Consider Going Paperless at Your Next Board Meeting

Wow — that was a light meeting! The September board meeting with our client USPOULTRY Foundation was a delight. Each board member and guest had a tablet provided for him or her to keep pace throughout the meeting, and the board members left with zip drives containing important documents.

USPOULTRY CEO John Starkey and his leadership team conducted a cost analysis — materials as well as staff time — of producing the extensive notebooks that each board member received at the quarterly meeting. Then, the staff researched options to go paperless and made the move. They tested the concept at another meeting as a dry run.

I serve on five boards and consult with more than a dozen others each year. While I know many took this plunge years ago, this was my first experience going completely paperless at a board meeting — and something I now strongly encourage.

Here are five ways to reduce paper waste and clutter for your board and committee meetings:

1. Send materials electronically to the board in advance and ask board members to print out what they need. Or better yet, to bring their laptops or tablets. Or follow USPOULTRY's lead and have the computers provided during the meeting.
2. Use online tools like MeetingWizard, Doodle, TimeBridge, Congregar and Google Calendar to schedule meetings.
3. Show the agenda and key documents by projection, whiteboard or flip chart.
4. Use an Internet portal exclusive to the board, Google Docs or Microsoft SharePoint to display documents (you may need to provide training for using these tools).
5. Allow remote participation through Web-based conference services.

If you are moving in the paperless direction, remember that board members have differing levels of tech know-how. Be prepared to offer group and individual coaching, and have someone on hand to troubleshoot technology or other challenges.

Create a budget to attain the necessary resources to go paperless at your meetings. You can begin by asking board members to bring their laptops to the meeting and providing laptops or tablets for those who don't have one.

With all these technology tools, personal touchpoints remain vital. If a volunteer doesn't respond by e-mail or by an online meeting request, call him or her!

Know where board members are in the technology evolution. You or a fellow board member may need to prompt them or provide assistance in helping them respond. There are two visually impaired members on one board I serve on, for example, and both rely on personal follow-up by phone.

Transitioning to paperless board and committee meetings can have a big impact by showing your organization is forward-focused as you embrace technology and seek to operate in a sustainable manner. Good stewardship and social responsibility can increase your board's commitment. And reducing clutter can help board members focus on their most important tasks — such as raising funds!

Jeff Jowdy is the founder of Lighthouse Counsel and a member of the FundRaising Success Editorial Advisory Board. Reach him at jeff@lighthousecounsel.com