10 reasons you know you’re a nonprofit board administrator
Do you spend your days juggling emails, sending out meeting reminders to board members and updating the meeting agenda for the 15th time? Do you wake up in a cold sweat unsure if you sent the reminder about the meeting time change? Do you breathe a sigh of relief as the meeting starts, knowing that the agenda is final? Have you developed an elaborate system to ensure version control of your documents? If so, you’re a member of an elite group, whose members know there is no such thing as too much efficiency or attention to detail!
We gathered some ways you (and we) recognize the special qualities of the board administrator and how the right board management solution (BoardEffect!) can help reduce the stress and assist you to do your job even better.
10 reasons you know you’re a nonprofit board administrator
1. Your email inbox is perpetually jam-packed
Your board members all come with different levels of technology expertise. They prefer communicating through email, and you’re used to emails with 27 replies, six attachments, and at least one person who accidentally hit “Reply All” with a private comment (no naming and shaming here).
How BoardEffect helps: Sending key communications and documents to board members via BoardEffect keeps information secure, central and up-to-date. No more final-final-final versions for them to hunt through emails to review. Board members can click and view everything in one place and you can sit back and relax knowing the message got through to them.
2. Your calendar is full of reminders – for other people
Your board members have other jobs, and they may live in different cities, states or even countries. They need to be reminded of upcoming meeting dates, budget kickoffs, committee meetings, work group gatherings, budget deadlines and grant application reviews. You are the board member whisperer.
How BoardEffect helps: BoardEffect keeps your board members’ full details at your fingertips, including members’ head shots (handy for similar names), biographies and contact details. Upcoming board and other key meetings can be added to their calendars and RSVPs gathered quickly and easily. As a bonus, board members may have assistants copied in their emails to assist with their calendars.
3. You could recite Robert’s Rules of Order in your sleep
You have memorized Robert’s Rule of Order (the entire book), and you know how to wield this power during meetings. Even though you know the rules off by heart, you keep your RRO cheat sheet at your side during meetings, just in case someone questions your knowledge. (But that rarely happens).
How BoardEffect helps: Tailored workflows to create and approve meeting agendas help you keep board meetings running smoothly and on time, while AI Smart minutes and AI Smart board book summary are your new best friends.
4. You love a good quorum
Governance doesn’t happen without quorums after all you and your board members know that. If too few board members show up to make a quorum, no official actions can be taken. Life sometimes gets in the way for busy volunteer board members. It falls on your shoulders to remind, cajole or even bribe (“There will be sheet cake after the meeting”) to make sure they attend OR let you know they are not attending (“No cake for no-shows”).
How BoardEffect helps: Survey and polling features easily facilitate digital voting including recording abstentions. Meanwhile dynamic meeting book building allows agenda items to be added easily with links to supporting documents to ensure board members can be engaged and are more likely to come prepared for discussion and voting.
5. You are serious about meeting minutes
Other people may think they are taking notes at the meeting. You, on the other hand, draft minutes with steel and precision that could hold up in court, (and you’re aware that it might come to that).
You also have strong opinions on spelling, style and even the size of fonts. Your ability to spot a stray comma or inconsistent font at 50 paces is nothing short of legendary. It’s a talent that turns chaos into clarity, ensuring the board’s minutes and documents not only inform but impress. You’ve even had dreams where you’re formatting meeting minutes!
How BoardEffect helps: AI Smart minutes with BoardEffect make minute-keeping a pleasure, not a chore, with relevant, high-quality meeting minutes with actions built swiftly from board materials, typed notes and transcripts. And draft minutes can be easily reviewed and approved by necessary team members in a fully-secure space; you can even control who can review sensitive agenda items, set due dates per reviewer, and focus reviewers on specific agenda items for a more efficient process.
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6. If you had a dollar for every time you said “That’s not really a governance issue”
Unfortunately, you don’t, or you’d be retired by now. You speak the phrase when board members stray into the weeds of administration. You say it when they question staff hiring. You say it when they want to weigh in on where the next conference should be held. You say it when they want to discuss the color of the volunteer breakroom.
How BoardEffect helps: You can store key information on roles and responsibilities as you onboard new trustees and carry out ongoing training, for gentle reminders throughout their term to keep focused on governance.
7. You’re the keeper of organizational history
As the keeper of organizational history, this means you’re basically the nonprofit world’s version of a time-traveling librarian — minus the cool gadgets and funky hat. Chances are you are one of a few staff members in your organization who knows where to find the bylaws, budgets, committee charters, minutes, conflict-of-interest forms and many other records too numerous to name here.
How BoardEffect helps: When you do manage to squeeze in time for a vacation, this information could be hard to find but with BoardEffect’s secure, centralized Resource Libraries, everything can be searched, found and accessed easily as needed, even those meeting minutes from 15 years ago! Let BoardEffect become the institution’s memory bank so that it doesn’t all have to sit in your head.
8. The leadership team’s birthdays are on your calendar, and you know their spouses’ and kids’ names by heart
So much of what the board administrator does is relationship-building, and you’ve got that part down. Building rapport with the board isn’t just a skill — it’s an art. You keep everyone connected, balancing professionalism with a personal touch that ensures meetings run smoothly and relationships thrive.
How BoardEffect helps: BoardEffect makes the routine parts of your job easier and quicker so you can focus on maintaining successful working relationships with your board chair, board members and fellow administrators.
9. You’re the glue holding the board together
For all the last-minute agenda changes, double-booked calendars, and marathon meetings, powered solely by caffeine and sheer will, you’re still here. Why? Because you believe in the mission of your organization.
You’re the glue holding it all together, ensuring the wheels don’t fall off the nonprofit bus while it’s racing toward its goals. You care deeply about the people your organization serves, and let’s face it — you’re the secret weapon that keeps everything from going sideways. Nonprofit work isn’t for the faint of heart, but you? You’re making it happen, one spreadsheet, board agenda and ‘quick question’ at a time. You’re the backstage MVP of the nonprofit world, and it’s about time someone gave you a standing ovation for it.
How BoardEffect helps: It’s your go-to technology tool to save you time, make board preparation streamlined and engage your board members. BoardEffect simplifies your workload, from managing board materials to gathering votes to facilitating communication.
10. You’ve considered adding “cat herder” to your job title
Because sometimes that’s just what it feels like. What more can we say?
In all seriousness, we’re here to help
BoardEffect and our team are here to help with all of these areas and more. BoardEffect is a cloud-based software solution specifically designed for mission-driven boards. And it helps board secretaries and clerks increase their efficiency and effectiveness by providing a centralized platform that enhances administrative processes, streamlines communication and improves overall efficiency.
You are part of a special group, and we at BoardEffect are proud to work with you. Let’s talk about how we can support you and your board.
