6 efficiency-boosting features on BoardEffect to help you work smarter
Tina Khail
In today’s nonprofit and charity organizations, efficiency is not just a goal, it’s essential. BoardEffect is purpose-built nonprofit board management software designed to help volunteer boards and administrators work smarter, not harder. From streamlining meeting prep to enabling secure collaboration and automating manual tasks, BoardEffect’s features are designed to save time, reduce friction and empower mission-driven organizations to focus on what matters most.
From automated agenda creation and custom approval workflows to AI-powered meeting minutes and real-time notifications, every feature is built to simplify governance and save time. Explore these top features we know will boost productivity, save time and help you be more efficient so that your team can stay focused on what matters most — serving your communities effectively.
Efficiency-boosting features on BoardEffect
1. Dynamic meeting book management
BoardEffect’s meeting book management lets administrators create digital meeting books, drag and drop agenda items, and generate customizable cover and agenda pages. Integration with Microsoft 365 makes it easy to add, edit and collaborate on documents, while advanced settings allow for granular control over access and formatting. Meeting books can be built and shared with a single click and templates save time for future meetings.
Who it’s for: Administrative staff, board secretaries and anyone responsible for preparing and distributing meeting materials.
How to get it: Included in all BoardEffect packages.
Pro tip: If admins need to limit visibility to certain sections of documents within a meeting book, they can do so with a click of a button without having to create separate books.
How others are getting the most from this BoardEffect feature
“We have significantly saved time. Previously, we spent two to three weeks preparing the board book, but now it takes less than a week.” — Ruth Shirley, Executive Administrator and Board Liaison, CUES
2. Customizable Approval Workflows
Tailor approval processes to your organization’s needs with custom approval trees, due dates, reminders and workflow email templates. Save your approval tree as a template for future use, ensuring prompt and consistent agenda item approvals.
Who it’s for: Organizations with multi-step approval processes, including administrators, executive teams and committee chairs.
How to get it: Included in all BoardEffect packages.
Pro tip: Build custom approval trees to match both linear and non-linear workflows, and save them as templates for future use.
How others are getting the most from this BoardEffect feature
“The ability to request approvals through BoardEffect has been beneficial in enhancing our board's efficiency and engagement.” - Ruth Shirley, Executive Administrator & Board Liaison, CUES
3. Surveys and Polls
Easily conduct anonymous or open polls and surveys to gather feedback, vote on issues and track board engagement. Use templates for recurring surveys and configure settings for confidentiality, required signatures and more.
Who it’s for: Board administrators, executive leaders and committee chairs seeking feedback, information and engagement from board or committee members.
How to get it: Included in all BoardEffect packages.
Pro tip: For surveys you expect to use regularly, save your survey layout and settings as a template. You can also choose from short, medium, or long engagement survey templates to match the depth of feedback you need.
How others are getting the most from this BoardEffect feature
“The survey feature for board evaluations has streamlined decision-making processes and improved participation.” — Liz Thompson, Executive Assistant to the President & Corporate Secretary, Presbyterian SeniorCare Network
4. Document Libraries
Centralize all board documents in secure, organized libraries. The Resource Library is accessible to all, while Workroom Libraries provide controlled access for specific groups. Drag-and-drop uploads and Microsoft 365 integration make document management seamless.
Who it’s for: Board members, administrators, leaders and committee members who need secure, organized and easy access to board documents.
How to get it: The Resource Library is included in all BoardEffect packages. Workroom Libraries are enabled if you have Workrooms. Contact your Diligent customer success representative to learn more.
Pro tip: Admins can restrict whether users can view, download, or print a file or folder, ensuring documents remain secure and accessible only to authorized users.
How others are getting the most from this BoardEffect feature
“Having everything in one place is extremely beneficial, especially when I was beginning my role. I had a lot of requests for items from previous years. Now I click some boxes and here you go, it looks like I’m a magical worker.” — Susan Bovair, Executive Assistant to the CEO & Board Liaison, Starfish Family Services
5. AI Smart Summary
Generate detailed, actionable summaries of board books with a single click. This feature distills complex materials into concise insights, supporting real-time decision-making and helping board members focus on strategy.
Who it’s for: Board members and executives who need quick, actionable insights from lengthy board materials.
How to get it: This feature is available in Pro and Plus packages. Contact your Customer Success manager if you would like more details.
Pro tip: Summaries are provided at varying levels of detail to drive conversations at different strategic altitudes.
6. Secure Workrooms
Manage multiple boards and committees efficiently with dedicated workrooms. Each group gets its own secure space for collaboration, document sharing, discussions and event management.
Who it’s for: Organizations with multiple boards, committees or working groups needing secure, separate collaboration spaces.
How to get it: Included in all BoardEffect packages. Additional workrooms can be added—contact your Diligent customer success representative for more information.
Pro tip: BoardEffect offers an unlimited number of workrooms, so you can create secure spaces for as many groups as you need.
How others are getting the most from this BoardEffect feature
“We have a number of workrooms in our BoardEffect platform right now. I make sure the final version of all documents they're working on are housed there, because committees sometimes work in really siloed areas, and this lets us share important documents even with people outside our organization.” Heather Rich, Executive Director, American Board of Genetic Counseling
You may also enjoy reading 5 more features to drive governance efficiency.
Whether you’re an administrator, board member or leader, BoardEffect puts smarter digital tools at your fingertips, to help you operate at peak efficiency and focus your time and energy on what matters most.
If you have any questions or need support implementing these features, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Customer Success Manager. They’re here to help you get the most out of your software investment and uncover even more ways to drive value for your organization. We are here to help make sure your governance tools are working as hard as you do.
And if you’re interested in learning how we can support your governance team to help it be even more efficient, schedule a demo today.
Tina Khail, with almost 20 years of experience in the board portal space, serves as an Account Executive at Diligent. Experienced in working in the healthcare space and other mission driven organizations, she played a pivotal role in establishing a board portal company in 2006 and has been a part of the BoardEffect team for more than five years. Tina is passionate about helping volunteer boards elevate their governance practices through BoardEffect.
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