<strong>Getting Started</strong>
All the resources you need to get started with BoardEffect.
ADD GETTING STARTED INSTRUCTIONS/DETAILS
BOARD MEETING ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Link to Intro Video and Timeline
Log into your system
Reminder that their system access information was sent in their Welcome email. Log in and review your system
Prepare for your Kickoff Call. Timeline and description of information to have ready. Who to contact to schedule kickoff. Email link to “training.boardeffect.com”
Technical Requirements
This document contains information to help you optimize your equipment and network for use with BoardEffect.
Network Preparations
We recommend that clients ensure that all local hardware and software be set up to ignore traffic going to and from the BoardEffect servers. Exception rules should be enabled for any web content filtering, network caching, or anti-virus scanning.
Clients should whitelist the domain boardeffect.com. Please let us know if you need IP addresses for our servers.
Email Communications
From time to time we communicate important information about BoardEffect to our clients. Additionally, BoardEffect sends notifications through the system alerting users about the status of certain items.
Please ensure that your organization can receive system notifications by allowing email from boardeffect.com.
Site Images
Clients can manage their organization’s BoardEffect site images and logos. Below are recommended specifications for the image placeholders:
Site Logo – We recommend a horizontal image, no larger than 350px wide x 80px high
Print Image – We recommend square and horizontally-oriented logos. BoardEffect will auto re-size uploads to 350px x 350px
Welcome Image – 800px wide, x 500px high
Photo Profile Image –Pixel perfect square images will auto crop to a circle upon upload to BoardEffect. BoardEffect recommends profile images that are no larger than 200px x 200px. Images that are not a perfect square will auto crop and show as a rectangle in the BoardEffect Directory.
Please note that the PNG, GIF & JPG formats are supported. Images with transparent or white backgrounds are recommended. All images should be optimized for the web.
Document File Types
Meeting Books will accept the following file types: doc, xls, pdf, ppt, docx, xlsx, pptx
Resource Library and ‘Other Files’ in Workroom libraries will accept the following file types xlsm, png, gif, docm, jpg, jpeg, doc, xls, mpp, pdf, ppt, tiff, bmp, docx, xlsx, pptx, ps, odt, ods, odp, odg, wmv, avi, mp3, mp4, pps, bmp, csv, tif, msg
PDF Documents and Scanning
All scanned documents should be OCR scanned and flattened; make sure all your scanning equipment is set to create scans that are searchable and not images. PDF documents should also be created using “Print > PDF” rather than “Save As >PDF.”
Meeting Room Preparations
Wired Internet connections will provide the fastest Internet response time for anybody accessing BoardEffect from a computer. If you are using wireless Internet in the meeting room and make sure you have an access point or router that can deliver the bandwidth necessary for multiple concurrent connections to the Internet during a meeting, keeping in mind that many users will be utilizing the Internet at any one time to access data through BoardEffect.
Recommended Software
For administrators: PDF creator/viewer and photo editing software to edit photos and logo images
For end users: PDF viewer
Supported Browsers
BoardEffect is an Internet based service developed with Web 2.0 technology.
To maintain security and the best user experience, you must keep your browser up-to-date. BoardEffect supports only browser versions that are supported by the vendor.
BoardEffect web applications are designed to work with the most up to date versions of:
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Safari (Mac/Apple only)
- Microsoft Edge (Windows only)
- Internet Explorer 11* (Windows only)
*Security Settings for Internet Explorer 11 browsers:
- Check the box next to Do not save encrypted pages to disk
- Uncheck the box next to Block unsecured images with other mixed content
These settings ensure that confidential information is not stored and allows the display of embedded images if not secure on a secure page.
Recommended Computer Specs
Windows
- Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 or later
- An Intel Pentium 4 processor or later that’s SSE2 capable
Mac
- OS X Mavericks 10.9 or later
Mobile Devices
BoardEffect supports device models and operating systems that are supported by the manufacturer.
- Apple iPad
- Android tablets
- iPhone and Android phone (companion app with a reduced feature set)
Choosing the Right Device for your organization
There are many factors to consider when selecting a mobile device platform for your organization. We’ve included below some of the key elements to keep in mind, please read the following before deciding which device your organization will recommend and support. Our Client Advocates will be happy to review these considerations with you.
