Tips For Holding Your Nonprofits First Board Meeting

At this point the board needs to make the Articles of Incorporation part of the official record. Rocket Lawyer provides legal information and other services through this site. Rocket Lawyer is not a “lawyer referral service” or a law firm, does not provide legal advice or representation , and is not intended as a substitute for an attorney or law firm.

Usually, the only requirement is that a certain percentage of the board members be present. The President is simply an officer appointed by the board, although in most smaller companies and some larger ones the President is also a board member. His presence is therefore not necessary unless the corporate bylaws specifically require it.

To be effective, agendas should be used and followed with consistency and fidelity. The third item on the agenda should list “Approval of Minutes” along with the date of the most recent meeting. In most cases, board members should have received a copy of the minutes prior to the meeting. If they have not contacted the secretary prior to the meeting with corrections or changes to the minutes, they have to opportunity to make them during this item on the agenda. The second order of business is for the chair to ask for changes to the agenda.

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These individuals can help keep things on track, without the chair having to constantly bring the meeting to order or try to convince people to move on. This is also the point where you really need to see if partnering with another organization makes more sense than starting your own organization. This work will establish a sense of ownership for all involved and reduce the burden on the founder. A clear agenda clarifies action items and designates who is responsible for addressing them, so that the board makes progress. This is important so that board members have a comprehensive written plan to hold themselves accountable for following through on board business items.

• His presence is therefore not necessary unless the corporate bylaws specifically require it.
• Keeping effective meeting minutes saves time and helps track progress.
• With Boardable’s board software, you can centralize all communication into one convenient location and create powerful agendas that incite collaboration.
• The Dearborn Toy Library Board of Directors chose to use the Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice developed by the Independent Sector.
• Your company bylaws contain the answers to many questions that may arise at the meeting.
• Before voting, board members need to discuss the issue, share opinions, debate, and even argue in order to reach the most carefully considered decision possible.

Sponsors may also request this information before they will donate large sums of money to your organization. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 107,491 times. To become an S Corporation, all shareholders must sign off of the election on IRS form 2553 and pay quarterly taxes. Have each member sign a sheet indicating they were present for the meeting.

What Happens In An Organizations Initial Board Meeting?

But we have seen success with nonprofits that publicly post board member meeting notes and relevant board meeting documents like financial reports. The fourth item on the agenda of board meetings is the reports.

Your board should determine how much detail is desirable without cluttering the document with irrelevant data. The board chair is in a key position to make sure that all board members participate, all aspects of an issue are covered, and a general understanding of the outcomes is respected. Adopt a set of bylaws or start creating this document. Following the Executive Director report, the Finance Director gives a report. Board members should make an effort to understand the financial reports so that they can identify potential financial threats.

Should We Rely On Roberts Rules Of Order When Running Our Board Meetings?

The first order of business is for the chair to announce the call to order, along with the time. The secretary enters the time of the call to order in the minutes. After the meeting is called to order, the board chair may make welcoming remarks, ask for introductions, or read the organization’s mission and vision statements. After spending time in the boardroom, you’ll notice that the most effective members take their own notes. Especially when your board is in the middle of thought-provoking discussions, members will want to jot down what’s going on along with their personal takeaways.

You have a fiscal year and you need budget approval far enough in advance of the start of the year to give the staff run room to plan for revenue increases, staff increases , new initiatives, etc. “When is your next board meeting,” I asked one of my Executive Director clients. For any member who leaves early, indicate that he or she must sign this upon leaving. The header of this sheet should include the date, time, meeting place, and title for the meeting. This is also a good time to encourage other members to review the initial agenda to propose additions or changes.

The secretary should record this motion and the results of the vote. And next, the planning guide for those who have quarterly board meetings. And the fact is, board meetings are worth every minute you spend planning for them. When I was the Executive Director of GLAAD, I always tried to think a few board meetings ahead.

How Can We Avoid A Tie Vote On Our Board?

However, it is common to also see staff members in the boardroom. The chief executive constructs the agenda with the board chair and naturally attends all board meetings as an ex officio member.

