Board meetings are the backbone of all professional membership associations. No matter the industry, they allow for strategic planning, governance, and the opportunity to ensure that the association is serving its members in line with its mission statement.
The Importance of Board Meetings
Strategic Planning & Decision Making:
Board meetings are where major decisions for the association are made. This includes setting long-term goals, approving budgets, and managing priorities.
Governance & Accountability:
Regular meetings give the board opportunity to review performance reports, financial statements, and other critical documents, allowing for transparency and accountability across the association.
Member Engagement & Representation:
The members are the most important aspect of the association. Board meetings create a platform for their needs and feedback to be discussed, which is critical to the success of the association.
Compliance:
These meetings also allow for the discussion of vital legal and regulatory requirements of the association. This ensures that vital deadlines are met and opens discussions to ensure the safeguarding of the association’s future.
How to Plan a Successful Meeting
The task of meeting planning and organisation often falls to hands of the administration team, which is why it’s critical for the association to have a productive and efficient team supporting them. We at Cygnul suggest a clear timeline for the year to ensure that meetings go ahead smoothly:
| When | Task |
| Beginning of the Year | Secure all board meeting dates throughout the year. |
| Three Weeks Prior to Meeting | Draft all administrative reports ready for approval, including a meeting agenda. |
| Two Weeks Prior to Meeting | Remind board members to submit their reports to the administration team ahead of time and ask for updates on actions from the last meeting. Send all administrative reports, including an agenda, to the association’s Chair for their approval. |
| One Week Prior to Meeting | Circulate all board and administrative reports to the board members. |
| Meeting Date | Attend meeting, ensure the meeting runs to its agenda, and take minutes. |
| One Week Post Meeting | Send draft minutes to the meeting Chair to approve. Once approved, circulate to the wider board and remind them of the date for the next meeting. |
Set Clear Objectives:
Board meetings will usually have a set structure, tailored to cover all important aspects of the association’s key areas. Within this structure it’s important to set clear objectives and outcomes for the meeting, addressing specific issues and goals and making sure that agenda items are being kept to.
Consider running a strategy session to cover other discussions that are required outside the agenda. This can be set up to run consecutively with the board meeting to ensure all key stakeholders are in attendance.
Engage With Board Members:
Effective board meetings require active participation from the board. As an administrator it is your job to drive discussion and encourage members to contribute by assigning specific agenda items to each person. This will enhance engagement throughout the meeting and also allows the entirety of the board’s expertise to be used to drive the association forward.
Evaluate the Meeting:
It’s important to review the meeting with the board to determine what went well and how you could improve the structure for the next meeting. Continuous improvement will aid in making future meetings more productive.
Support
At Cygnul we are seen as trusted advisors to the Board for our clients, offering support to associations around the UK. If you want to explore how these services could help your organisation, please get in touch with us.