How to Schedule a Board Meeting

It can be hard enough to schedule date night for two people already living in the same house. Now consider how hard it might be to schedule a meeting for 10+ people, all with different work schedules, different family demands, different levels of engagement, and…they don’t get paid to attend.

Board meetings are a necessary piece of governing a non-profit. Governance, planning, and monitoring are less likely to happen if regular board meetings are skipped. Very likely an organization’s bylaws will dictate the minimum number of meetings to be held each year. Knowing that meetings are required can often add a lot of extra pressure to what is already a difficult/annoying/frustrating job.

Begin scheduling a board meeting by looking at the bylaws to determine the minimum number of meetings a non-profit is required to hold. Then, select a general range for possible meeting dates. Avoid dates around holidays or major event the non-profit is running and look for dates during quieter periods. Try to develop a rough plan for meetings for the year.

For example, you might choose:

• Mid to late January, to give folks time to get back into routine after the holidays.
• April, but avoiding spring seeding (in agricultural areas).
• Early summer, before kids are out of school.
• Late summer, as people are returning from summer holidays, and home, getting ready for back to school.
• Early fall but avoiding holidays.
• Late November, or early December, to wrap up before the holiday break.

Next, get a sense of board members’ preferred meeting days of the week and times of day. A few simple questions will help pinpoint commonalities of availability and preference. It is good to repeat this step yearly, or at least each time a new member joins the board. Volunteer board members have changing work and family demands, and their preferences won’t always stay the same.

Use the general time of year, combined with preferred meeting days and times, to select a few options for a meeting. Consider sending out a voting poll using an online scheduler like www.doodle.com. Give everyone a few days to submit responses, then check back for a date/time that is preferred by the majority.

There are three options if there is no clear preference for a meeting day/time, or it becomes difficult to get enough responses from board member to set a date.

1. Repeat the voting, eliminating the options that had minimal interest. Only repeat the poll once; after that people will lose interest.
2. The Board Chair picks a date, and it is what it is.
3. Pick a recurring date, something like the 2nd Wednesday of every second month.

When a non-profit can nail down meeting dates well in advance, board members will have the flexibility to schedule work/personal commitments that don’t conflict with their volunteer responsibilities. It’s a win-win.

Selecting the perfect date for a meeting can be logical, considerate, and successful.

Scheduling meetings well in advance will help a non-profit board commit to governance, planning and monitoring, all of which happen at meetings, while at the same time, meeting bylaw obligations.

Using the same system to schedule board meetings will help board members become familiar with how to vote on the meeting time that is best for them. They’ll be more inclined to vote more quickly because they know the process and know it won’t take long.

A non-profit looking for a better way to schedule board meetings needs to keep in mind only 3 simple steps.

1. Work within a date range that works for the organization’s calendar.
2. Work within days/times that works for board members’ calendars.
3. Make the final decision quickly and stick with it.

Board meetings are a necessary, required, and a part of a non-profit’s governance function. Selecting the perfect date for a meeting can be logical, considerate, and successful.

Thanks for taking the time to read my ideas. My mission is to take the mystery out of running a small non-profit. If you know someone who needs to read this, why not grab the link, and share it with them. Let’s work together to schedule board meetings that work for everyone.

-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 to give you tools, tips, and templates to remove the mystery of learning to run a small non-profit. 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 2022 All Rights Reserved

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