How board management software can save nonprofit board administrators time

Board support personnel, including the board administrator or liaison, perform work that is essential to smooth board meetings. Their work helps the board govern effectively.

Nonprofit organizations often operate with limited resources and a small administrative team. Board administrators are skilled professionals who perform at high levels under increasingly complex and stressful conditions. When their work gets bogged down with tedious, labor-intensive tasks, they can become dissatisfied with their jobs and even experience career burnout.

Board management software can significantly streamline the work of board administrators, save time, and allow them to focus more on strategic initiatives and less on manual, time-consuming tasks.

How the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry used technology to streamline board operations

The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry (PCBI) is a leading statewide business association representing more than 2,000 companies. PCBI’s board of directors is composed of 50 members, and the organization’s board administrator, Carissa Burgett, faced significant challenges in managing board meetings and document distribution.

“I do between 40 to 50 sets of meeting minutes a year,” says Carissa.

Before implementing BoardEffect, she spent countless hours preparing and distributing meeting materials, managing board member communications, and ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Carissa has now been able to streamline these processes, saving time and reducing stress. “Leveraging the software to hold myself responsible and others responsible has been huge in guaranteeing the success of our board,” she adds.

Technology delivers time-saving efficiencies

Technology such as board management software can improve overall efficiency by automating routine tasks and reducing errors, which also contributes to successful board governance. While board secretaries mostly work behind the scenes, their efforts in managing meeting schedules, logistics, agendas and documentation are noticed.

With the right technology tools at hand, board liaisons can manage and organize board meetings effortlessly. It also represents a secure way to store and access sensitive information without the fear of data breaches.

Time-saving efficiencies include:

Automating routine tasks

BoardEffect automates routine tasks such as meeting notifications, document distribution, and email responses. This automation saves time and reduces the risk of errors, which is crucial for nonprofit boards that often have limited administrative support.

Efficient meeting management

Creating and distributing agendas and meeting packets can be a tedious process. With BoardEffect, board administrators can easily create and share these documents electronically. This feature makes it easier to handle last-minute changes and ensures that all board members have the most up-to-date information.

Document organization and compliance

BoardEffect helps in managing and organizing documents efficiently. It ensures compliance with legal and regulatory requirements by providing secure document storage and controlled access features. This is particularly important for nonprofits, which must adhere to various legal and ethical standards.

Enhancing transparency and engagement

Transparency is key in building trust and engagement with board members and other key stakeholders. BoardEffect’s features, such as online document libraries and secure communication tools, make it easier for board members and staff to find and share necessary documents.

Focus on strategic duties

By automating routine tasks and streamlining meeting management, board administrators can focus more on strategic duties. This shift in focus can lead to better decision-making and more effective governance, ultimately benefiting the nonprofit’s mission and impact.

More time to do what’s important

In the case of CUES, technology has helped save valuable time, streamline key workflows and move staff time away from manual tasks. “We have significantly saved time. Previously, we spent two to three weeks preparing the board book, but now it takes less than a week,” says Ruth Shirley, executive administrator and board liaison for this membership organization serving more than 50,000 credit union leaders.

How BoardEffect helps

Board management software like BoardEffect is a valuable tool for nonprofit board administrators. It automates routine tasks, streamlines meeting management, ensures compliance and enhances transparency to the board, executive leaders and staff.

• AI Smart Summary: Generate a detailed summary of your board books with a single click, providing refined, actionable insights from your meeting materials.
• Drag-and-drop agenda builder: Quickly build and organize meeting agendas using a simple drag-and-drop interface that allows you to reorder and edit items on the fly.
• Agenda templates: Save time by using reusable templates for recurring meetings, ensuring consistency and reducing prep work.
• Approval workflows: Streamline internal reviews with built-in approval workflows. Add a certified digital signature when needed to finalize agendas and materials.
• Scheduler: Coordinate availability by identifying preferred dates, times, and locations for upcoming meetings—all in one central scheduling tool.
• Attendance tracking: Export a clear attendance report with just a few clicks to meet compliance requirements or track engagement.
• Survey and polls: Easily gather feedback and conduct votes using customizable surveys and polls—ideal for quick decision-making between meetings.

By leveraging these features, board administrators of nonprofit organizations can operate more efficiently and effectively, allowing them to better serve their organization and, in turn, their communities.

Request a demo today to find out how we can help you in your role.