Using Software to Engage Board Members and Other Volunteers: Sadly, many organizations only engage their board members at board meetings.
Is it really engagement of a board member’s time, talent, and treasure four times a year at board meetings? Luckily, there are many ways you can engage board members between meetings and throughout the year. One of the most successful and simple methods is by using software to help organize, engage, and activate your board.
Rather than adding another standalone, software program, Affnetz offers an integrated Work Groups module to provide your board with one centralized and online location for their involvement with the organization.
Members can be granted permission-based access to this module that facilitates communication to and among board members via members-only messaging which can also generate mirrored emails. Members also have access to the most up-to-date materials – from agendas and meeting minutes, to budgets and marketing materials, the board has quick access to all the files they need. Best of all, they don’t have to rummage through their emails or contact the Executive Director and staff for documents, as it’s all in one convenient location.
Since the software is integrated to other modules, automated report generation is a breeze. This saves hundreds of hours over the course of the year, as organizational leaders and staff no longer have to cobble together disparate data from numerous software programs and then paste and format the software in another program for a “one-off” report.
Using Software to Engage Board Members and Other Volunteers
Other volunteers and staff can also use the Work Groups module. For example, Campaign Cabinet members no longer have to wonder if they have the latest fundraising materials, or call staff for the two-page case for support instead of the six-page case for support – it’s all in one location and available 24-7. Staff working from home or while away from the office can easily team up with co-workers through the Work Groups module.
Another feature of having an integrated Work Groups module is the ability to use Affnetz’s robust task management functionality. This allows board members, staff, and volunteers to assign themselves and / or others key tasks, and report in when tasks are completed. Not everyone will want to use the task management capability, but it’s an excellent way for Work Groups users to review all their tasks in an organized way.
While software isn’t a panacea for board engagement, it goes a long way to helping board members succeed and thrive in providing their time, talent, and treasure to the organization.
