Despite the current epidemic the nonprofit boards have to meet regularly and take decisions. Virtual meetings are an easy solution to increase the efficiency of board look at this site members and their engagement. These online meetings are not without difficulties. Some board members may not be comfortable with the latest technology, and others may have limited technological proficiency.

Virtual meetings can cause an absence of motivation and focus, particularly in lengthy meetings. Participants can develop «zoom fatigue» or be easily distracted by other activities on their screen. It is important to keep meetings short in order to avoid this. Make sure that you clearly announce the agenda and encourage the participants to take part in the discussion. It is also helpful to use polls and questioning to keep people engaged.

The inability to observe facial expressions or body language is a further issue with virtual board meetings. This can negatively impact the participation of board members and the effectiveness of the meeting. To combat this, board directors should be encouraged to use video during meetings to ensure they can precisely discern the non-verbal cues of their colleagues.

Other issues include the difficulty of recording and distributing minutes of board meetings. It is crucial to keep a record of the entire meeting in the event that board members are unable to attend. This will also allow future boards to review prior decisions and understand the reasoning for a particular decision. The best method to avoid these problems is to utilize a board management software which provides a central archive of all meeting materials, both current and historical.