Boardable will automatically pull in your logo and meeting details. Once you create an outline that you’re happy with, save it as a board meeting agenda template to use again in the future. You’ll thank yourself later as meeting prep gets easier with each meeting.

Items should include past business items that are unresolved, need further discussion, or require a board vote. Items may be tabled or referred to committee for further exploration. After you create a meeting in the Meetings Center, start building out your agenda. You can either start from scratch to bring your own vision to life or get a headstart with a customizable default board meeting agenda template.

If this path is chosen, the executive director attends and can debrief the staff on any relevant pieces of information, and staff can be given access to meeting minutes and documents. The frequency of meetings is often set by an executive director or a president, but it’s common for board nonprofit boards to meet monthly. If you go longer than a quarter without meeting, it will be more difficult to stay on task and achieve meeting goals since much of the meeting will be a recap. This might not be super apparent to those who simply attend, but that doesn’t make it any easier for the person who has to actually plan it. This long laundry list of to-do items includes finding a date that works, communicating key details, and creating a dynamic board meeting agenda well in advance.

Aug 19 How To Start A Nonprofit: Hosting Your First Board Meeting

I tried to think about all four board meetings in the aggregate and tied milestone dates to the annual goals we had as an organization. We would build work plans around those dates so we could get the board everything it needed to make key decisions for those particular dates. But when it comes to board meetings, keeping the meeting goals focused on an organization’s goals, missions, and strategic planning will be the best use of the board members’ time. While it seems like common practice to set an agenda before a board meeting, it’s an element that can sometimes fall to the wayside. But setting an agenda ensures that any meeting runs smoothly and business moves forward. This is especially important for board meetings where you may go for a while, sometimes a month or even quarterly, between meetings, so there are a lot of items to cover.

If you have a small board that frequently faces a tie vote, consider increasing its size. If your board members tend to form competing cliques, this is the time to discuss independent decision making and focus on organizational needs rather than private agendas. A consent agenda, sometimes called a consent “calendar,” is a component of a meeting agenda that enables the board to group routine items and resolutions under one umbrella. Only 25 percent of chief executives report the meetings focus to a great extent on strategy and policy rather than operational issues. A group is as efficient in accomplishing its mission as its guidelines are explicit.

In the end, prospective members should be convinced that how you run your meetings is one of the strong assets. Inviting all candidates to attend a meeting may not be necessary; but it may be a good idea to offer a final candidate an additional “tool” to help him or her decide to join. Remember, boards add true value during the meetings where important decisions are made. Board meetings are business meetings for board members.

Ask whether any reports have been prepared by any of the committees. Ask all members and committees whether anyone who is presenting at the meeting needs to leave early or will take a particularly long time.

Chances are, you’ve seen plenty of examples of poor preparation and badly chosen meeting topics to last you a lifetime. Bad board meetings waste the time of your organization’s most valuable people. It should go without saying that that’s not something any organization should want. Most states require that a principal office be designated when you file your articles of incorporation. Now that you have an official board, you should confirm the location of your principal office.

The accrual method uses the terms “accounts payable” and “accounts receivable.” This means that you generate income at the time you sell your product and the buyer is liable to pay for it. Likewise, the businesses expenses are generated when the company becomes liable to pay for something. Income is recorded when it is received, and expenses are recorded when the business pays its bills. The financial issues of a corporation can be quite complex.

Your First Nonprofit Board Meeting

Just keep it on the board meeting agenda for next time, and focus on solving the problems that you can right now. I’ve narrowed it down to a few key steps that I think every board should know. Your board meeting agendas are the foundation of every meeting you run. Yes, they include a list of everything you want to cover, but they’re much more than that. It takes more than just creating a simple governance checklist and calling it a day. Assign someone to be a time monitor and have them signal any time constraints to the group.

It helps him move from one meeting item to the next, while addressing all business items and giving all board members an opportunity to participate. A board chair that uses the board meeting agenda efficiently increases productivity by not dwelling too long on issues that are better addressed in committees. Board meetings already have a lot of voices in them, and, as the webinar proved, it can be hard to keep just the board on track.