A board meeting date approaching can cause panic and stress for a lot of directors.
When meeting preparation feels complicated (like when someone cannot find a report, the agenda, or meeting time and date details), it can frustrate directors and even result in skipped meetings. This often costs your board essential points of view on decisions.
It’s the role of board leaders to respect the valuable time of board members and support directors with convenient-to-access board information and help. That’s not always easy when board meeting preparation often happens in the evenings or on weekends when organization staff isn’t available. That’s where the right board service partner and the right technology can assist.
When members struggle to prepare for meetings, board portal software provider Aprio provides seven-day-a-week expert support to ensure directors can find what they need to stay engaged and focused on board decisions, not document hunting.
Here’s what your organization can do to simplify board meetings for your members.
How board members want support with board meeting preparation
A high-functioning board must take on the responsibility of supporting directors, ensuring board meetings are productive, and board communication is clear and easy to keep on top of.
Our support records from serving boards of directors for more than 15 years show that board members’ reveal these most common frustrations and desired solutions from technology tools:
| Common Frustrations | Desired solutions |
| Difficulties finding board materials | Materials in one place |
| Confusing document versions | Version history & tracking |
| Accessing the meeting agenda | Easy to access prep information |
| Finding past documents | Searching made easy |
| Outdated or unsecured technology | No security risk |
| Keeping track of Minutes | Note and minute-taking tools & digital markup |
Top ways to make board information access easy for your board of directors
When we boil it up, administrators and board chairs hear these common needs from directors: put meeting materials in one easy access place, without version history confusion, with easy search and note taking, and ensure bulletproof security.
The challenge is that most organizations are limited in staff and juggling multiple strategic priorities, which makes single-handedly keeping meeting board of directors’ needs very challenging. The reality for boards of directors and board-led organizations is that technology and additional expert support have become essential as board governance responsibilities have grown.
In response, credit unions, financial services organizations, education and health institutions, and crown corporations or government agencies have evaluated board of director technology partners. Due to their unmatched expert support for directors, Aprio’s board portal software has become the most trusted service in North America.
1. Efficient Board Meeting Scheduling & Prep
Directors can simplify meetings for board members using Aprio’s dashboard, showing upcoming schedules while providing quick access to the latest board package and documents. Markups or notes can be shared conveniently using annotation tools, while searching for recent documents has never been easier. The calendar integration means never missing a task or meeting again.
2. Instant, Easy-to-Track Updates
Receiving sensitive updates and document revisions should be instantaneous, regardless of board members’ location. And the latest version should be the easiest to find.
3. Easily Join Virtual Board Meetings
Taking part in virtual board meetings is easy on Aprio. Directors can set up remote meetings, and members can join with a single click while linking to any video provider, such as Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, and many more.
4. Keep Up Board Activities On Mobile & Offline
With Aprio’s iPhone and Android apps, essential board information is at your fingertips. Review documents, sign resolutions, and vote on board decisions from your mobile device. Every action is synced in real-time across all devices, so there is no lag. Thanks to offline access, you and your board members can work whenever they want.
5. Uphold Board Data Security
It would be pointless to have all these features without improved security, such as protecting confidential documents and preventing accidental email transmissions. Aprio’s cloud infrastructure is built on Microsoft Azure, the most secure in the industry. Data in Aprio is encrypted both in transit and at rest. Granular permissions can control document access, and committees can be constituted as needed. Additional layers of security are provided by two-factor authentication and remote data wiping.
Common questions that arise during board meeting preparation
If the most common questions during your board meeting preparation are administrative, it’s time to consider board management software.
Do these frequently asked questions ring a bell?
- Where is the last committee report?
- Where are the meetings from the topic last quarter?
- What was the Agenda for the last AGM?
- How can I contact John on the weekend?
In addition to their board duties, most board members also work full-time jobs and have other responsibilities such as caring for their families, pets, and hobbies. Due to this, sometimes, board work gets completed at odd hours. If members cannot find information after business hours or on weekends, friction and frustration will likely result.
With the help of their board portal software, members can easily access documents, find information, and receive expert support round-the-clock without burdening the board administrator (who probably is at her kid’s hockey game with spotty wifi).
Embracing technology can materially improve board engagement in virtual or live board meetings. A study by Boris Groysberg of Harvard Business School found that members engaged with specialized board technology felt more engaged and contributed extra time. The simplest way to support equitable board participation is by providing easy access to board preparation tools and remote meetings.
Make board meeting prep simpler with round-the-clock support & security
If you’re ready to join hundreds of other organizations who’ve lightened the work of getting ready for meetings by providing expert support and technology to directors, let’s talk.
Our board portal software provides easy to access secure board information and instant updates, allowing you to focus on board decisions instead of meeting administration. We’d be glad to show you how we can simplify board member responsibilities.
