A Board Meeting Agenda is a Little Like a Game of Go Fish, Do You Have Any 2’s?

One of the jobs of an executive director is to support the board of directors to do their job. The executive director, usually a paid employee, is often tasked with doing the work to prep for board meetings, so the volunteer board will have everything they need at their fingertips during the meeting.

While the executive director does not choose the topics for the board meeting agenda, they are usually responsible for keeping a running list of agenda items and preparing the agenda document in an organized format that will help the meeting flow more smoothly and stay on schedule.

An easy win is to pay close attention to the numbering system for agenda items. Numbering is more than an organizational tool. It is a way for board members to match reference reading with the relevant agenda item. It helps a board member plan for the meeting, stay on track at the meeting, and that means more can be accomplished during the meeting.

To plan out an agenda format, look for groupings that can be repeated at each meeting.

For example, item #1 might include the call to order (1.1), approval of the agenda (1.2), and any icebreakers (1.3). Item #2 might include approval of the previous meeting’s minutes (2.1). The list continues from there.

Keep the numbering for the meatier items as simple as possible by having only the main agenda item number (e.g., 4.0) and the sub-topics agenda item numbers (4.1, 4.2, etc.). Leave all the explanation detail for the reference reading documentation.

Match the agenda item numbering to the title of the reference reading documents.

This is where many executive directors default to the name of the document when it was first created, which rarely matches the numbering order of the agenda, and will confuse the board.

There is software available that can combine multiple documents into one big PDF, allows the user to reorder the pages to match the agenda, and makes renaming unnecessary. That’s an easy solution IF a non-profit has the budget room to purchase the software.

When expensive software isn’t an option, simply renaming each document to match the agenda numbering is a fast solution. Rather than going to the folder where the original document is located, and renaming it, copy all the documents needed for the board meeting into a special folder for the meeting, and do the renaming/numbering in that folder. This protects the name of the original document in its original folder but allows a duplicate document to be created and renamed as needed. Then when all the reference reading documents are attached to the email to send out to the board to prepare for the meeting, they will be numbered in an easy-to-understand format.  

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I was a board member for an organization several years ago and all reference reading was sent out with a hodgepodge of document titles and none of them matched the agenda item numbering. It took me extra time to sort through the material for each meeting and I often didn’t know with certainty, which reference reading was linked which agenda topic. It caused extra work and extra time that I didn’t always have.

Making the preparation for board meetings as easy as possible for volunteer board members will help keep board meetings on time and on task. Board members will come to rely on this preparation, will appreciate the time it saves them to prepare for meetings, and may even help to retain board members longer.

Its easy to get started with organizing reference reading for board meetings. The first step is to rename all reference reading documents to match the numbering of the agenda.

If time permits, a second step is to simplify the numbering on the agenda document itself, and always use the same numbering system for each section from meeting to meeting.

If you give this new numbering and naming format a try at your next meeting, I’d love to hear how it went. You can use the handy little form on the right side of the page to let me know.

-Christie

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Hi, I'm Christie Saas, former board member, current Executive Director, and non-profit volunteer. I remember well, those early years when I lacked the training, the confidence, and the work-life balance to focus on becoming the best non-profit leader I could be.

Fast-forward past many bumps in the road, lessons learned, and you’ll find me still in the trenches, but a little wiser, a little calmer, and a whole lot happier. I love my work and I want to help you love yours too.

I created ChristieSaas.com so non-profit leaders never need to feel alone. I’m here to help. If you’re a brand-new non-profit leader, or a little more seasoned, someone who’s looking to make a meaningful contribution and still have time for a full life away from the job, you’re in the right place.

© Christie Saas 2023 All Rights Reserved

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