates, framing issues, and evaluating meetings are recommended to optimize board effectiveness.

2.  To have mission-focused, strategic discussions
◦ Financial oversight
 ensure adequate resources
◦ Organizational planning
 Oversee development of and monitor Strategic Plan
 Determine, monitor & assess programs and services
 Meetings are not for
◦ Dealing with operational or day-to-day matters
◦ A reports-read-a-thon
◦ Out of the blue issues
◦ Personal agendas or pet projects
◦ Airing personal grievances

3. Components:
 Mission moment
 Mega Issue
 Consent items
 Action Items
 Discussion Items
 Informational Items
 Executive Session
 New Business
What is missing from the list above???

4. Plan
• President & Executive Director identify: 1) what carries over from
previous meetings, 2) recurring items, 3) likely new topics
Seek input
• Share the drafty draft with the Board for feedback
Refine
• Revise based on Board input & organize items strategically
Share
• Distribute to the board
• Share with the membership

5.  Primary function is to help board members
make informed decisions
 Strive for objectivity & a balance: neither too
little nor too much information
 Recruit board members to take ownership of
specific agenda items
◦ They’ll create the document & present it during the
meeting
 Templates provide consistency

6.  Dissect the agenda with Executive Director
◦ Identify controversial issues & ones that can turn
into a time-suck
 Create a contingency plan
 Garner support
◦ Reach out to key individuals
 Frame the Issues
◦ Create/provide context
◦ Determine how issues will be presented
 Set ground rules

7.  Set the tone & model desired behaviors
◦ Welcome different opinions to support thoughtful
decision-making and to prevent group-think
◦ Challenge ideas, not individuals
◦ Be polite, and treat all with respect
 Logistics – delegate
◦ Keeping Time
◦ Directing the flow of discussion
◦ Monitoring engagement
◦ Getting support
◦ Providing for creature comforts
◦ Dealing with common problems
◦ Making adjustments

8.  Leadership de-brief
 Thank board members & celebrate
achievements
 Disseminate draft minutes
 Communicate actions and key outcomes to
the membership
 Work with the Executive Director to identify
necessary follow-up and delegate activities to
board members, as appropriate

9. 1.
Plan
2.
Engage
3.
Strategize
4.
Implement
5.
Evaluate
6.
Adjust

10.  Board Agenda Filter: http://ow.ly/pvVRx
(.pdf)
 Anatomy of a consent agenda:
http://ow.ly/pvVHs (.pdf)
 Creating an agenda: http://ow.ly/pvVAz &
http://ow.ly/pvW8Z (.doc)
 Board Issues Filter: http://ow.ly/pvVYg (.pdf)
 Guests at Board Meetings, sample policy:
http://ow.ly/pvWjI (.doc)

11.  Boardroom Chemistry: Getting your Board to
Govern as a Team
 Governance as Leadership: Reframing the
Work of Nonprofit Boards
 Meeting & Exceeding Expectations: a Guide to
Successful Board Meetings
 Taming the Troublesome Board Member
All available from: www.boardsource.org

12.  BoardSource, www.boardsource.org
 Nonprofit Center, www.rchcae.com/
 Parliamentary Motions Guide,
http://ow.ly/pFbhx (.pdf)
 @AMAnet
 @betterboards
 @BoardSource
 @theBoardDoctor
 @HarvardBiz
http://ow.ly/q6xPA