Board meetings in person provide more opportunities for conversation and non-verbal cues that aren’t easily replicated in a virtual space. With a little planning and effort nonprofits can still have the atmosphere of a meeting when changing to a digital format.

Utilizing the best practices of the past makes it possible for virtual board meetings to be as efficient as those held in person. Take note of the following suggestions to ensure that your meetings are effective and enjoyable:

Comprehensive Preparation

Virtual meetings require more thorough preparation than meetings in person. A detailed agenda, with clearly defined discussion topics and time limits for each topic, must be communicated prior to the meeting to ensure directors dataroom software can conduct research on any information they need and prepare questions or suggestions before the meeting gets underway.

Meet materials for the meeting early

When you can check your email or social media it’s easy to forget about the meeting. Make it a priority to distribute all required meeting materials, documents and documents at least one week prior to the session. This will ensure that participants don’t wasting time during meetings and will allow them to have more time to take part in discussions and make decisions.

Utilize a virtual board-management software platform such as OnBoard to give your board members access to all required materials and resources prior to the meeting. By doing so you will avoid the frequent distractions of connectivity issues and technical issues that can delay or disrupt meetings. To avoid such issues make sure you ask your board management software provider to test all the equipment and links for every participant before the meeting.