The outbreak forced non-profit organizations to reconsider the manner in which they conduct board meetings. Instead of compromising the safety and health of staff and board members, some nonprofits turned to hybrid meeting formats that allow them to accommodate remote and in-person attendees. However, without the proper preparations and the appropriate tools, hybrid board meetings can be a traumatic experience for all involved.

The best way to ensure a smooth and productive board meeting is to use an online collaboration tool such as BoardPro that lets you prepare effective and precise agendas. A clear agenda with time limits and objectives can help your board achieve its objectives within the timeframe allotted. The tool offers a variety of features to make the meeting more collaborative and interactive with private mode, anonymous voting and digital whiteboards.

Another crucial tool for meetings that are hybrid is the virtual voting system. This feature will remove geographical and social obstacles to increase diversity on your board and make it easier to be involved in the decision-making process for all attendees. BoardPro’s virtual voting feature allows users to quickly and precisely record votes online. It even offers the option for anonymous voting so that sensitive decisions can be made without risking the integrity of the board’s decision-making process.

It’s crucial to provide remote participants a video technology that is user-friendly and enhances the experience of meeting. Some companies offer self-focusing cameras, such as the Owl Labs self-focusing Meeting Owl. It automatically zooms in on the person who is speaking while showing everyone else. This could make the meeting more engaging and interesting even for those not physically present.

Board Meeting