Board documents form the foundation of any organisation, whether it is a charity or a community. They establish the structure and governance for the organization. These documents are essential to the organisation's accountability and guidance. These documents are important not only to ensure that the board performs its fiduciary duty, but also to provide transparency and accountability for all stakeholders.
It is important to have the proper documents on hand prior to the board of directors meeting. This will allow for a productive discussion and make sure that all participants are prepared. This is only possible by ensuring that the information contained in the papers is concise and clear and when it is presented with a firm focus on the Three C's - Clear, Concise and Complete.
Annual reports, agendas and financial reports are a few of the most important documents produced by boards. The organization that is responsible for them they are either made public, or kept secret. But, they all provide information about an organisation's direction and progress to the stakeholders.
Another crucial document that is often ignored are the board policies which set out standards and guidelines for the way boards operate. They could include self-evaluation guidelines or a board-staff relationship policy. volunteer policy or financial management practices.
Organizations are increasingly utilizing electronic board books, such as the BoardWorks portal. This can reduce costs by eliminating the need to print, bind or mail paper documents. Furthermore these platforms facilitate better communication between directors during meetings since they can locate and access documents on the platform.