In a previous article I focused on what is guiding you in the final quarter of 2021. In this article I want to zoom in a bit more on wrapping up 2021 with your board (and preparing for 2022).
Wrapping up 2021
Check your Q4 board meeting
Most boards have quarterly meetings. This means that you probably still need to have one meeting this calendar year. Did you set the the date for that meeting yet? Have the members confirmed attendance? Is there an agenda? Are all the documents ready? (Or is there a due date in your calendar for preparing and sending them?).
Usually, the key topic of the Q3 or Q4 board meeting is next year’s budget. Did the board agree on the 2022 budget yet? Is there an annual work plan for 2022? Do you have a multi-annual strategy, work plan and budget?
Committees
If your board has sub-committees, for instance for fundraising or finance, you might want to check if there are plans or events they need to plan still. Do they need your support or encouragement? (Or a thank you?)
Minutes
This is a good moment to double check that you have all minutes and documents for all board meetings of the calendar year. Are they safely stored in a folder you can easily find? Has the board (or you) followed up on all action points?
Year-end event
Many nonprofits organize a year-end event for the team. Often, board members are invited, too. Did you schedule such an event yet? Will you invite the board? Did you send out invitations or ‘save-the-date’s been yet?
Preparing for 2022
Board meetings
Did you schedule the board’s meetings for next year yet? And do all meetings have a clear focus? Can board members easily import the meeting invites into their calendars? (So that you know they won’t cancel last minute because they forgot about the meeting ….)
Roles & responsibilities
Now is a good moment to check that the roles and responsibilities of your board members are up-to-date. Also, check that the board has all the roles you need for the organization’s aims for 2022 and beyond. Does your board have all the committees you need? Are their mandates and tasks clear? Or do you need to have a good and open discussion about this?
Board members
What about the terms of office of your board members? Are any of those ending in 2022? Do you need to look for new board members to replace them? Or do you need to look for new board members to create more variety in expertise available in the board? Or do you need new board members to achieve the set aims for next year and beyond?
Documentation up to date?
Is your documentation about board members up to date? And do you keep track of when you should ask for a new copy of their new passport, for instance? Also, are you sure that board members who left are no longer registered as your representative, for instance with the bank or government agencies?
My key tips
- Make sure you have a clear list of all required data and documents of your board members, and an overview of where they are registered as representing your organization.
- Make sure that board members who leave are no longer listed as representatives of your organization.
How I can help
Grab my free resource Build a Solid Base for your nonprofit: https://www.changingtides.eu/3-steps-to-a-solid-base-for-your-nonprofit/
If you would like simple steps to set up and organise your finance & admin foundations guidance by me, you can get a bundle of six simple and short workshops here: https://www.changingtides.eu/financeandadminbundle
In case the bundle is too much for you at this moment, feel free to pick one or more of the workshops individually:
- Set up your financial processes: https://www.changingtides.eu/financialprocesses
- Understand important basics of bookkeeping for nonprofits: https://www.changingtides.eu/bookkeepingfoundations
- Be sure you are keeping all the documents you need for project donors, auditors, or officials: https://www.changingtides.eu/documentationfornonprofits
- Plan your cash flow for a year: https://www.changingtides.eu/cashflowfornonprofits
- Get a feel for how time sheets can be helpful to everyone in your nonprofit and set them up straightaway: https://www.changingtides.eu/timesheetsfornonprofits
- Learn how to calculate the price of time spent of your team members, including allocations for general costs that are used in different projects: https://www.changingtides.eu/feesfornonprofits
Please note, the bundle is cheaper than buying all six workshops separately: https://www.changingtides.eu/financeandadminbundle
Want to know more and ask questions?
If you want to discuss this more – jump into my nonprofit support community and get input from a wide range of peers and from myself!
Here is how you can join my free nonprofit support community
You can join my free nonprofit support community on the Heartbeat platform here. This group is a safe space for open exchange and discussion on potentially sensitive topics like boards, nonprofit management, fundraising, etc.
You can visit the community via a browser or via an app. Here is the link to download the Heartbeat chat app in the Google Play store.
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