President: The president of your board of directors is the head of your nonprofit board. They preside at board meetings and create meeting agendas. This individual also supervises all of the business affairs of the board and acts as the primary contact for the group.
It is important to remember that board reports should be simple and easy to read. One way to do this is to format written content into brief paragraphs, bullet points or numbered lists. Sometimes, reports can look like a collection of memos with this simple structure.
Conflict and lack of cohesion. Frequent conflicts, visible cliques or a lack of cooperation among board members can hinder effective governance. Behind-the-scenes politics on boards distract them from their true mission – effective governance.
The report typically includes financial highlights, operational updates, and key performance indicators (KPIs), offering a comprehensive view of the company's current status and its trajectory. The CEO report helps the board determine organizational needs and set priorities.
Most board meeting agendas follow a classic meeting structure: Calling meeting to order – ensure you have quorum. Approve the agenda and prior board meeting minutes. Executive and committee reports – allow 25% of time here for key topic discussion. Old/new/other business. Close the meeting and adjourn.
Great boards are those that know what information they need to make decisions, and insist on getting it in the right format, and at the right time. They ensure that the senior management team develops a robust reporting framework, and make sure information presented is accurate, complete, focused and understandable.
Effective board reporting is about providing the board with information that is concise, relevant, reliable, timely, material and fit for purpose.
To reduce risk, most nonprofits take special care to enact the 49% rule. That means that the percentage of board members that are considered interested directors is limited to less than half of the total number of members.
The responsibility for setting the agenda for board meetings typically falls on the shoulders of the board chair or president, in collaboration with the executive director or CEO of the nonprofit organization.
Tips on How to Run a Nonprofit Board Meeting Set clear objectives. Create a focused meeting agenda. Prepare meeting packets. Start and end on time. Set out guidelines or procedures. Encourage input from everyone. Take detailed meeting minutes. Conduct regular post-meeting surveys.