Just last week it happened again. Not only did I attend a pretty ineffective board meeting, but I also listened while several board members complained about how their meetings are a waste of time. I really don’t get it. You probably wouldn’t allow a meeting to ramble along without focus in a corporate setting, so why do different rules apply in a nonprofit board meeting?  Your time is too valuable to waste when your board could be having critical conversations that lead to life-changing results in the community.

Let’s examine the issues and follow 3 simple steps to eliminate this problem once and for all.

1. Be clear about your WHY. Remember Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle? If you aren’t clear about why you’re having the meeting, then maybe you shouldn’t. Just because it’s on the calendar doesn’t mean it’s required. Do you have a major discussion item planned? Like how to manage unexpected growth. Do you have action items that require a vote? And I don’t mean the consent agenda. I mean real stuff – like approve a new class of board members? Or vote on a new policy about your finances? If not, consider cancelling the in-person meeting and provide the information you want to share electronically or via video. (If you find this happening fairly often though, then you have other issues and we need to talk).

2. Engage your audience. Do you welcome questions? No, really. Do you care what the team thinks, or would you prefer to just get the rubber stamp and go home? Can you have them tackle a key issue in small groups and then share ideas? Do you recognize effort and achievement? What if you gave kudos to the committee that just completed a project? Or the board member who did some research behind the scenes that most don’t know about but informed an important decision. Or maybe a volunteer went along on a meeting with a key player in town and made a new friend for your organization. Small wins matter.

3. Outline clear next steps. Show how the agenda fits into the big picture and assign follow up steps to tie your discussion to results. Be sure to define who is going to do what and by when. Put it in the minutes. Talk about what resources are needed to accomplish the action items and make sure everyone is in agreement. Sounds simple, right? But why then do most minutes not indicate next steps? It’s fun to talk about what needs to happen but let’s be sure there is a culture of accountability to operationalize your ideas. After all, the buck stops at the board members’ door.

Bonus Tip – Share Mission Moments. The best board members are serving because they truly care about your mission. But they aren’t on the front lines seeing the magic happen. So bring it to them. I witnessed grown men fight back tears a few months ago when a young man came to a board meeting and shared his story of living on the street, fighting addiction and how he was able to break free, find a job and change his life as a result of services provided by that organization.  Powerful.  And inspiring.

Check your mindset and assess how much thought goes into your board meeting agendas.  There is no way your board meetings will be a waste of time when you follow these three steps and throw in a Mission Moment also.

You owe it to your board to focus on the right things, engage them for their talents and share how the result of their work changes lives.  Your board retention will improve, and you can spend less time replacing them and more time on changing lives. You got this.

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