The agenda for the board meeting is the foundation for a successful and productive board meeting. The agenda outlines the topics to be addressed by the board and also the length of time they will last.

Ideally, the agenda should begin with items that require a decision. This helps keep the board from running short of time and allows them to discuss the most important topics prior to the meeting’s end. With concrete information and actions items prior to the agenda will also keep boards from getting lost in the minutiaes of things that aren’t critical to the organization.

Once the board has wrapped up old business, they are able to explore new ideas for the organization. This can be anything from new initiatives that aid in fundraising or outreach to innovative ways to engage members and donors. It’s important to allow space for discussion, and even debate, so make sure there’s ample time reserved for this part of the agenda.

This is the perfect time for board members to make announcements, give shout-outs, felicitate, and other fun activities that are not covered in other sections of their agenda. It’s also an excellent time to http://boardmanagementtool.com/ suggest ideas for the next agenda. Once everything has been discussed and recorded, the chair of the board officially concludes the meeting by thanking everyone for their participation and letting them know when the next meeting will be. The meeting secretary will document the official conclusion of the meeting in the minutes.