Faster Onboarding, Smarter Meetings: How Ravenscroft Transformed Through Better Board Management

Key Highlights

• Frictionless Onboarding: New board members integrated seamlessly, reducing administrative workload and increasing engagement.
• Engaged Board Members: Discussions started before in-person meetings, making board sessions more strategic and effective.
• More Efficient Meeting Records: AI-powered tools transformed meeting documentation, enabling the team to publish precise records within a day instead of a week.
• Smarter Feedback Collection: The introduction of Boardable Surveys has streamlined feedback gathering, eliminating inefficient email-based methods and reducing unnecessary meetings.

History

Since its founding in 1862, Ravenscroft School has upheld a strong commitment to academic excellence and leadership development. Situated on a sprawling 135-acre campus, the school is known for its innovative approach to education, fostering leadership at every level. Through its partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership, Ravenscroft instills leadership principles in students, faculty, staff, and board members.

As Ravenscroft has recently expanded, managing board operations has become increasingly complex. With a board up to 24 members at a given time, including alumni living outside of Raleigh, the school faced growing challenges in communication, collaboration, and document management. The board needed a modern, streamlined solution that could align with its leadership-driven approach while saving time for administrators and board members.

Challenge

Before adopting Boardable, Ravenscroft struggled with fragmented board management. The school relied heavily on email communication and a shared Google Drive system, which proved inefficient for organizing board materials. Many board members lacked Google Drive access, making it challenging to retrieve important documents. As a result, Chris Kay, Executive Operations Manager and Board Liaison, spent an additional two hours each meeting week manually distributing documents, answering requests, and ensuring members had the latest updates.

Minute-taking was another major challenge. Board and committee meetings—especially for finance and investment committees—often spanned multiple hours, requiring Chris and her team to review recordings meticulously to compile accurate meeting notes. This process could take up to a week, delaying decision-making and increasing administrative workload.

Without a centralized platform, board members struggled to engage efficiently. Discussions were scattered across emails and pre-meeting collaboration were virtually nonexistent. With an increasing number of board members participating remotely, Ravenscroft needed a more effective way to facilitate engagement and decision-making.

Solution

Boardable provided Ravenscroft with a powerful, user-friendly platform that addressed these challenges head-on. The school selected Boardable after evaluating other options. Boardable’s intuitive design, combined with its ability to balance security and accessibility, made it the perfect fit for a nonprofit educational institution.

By implementing school board software, Ravenscroft was able to centralize all board communications, ensuring that every member—regardless of their location—could access meeting materials, participate in discussions, and collaborate effectively. The transition allowed Chris and her team to significantly reduce the time spent managing board-related tasks and instead focus on strategic initiatives that drive the school forward.

Onboarding & Implementation

A critical factor in Ravencroft’s success with Boardable was its seamless onboarding process. Boardable provided hands-on training during a live board meeting, allowing members to interact with the platform in real time. This practical approach ensured that board members quickly became comfortable navigating the system, eliminating the steep learning curve often associated with new technology.

Chris also took a proactive approach in reinforcing Boardable’s Help Center and live support tools. Rather than handling frequent technical questions herself, she directed board members to these resources, empowering them to resolve issues independently. This shift saved her time and encouraged a culture of self-sufficiency among board members. Even during live meetings, Chris found Boardable’s support tools invaluable, providing quick solutions in real-time.

The success of the onboarding process translated into higher board engagement. Members became more independent in accessing materials and participating in Discussions. With increased confidence in the platform, the board operated more efficiently than ever before.

Today’s Operations

Since implementing Boardable, Ravenscroft has experienced remarkable improvements in board operations. According to Louis Tullo, Chief Information Officer, “Our midyear retreat now starts with Discussions happening in Boardable before we meet in person. This has completely changed the way we maximize our face-to-face time.” As meetings have become more strategic, the board can focus on decision-making rather than administrative updates.

AI-powered transcriptions have transformed minute-taking. What once took up to a week now takes less than a day. Chris and her team can now finalize meeting summaries almost immediately, ensuring that board members have timely access to key takeaways and action items. This efficiency has been particularly valuable for finance and investment committees, where accuracy is essential.

Looking Ahead

The introduction of the Boardable Surveys feature is continuing to revolutionize how Ravenscroft collects board feedback. Previously, gathering input required lengthy email exchanges and manually compiled responses. With Boardable Surveys, board members can quickly submit feedback, streamlining decision-making and improving overall responsiveness.

Conclusion

Boardable has fundamentally changed how Ravenscroft School manages its board operations.

By utilizing Boardable’s centralized, user-friendly features, Ravenscroft has empowered its board members to collaborate more effectively while giving administrators the tools they need to streamline operations. The school can now dedicate more time and energy to developing future leaders, and Boardable will remain a key asset in supporting its governance and strategic initiatives.