Meetings are a critical component of both our working and non-working life. It is how we delegate tasks among team members, follow up on a project’s process, and analyze the results of a completed project. Yet despite their great importance, they are perceived in the working world as tedious and mundane. Many prefer to receive their tasks or update their progress via email or one-way communication.
At the top of many organizations is a board of directors. Board of directors meetings can be some of the most impactful meetings for an institution. The collaboration between directors is the most vital and often determines the direction the whole organization will go. That’s why it’s important to have an easy way to communicate and manage information. A board portal, in the broadest sense, is collaborative software that connects members with one another electronically and allows board members to safely access documents. Therefore, finding an effective board portal can be an investment in the whole organization.
We have multiple plans to suit the needs of various organizations at Boardable. We streamline communication and board engagement for a variety of industries including nonprofits, associations, education, technology, and healthcare. Whether a large corporation or a small grassroots community organization, board portals help keep the group’s vision transparent, foster secure document access, and hold members of the board accountable.
What Is Needed for a Board Meeting?
There are many pitfalls that a board of directors can fall into should they not have effective board management software in place. Firstly, board meeting materials may not reach all board members in an organized and timely manner. Without board management software, there is no agenda builder that can assist in organizing points of discussion. Members of boards often have a wide range of responsibilities and rarely have the time to spearhead a meeting, including preparing the materials and agenda items. Taking this responsibility out of the hands of board members and automating them via a board portal can cut time on operational logistics. This can then allow board members to appear at a meeting knowing precisely what the meeting will entail.
Our board portal has many features that would be useful to a busy board member, such as an agenda builder, document center, public meeting page, and task manager. These features handle every aspect of a meeting from the preparation beforehand, the meeting while in session, and the aftermath. With unlimited data/document storage and integration with preexisting software, we make board meetings as effective as they can possibly be.
Eliminate Board Meeting Confusion
Without a streamlined efficiency of a board management software system, the organization of a board meeting can become precarious. Many challenges can arise, such as how to properly share classified documents, how to communicate agenda items, delegate pre-meeting tasks, and how to follow up once the meeting is concluded. Many board members have experienced the dreaded abyss of email threads, trying desperately to salvage what information and attachments they can before entering a board meeting.
A designated document center within a board portal eliminates the necessity of combing through endless emails to find the right attachments. The documents are stored in a secure place and board members can access them quickly when they need them. With a document center comes advanced features of restricted access. This is especially helpful when not every board or committee member needs to view a certain file. In addition to issues of access, board members can edit documents with annotations. Board members can add personal and even share notes to increase collaboration.
One of the most beneficial features of board management software is the use of virtual and hybrid meetings. A virtual meeting allows board members to meet from anywhere on the globe. This has proved more and more of a necessity in a post-pandemic world where outbreaks of COVID variants ebb and flow. A hybrid meeting allows for a board to press onward even when a handful of members are not present. Most of the board can meet in one room while the rest are connected via Zoom or a video conferencing platform. Being able to anticipate the uncertainties of our external world and maneuver around them is becoming ever more important in the professional world.
These features all ensure that time in board meetings is not wasted. This way, board meetings are productive, and can help improve an organization, without the meeting being delayed or bogged down with mundane tasks or logistics.
How A Board Portal Can Streamline Board Governance
Board governance is critical if one wishes to execute a board’s vision effectively. The point of board governance is for a standard to be set and for actions to be taken consistently so that no part of the institution’s operations is questioned. With the establishment of a standard, the organization works as a mini-nation where all members have agreed on certain rules and protocols.
Each board member must have a clear understanding of what his role is and if his role supersedes any other within the committee. Whether this is a hierarchy of members or if all members are considered equal, they should work in harmony with one another if they wish to implement the best strategies for the organization. To that end, board governance becomes the framework to reach that goal.
Board governance often comprises a wide range of ideals, including but not limited to accountability, transparency, fairness, and responsibility. These traits become even more vital as board members can often serve as the legal representation of an organization. Therefore, they must act within the realm of legality and ethics should their organization ever be audited.
A large part of board governance is devoted to operational governance involving the framework of how decisions are made among executives and task managers. This can sometimes be displayed via a visual diagram. Within this diagram could be the policies, processes, and procedures of an organization and how those in leadership roles related to each one of these policies.
Some policies for top decision-making require a vote among board members. These are made simpler with board management software features such as polls and voting. Some policies require the e-signatures of some or all board members. Board reporting can also be made easier with the use of board management software compiling all the data that members may need to draft a report with ready-to-use templates.
Being a board member is much easier than it used to be with new technology that can assist in managing information. For every step of the process, board management software has features that allow members to engage with their organization in the most authentic way, fostering deeper collaboration that ultimately serves the betterment of board governance. This, in turn, serves the betterment of the organization. All of these ideas and tools link together to foster a better understanding of strong board governance.
Board Portal Software From Start to Finish
We understand the importance of the board meeting lifecycle for any board of directors. Our features have been crafted this way to allow for a seamless board experience. Each feature works together to give you the tools your board needs for success.
You can book a live demo or start a free plan to see all its advanced features firsthand.
