Preparing for Your First Board Meeting as a New Board Member

This piece is Part 2 of 4 in our New Board Member Planning and Preparation Series.

You only get one first Board meeting as a new Board member of a nonprofit organization. Thoughtful front-end preparation for your first Board meeting is essential to help you to make a lasting impression that you are serious about your commitment and appreciative of the honor.

So often I have observed new Board members showing up for their first Board meeting unprepared and empty-handed. Avoid wasting this special opportunity by being thoughtful with your preparation and having a personal engagement plan.

Preparation is always a key factor. In addition to the steps that we recommended completing prior to the first Board meeting in Part 1 of this series, your preparation for the first Board meeting should focus on a few proactive additional steps that will help set the stage for effective engagement.

First, plan to thoroughly review all Board materials sent out prior to the Board meeting. Veteran Board members often skip this step, and it shows during Board meeting discussions.

Next, ask to see the Board materials from the last Board meeting. This allows you to see recent issues that have been emphasized and observe changes and progress compared to the current Board meeting materials. Observing two sets of Board meeting materials also helps you to discern and assess culture and sensitivity surrounding key issues and help you to avoid asking potentially uncomfortable questions that might be best asked outside of the Board meeting.

Complete your first Board meeting preparation by becoming familiar with the names and backgrounds of Board members, noting which Board members are returning members and which are new members. For returning Board members, ascertain if they are continuing in their past positions or are they moving to new positions as officers and chairing committees. For new Board members, review their bios noting which new Board members have backgrounds like yourself or are different. Identify one or two new Board members that might have unique interests, expertise, or experiences that you can draw on in the future.

Front-end preparation will help you ask more thoughtful questions and better position yourself to engage as a well-informed Board member. Positive impressions come from recognition and respect that you were well prepared. Poorly framed questions will show you did not prepare and read the Board materials which will cause negative impressions.

The actual Board meeting can fly by quickly. Having a personal engagement plan will help to optimize your interactions during the Board meeting. Recognize that there will always be some competition for “airtime” at Board meetings. Corralling too much airtime at the beginning of a Board meeting could limit your ability to participate later. Consequently, review the Board meeting agenda and note areas that you most want to participate and avoid the urge to participate in every discussion. Take a less is more approach.

Planning Tip – Different Board meeting formats, such as in-person, virtual, and hybrid, will have different effects on your opportunities as a Board member to network, join discussions, and make positive contributions. Consequently, you will need to use different tactics to be actively engaged depending on the format. For in-person meetings, plan to use meeting breaks and pre- and post-meeting periods to follow up on ideas and questions. For virtual meetings, have a list of your top two priorities to engage on -- stick to those and be very selective in joining other discussions. Hybrid meetings are the most difficult to navigate. If you are in-person, do not forget to interact with the virtual participants. If you are one of the virtual participants, make sure to establish an email, chat, or text messaging connection so you have an opportunity to engage without needing to shout over a speaker and interrupt others.

View your first Board meeting as a delicate balancing act between being an attentive listener with making your presence known. Listen with great interest and try to absorb as much information and culture as possible. Participate in discussions selectively, and save your engagement for thoughtful comments and observations. Reserve questions, where appropriate, for outside of the Board meeting. Contributing insightful ideas and solutions will have a more positive impact than just asking a bunch of random questions.