Board Meetings and Orientation

According to the 2017 BoardSource Leading With Intent Survey (registration required) results: "Board meeting time is a precious and limited resource, with most boards meeting for 2 hours or less each time they come together, and executives currently report that 38% of all meeting time is spent on routine reporting. The 2017 study found that — overall — board size has decreased slightly over the past 20 years, with the average board size currently at 15 individual members and the median board size at 13 (not including vacant seats)."

Based on data from ACCE's FY 2017 Operations Survey (via Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking), Boards of Directors meet between 6 (25th percentile) and 12 (75th percentile) times per year, with the median (50th percentile) being 11 meetings. The board is best served with structured meeting agendas and formal onboarding of new board members.

Meetings & Retreats

• BoardSource
• Board Meeting Preparation: 10 Tips for Chief Executives and Board Chairs (Nov 2017)
• How to Host a Successful Board Meeting (June 2016)
• More Structure, Committees, and Meetings resources
• Community Tool Box - Organizing a Retreat by the Work Group for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas
• Guidestar blog - Do You Really, Seriously Need a Board Retreat? - by Amy Eisenstein (June 2015)
• Harvard Business Review - How to Design an Agenda for an Effective Meeting (Mar 2015)
• National Council of Nonprofits - Effective Board Meetings for Good Governance
• Nonprofit Center
• Before, During, and After Board Meetings - A Compilation of Practices
• Coaching the Board President (Mar 2011)
• See more Board and Leadership resources from the Nonprofit Center
• Robert's Rules Online - by General Henry M. Robert

Agendas and Consent Agendas

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See all Board Agenda Samples

See all Consent Agenda Samples

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• Blue Avocado, Magazine of American Nonprofits - And Now for a Different Type of Board Agenda (Apr 2014)
• Board Effect - What is a Consent Agenda for a Board Meeting? (Feb 2016)
• Nonprofit Center
• The Integrated Agenda (Spring 2014)
• Creating a Board Meeting Agenda

Board Orientation

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• Jeopardy Board Orientation - The Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association's (Colo.) board orientation is a Jeopardy theme.

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• Associations Now
• Board Smarts: Onboard and Upward (Feb 2018)
• The Cultural Challenge of Board Orientation - by Mark Athitakis, Associations Now (Nov 2017)
• See more Board Orientation blog posts from Associations Now
• Board Effect - Board Member Orientation Checklist (July 2016)
• PR Newswire - Onboarding Is Point of Weakness on Association and Nonprofit Boards (Oct 2017)

Related Chamberpedia Topics

• Ambassador Programs
• Board Management and Conflict
• Bylaws
• Volunteer Management

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Last Updated: 6/25/2018