The Association Blog

Every Monday, we pass along tools, time-savers, and just-plain-genius ideas that your colleagues and members of The Association have suggested and tested. This week we’re spotlighting a resource that many of your colleagues are using as a communications tool for board members.

P.S. If you’ve been enjoying our past tips and have one to share, leave a comment and tell us about it.

Do you currently utilize a portal to communicate to your board about upcoming meetings and to host your standard board documents? A recent discussion in one of our private Facebook groups (one of the perks of membership—learn more here) uncovered that many of you are using BOARDnetWORK, a free resource created for members of the Nonprofits Insurance Alliance. The customizable, web-based system includes customized user home pages, a calendar, and document centers.

“One of the best features,” says Marin Humane’s CEO & President, Nancy B. McKenney, MNPL, CAWA, “is our board members can access the calendar, agendas, and documents all in one secure location. They find it easy to navigate and can download PDFs of meeting agendas and packets or access agendas and documents online during meetings. We also see that board members can sync the calendars with their calendars. And, of course, the biggest for us is that it is free, since we are clients of the insurance broker.”

There’s also an audit feature that allows you to determine if a document has been viewed (and when), as well as create custom committees. Additionally, board members can annotate and approve documents online and, if you chose, will receive weekly email updates.

Thinking about it? While it’s hard to beat a free tool, functionality may be a consideration for some, states McKenney. “It has its limitations as to how one wants to format agendas or post certain things, so it’s best to look at a few board portal programs before making a decision. There are many paid programs with more features.”

Currently using a board portal? Leave a comment and join the convo.

More Tips

Tip of the Week: Just Chillin’
Tip of the Week: Which Communities Most Need Resources? There’s a Map for That
Tip of the Week: Mind if We Freshen Up a Bit?

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash