Learn how can you create a better, more engaging board meeting for your nonprofit. Follow these 20 steps to set the stage to make a bigger impact.

1. By: Tom Okarma
The Kickoff: 20 Steps to a
Better 1st Board Meeting

2. How can you make
the first board meeting of
the year effective,
engaging, and use it to set
the stage for a great year?

3. Every board begins the new year with
plenty of excitement, anticipation, and
passion around the cause.
You and your team worked hard identifying new
candidates, qualifying, interviewing, and recruiting
them onto the board. And now here they are, all
sitting around the boardroom table looking at you
as your first board meeting begins. They are
looking for direction, for purpose, for leadership.
What should you do?

4. How you can make 2016 your agency’s best
year ever?
How can you get your new board up and
running quickly and operating like a well-
oiled machine? Effective nonprofits always
have effective boards. I am convinced that if
a nonprofit agency is not making the impact
it wants, it is usually due to an ineffective,
underperforming board.

5. Many new directors were just
recently elected.
With a new role often comes confusion
about what the individual and team are
supposed to do. Since new directors may be
reluctant to get engaged quickly, I want to
provide you with insight on how to set the
stage for success at the first board meeting
of the year.

6. 1. Every board member needs to know
exactly what is expected of them, both
individually and as a part of the board.
The two most important things to
remember are these:
2. Every board member needs to
understand the processes, protocols or
practices, of the board, and be familiar
with the cultural style of the board itself.

7. There are several
topics you should
cover at this first
board meeting to
insure your board
gets off to a strong
united start as
quickly as possible.
The
Kickoff
List

8. 20 Critical Elements to Include
at Your 1st 2016 Board Meeting
1. Discuss what worked very well last
year and should be retained in the new
year. What failed and needs to be
changed in the new year.
2. Were there any ”lessons learned”
from last year that the new board should
be told?

9. 20 Critical Elements to Include
at Your 1st 2016 Board Meeting
3. Get them engaged quickly. Assign each
director to at least one committee and
appoint experienced boards members
with leadership skills as chair.
4. Have the board chair and Executive
Director discuss the plan of how to
conduct business and operate, protocols
to be followed, etc.

10. 20 Critical Elements to Include
at Your 1st 2016 Board Meeting
5. Review the purpose of each
committee and what major issues it has,
or may face this year. Be sure to include
meeting dates, expectations, and
protocols.
6. Review benchmarks, standards, and
attendance requirements (or expectations).

11. 20 Critical Elements to Include
at Your 1st 2016 Board Meeting
7. Review your expectations of the
directors individually and as a whole.
8. Review board vs. staff roles and
position descriptions, especially if there
have been challenges with overlap or
boundaries in the past.

12. 20 Critical Elements to Include
at Your 1st 2016 Board Meeting
9. Review expectations for the coming
year — goals, strategy, and metrics used
for measuring success and progress.
10. Review director job descriptions and
important dates like board and
committee meetings, board retreats,
major events, etc.

13. 20 Critical Elements to Include
at Your 1st 2016 Board Meeting
11. If your agency is evolving from a start up to
an established one, discuss how board duties
shift from a startup (where it’s all hands on deck)
to a bigger nonprofit, where it provides more
oversight, allowing the staff to take over most
operations.
12. Review important concepts like Mission,
Vision, Values, key strategic initiatives, conflict of
interest, fund-raising duties, meeting attendance
and preparation, fiduciary duties, accountability,
risk management, and other important items.

14. 20 Critical Elements to Include
at Your 1st 2016 Board Meeting
13. Ask directors to describe what an
effective board looks like and how it
operates. Be sure to incorporate these
ideas into your processes.
14. Ask directors to provide examples of
what they feel are appropriate
board best practicesfor the agency to
follow.

15. 20 Critical Elements to Include
at Your 1st 2016 Board Meeting
15. Decide how decisions will be made.
Will the basis be by consensus, majority,
plurality, or unanimously, or might
different level issues be decided using a
different criteria?
16. Discuss your intent to stay in touch
periodically thru breakfasts, lunches,
phone calls, etc.

16. 20 Critical Elements to Include
at Your 1st 2016 Board Meeting
17. Remind them to be looking for
specific type board candidates to fill next
year’s slate, based on directors whose
terms are expiring that year.
18. Confirm board mentor/mentee
assignments. Pair new board members
with those that have been around
longer, to help the on-boarding process.

17. 20 Critical Elements to Include
at Your 1st 2016 Board Meeting
19. Share with them any issues you
specifically want their help with in the
coming year.
20. Ask for feedback of your prior year
performance or provide the board with
your action plan in response to your
recent review.

18. While it may be difficult to include all of these 20 items in
your first board meeting, you will find that if you follow this
list, you will see impressive results from your board of
directors, in far less time.
New team members want to know what is
expected of them, how they fit into the
organization, and what they can do to
make a difference.

19. Does your new board have what it takes
to push your nonprofit to the next level?
Find out, with the Break Through quiz.

20. This presentation is
To read the full article about
1st board meeting success
and to get free resources, visit
TomOkarma.com
20 Critical Elements to Include
at Your 1st 2016 Board Meeting