Nifty Fifty Fridays

50 Tips for Running Effective Nonprofit Meetings

Running effective meetings is crucial to any organization, including nonprofits. Here are 50 tips to make your nonprofit meetings more productive.  And if you want to be a part of a meeting that you never want to end, come to the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference – Nonprofit Storytelling Conference!

1. Clear Purpose: Define the meeting's purpose clearly. Each meeting should have a clear objective.

2. Agenda: Create and distribute an agenda ahead of time. This helps attendees prepare and keeps the meeting focused.

3. Time Management: Start and end on time. Respect everyone's time.

4. Relevant Participants: Only invite those who are needed. Too many people can make a meeting unproductive.

5. Preparation: Encourage participants to come prepared. Share relevant materials ahead of time.

6. Facilitation: Have a skilled facilitator to manage the discussion, ensuring everyone has a chance to speak.

7. Engagement: Keep the meeting interactive to keep everyone engaged.

8. Action Items: Clearly define the next steps and assign action items to individuals.

9. Follow-up: Send a follow-up email summarizing the meeting and outlining next steps.

10. Meeting Minutes: Assign someone to take minutes during the meeting for reference.

11. Time for Questions: Allow time for questions and clarifications.

12. Respectful Atmosphere: Ensure the meeting is conducted in a respectful manner.

13. Meeting Structure: Have a clear structure for the meeting: introduction, main discussion, and conclusion.

14. Avoid Jargon: Use simple, clear language everyone can understand.

15. Breaks: If the meeting is long, provide short breaks to keep everyone refreshed.

16. Technology Use: Use reliable technology to facilitate remote attendees.

17. Visual Aids: Use visuals like slides or charts to enhance understanding.

18. Stay on Topic: Keep the discussion focused on the agenda topics.

19. Decision-making Process: Have a clear process for making decisions and gaining consensus.

20. Rotate Roles: Rotate meeting roles (facilitator, note-taker) to keep meetings dynamic and involve everyone.

21. Online Tools: Use online tools like Google Docs for real-time collaboration.

22. Nonverbal Communication: Pay attention to nonverbal cues which might indicate confusion or disagreement.

23. Set Expectations: Set expectations at the start about behavior, participation, and confidentiality.

24. Avoid Multitasking: Encourage attendees to avoid multitasking during the meeting.

25. Check-in Rounds: Begin with a quick check-in round to allow everyone to share their current state.

26. Feedback Mechanism: Have a way for attendees to provide feedback about the meeting.

27. Background Noise: Remind attendees to mute their microphones when not speaking to avoid background noise.

28. Clear Communication: Encourage clear and concise communication.

29. Conflict Resolution: Have a process in place for resolving conflicts that arise during the meeting.

30. Prioritize Agenda: Prioritize the most important topics to ensure they are covered.

31. Use of Humor: Use appropriate humor to keep the atmosphere positive and relaxed.

32. Celebrations: Acknowledge successes and milestones to boost morale.

33. Brainstorming Sessions: Include brainstorming sessions to encourage creativity and problem-solving.

34. Diversity of Thought: Encourage diversity of thought and differing perspectives.

35. Regular Intervals: Hold meetings at regular intervals to ensure continuity and follow-up.

36. Open Discussion Time: Allow some open discussion time for topics not on the agenda.

37. Team Building Activities: Include short team-building activities to foster cohesion.

38. Consistency: Be consistent with the format and timing of meetings to build a routine.

39. Training: Train team members on meeting etiquette and effective participation.

40. Active Listening: Encourage active listening, where participants seek to understand before being understood.

41. Feedback Loop: Implement a feedback loop where action items from the last meeting are reviewed.

42. Accessibility: Make sure meetings are accessible to everyone, considering disabilities and language proficiency.

43. Ice Breakers: Use ice breakers to get people comfortable and engaged.

44. Room Setup: If meeting in-person, set up the room in a way that encourages interaction.

45. Record Meetings: With permission, record meetings for those who couldn't attend.

46. Punctuality: Reinforce the importance of punctuality to maximize the meeting's productivity.

47. Personal Devices: Have a policy for personal devices to minimize distractions.

48. Energizers: Use energizers in long meetings to keep the energy levels up.

49. One Conversation: Encourage one conversation at a time to avoid confusion.

50. Meeting Evaluation: Regularly evaluate meetings for effectiveness and areas of improvement.