1. If you are the board chair
2. If you are a current board member
3. If you are the executive director

1. If you are the board chair

The person leading the meeting is central to the success of the gathering. Many leaders, however, do not have a great deal training or experience running effective meetings. Some of the mistakes leaders make include:

• They dominate the meeting and leave little room for discussion.
• They allow the meeting to ramble on without concern for the agenda timeframe or required actions.
• They allow members to repeat themselves, interrupt or otherwise behave disrespectfully.

There are many good resources available for board chairs and meeting leaders. [ Go to: ??? ] To help board chairs get off to a good start, you can provide them with one or two of these materials, or have one board chair pass them along to the next.

Part of the problem comes from a board chair not understanding his or her role. That role is to facilitate and encourage the best possible performance from the board as a whole and from individual members. A board chair should not be associated with particular board factions. He or she should pay attention to what is best for the organization and board as a whole. The board chair should do what is needed to ensure that the overall good is served.

In board meetings, the board chair should play the following roles:

• Help the board set meeting agreements.
• Remind the board of those agreements as meetings proceed.
• Work with the executive director and executive committee to create an agenda that focuses on 1) what is most important and 2) what can be accomplished in the time available.
• Encourage everyone to participate.
• Set the tone of the discussion.

2. If you are a current board member

Board members often expect the board chair to do it all. However, individual board members also have the responsibility and authority to help meetings be more productive. Individual board members can:

• Remind other board members of the meeting agreements.
• Propose an action that will help make the meeting more productive (e.g. send a topic back to committee for further work before putting a matter to a vote, or suggest a return to a topic if the discussion has strayed, etc.).
• Speak with the board chair between meetings to share ideas about how to make meetings more productive.
• Put the topic of "How to make board meetings more effective" on the agenda for the next meeting.

3. If you are the executive director

Setting the agenda for the board meeting is often seen as the executive director's role. We feel strongly that this role belongs to the board in collaboration with the executive director. The E.D., however, can play a very important role in the success of the meeting. He or she can encourage the board to participate fully and help them be prepared to do so by taking responsibility for the following:

• Help the board chair and/or executive committee identify and prioritize the most important items for discussion.
• Ensure that board members have adequate information and in a timely manner.
• Share information with the board chair and/or executive committee about meeting practices at other nonprofits and best practices from experts in the field.
• Help the board chair keep the meeting on track.

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