If you decide to purchase devices for the board members, or if you plan to recommend a standard for your members, please first test how that device performs by using that device to access BoardEffect files, download meeting books, etc. It’s best to perform the tests from a variety of locations (in the board room, from other corporate network locations, from a home network, etc.).
- Performance:
- iPad: The BoardEffect application will work with current supported devices. We do not recommend using devices that are no longer supported by Apple.
- Android: Performance and behavior can vary because of the wide variety of devices and Android-device manufacturers. It’s best to choose a business class device from an established brand. Before purchasing multiple devices, first purchase one device and test this with BoardEffect meeting books and any other BoardEffect features you plan to use to confirm that they meet your needs.
- Functionality:
- Both Android and iPad apps support downloading meeting books and viewing/annotating them within the BoardEffect application.
- Reviewing Files in the Resource and Workroom Libraries:
- iPad: iPad devices use Apple’s default “native file viewer” to display files in the Resource and Workroom Libraries. On the iPad, these files are not downloaded.
- Android: Android devices don’t include a “native file viewer,” so to open and view Resource and Workroom Library files, users have the option to use a 3rd party app (found in the Google Play store) of their choosing. These 3rd party Apps will download the file to the device.If you do not wish Android users to download and store Resource and Workroom Files on Android devices, you can deactivate this capability for all Android devices in the Mobile Settings area.
Please Note: If you deactivate download of documents to Android devices, users will not have access to content in the Libraries areas (Resource and Workroom Libraries) on Android mobile devices.
RUNNING AN EFFECTIVE BOARD MEETING
Timeline reminder, with “you are here.”
Links to Getting Started Videos
Brief review of the purpose of these videos, audience for each (system admin or workroom Admin)
Guidlines for using these
Recap on what you’ve learned with the Getting Started videos
Scheduling your Advanced training
Schedule for Advanced training
Who to contact (link to training@boardeffect.com email)
If you have questions…
BOARD MEETING PROCEDURES
Some of the minor duties of the board are so routine that they seem insignificant and perhaps, borderline annoying. The risk in not providing a timely notice of a board meeting is that if all of the directors cannot attend, those who were unable to attend may try to overturn the decisions that were made at the meeting. They may even have the right to demand a second meeting and no one will be happy with that.
The bylaws rule on whether the meeting notice has to be in writing or whether the notice can be sent by electronic or other means. Look to best practices to set a “reasonable” timeframe. This means giving enough time for directors to decide whether or not to attend the meeting and time to prepare documents for the meeting and agenda.
Additional Resources:
Notice of the Board Meeting: Regular and Special
What are the Responsibilities of the Board Secretary or Board Liaison?
The purpose of a quorum is two-fold—to make sure that board decisions are made by majority vote and to prevent a tie-vote of the board members. A common requirement for a board quorum is for 2/3 of board members to be present to conduct official business, though the bylaws may state any number. One of the first duties of the board chair is to determine if a quorum is present. Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised offers a suggestion on how to set the rules for a quorum. It states that the quorum “should approximate the largest number that can be depended on to attend any meeting except in very bad weather or other extremely unfavorable conditions.”
Additional Resources:
The board chair is primarily responsible for dealing with motions. To keep things democratic, board members have an equal responsibility for knowing how motions should be managed and for speaking up when protocol isn’t being followed. All board members need to understand the purpose, function, and protocol for various kinds of motions including main motions, subsidiary motions, privileged motions, and incidental motions. Clear motions equal clear actions!
Additional Resources:
How to Write a Motion for a Board Meeting
What is Board Meeting Protocol?
Managing Motions in Parliamentary Procedure
The board chair has the responsibility to clearly state a motion before the board. The chair asks for “yea” or “yes” votes and then “nay” or “no” votes. Board members usually give a voice vote, but votes can also be signified with a show of hands, standing to rise, or by ballot. Some bylaws require a vote by roll call. The board chair may elect to retake a vote when the results aren’t clear.
Additional Resources:
Research Report: U.S. Laws Governing Nonprofit Boards and Electronic Voting
“When looking for a board portal we reviewed several in the industry. BoardEffect met our functionality requirements equal to each of their competitors. Based on the function and price comparison BoardEffect was easily seen as the best solution. We have been pleased with our implementation and our ongoing support by BoardEffect. BoardEffect has a wide install base that gives them the experience to guide implementation decisions for best practice with their portal.”
Joyce Miller Evans
Vice President, Chief Information Officer, Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services
