The Magic of Four.

Have you ever noticed that great things come in fours?

There are four primary elements—fire, air, earth, and water. 

There are four phases of the moon—new, waxing, full, and waning. 

There are four seasons. (And even though most North Dakotans believe that there are only two—winter’s coming and winter’s here—the scientists remain unmoved.) 

There are four faces on Mount Rushmore—Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. 

There were four Beatles—John, Paul, George, and Ringo. 

There’s the Fantastic Four, the four Gospels, the four suits in a deck of cards, the four blood types, the four Golden Girls (did I actually just type that?), the four Hogwarts Houses, and, for the serendipitous, there’s even a four-leaf clover. 

But there’s one more great thing that comes in a set of four…and that’s the number of your charity’s annual board meetings. 

Why Four Matters.

Check this out.

Over the last decade, some of the nation’s best minds have been examining America’s highest-performing charities. 

Interestingly, the sole goal of their collective research efforts has been to get a better handle on the exact number of board meetings that it takes to produce extraordinary impact. 

And guess what? (drumroll please…) 

The magic number of meetings is F-O-U-R. 

Here’s why this matters. 

1. Four Meetings a Year Create a Sense of Urgency:

By reducing the number of your annual meetings to just four, researchers have found that your directors perceive each gathering as hugely important.

This perception, in turn, creates a sense of urgency whereby your directors not only show up but they arrive energized and eager to get to work.

And, honestly, who doesn’t love that?

2. Four Meetings a Year Allow for Higher Quality Preparation:

When boards meet bi-monthly (or worse yet, monthly!), everyone gets buried in an avalanche of work.

Executive directors and board chairs are saddled with the unenviable task of crafting meaningful and exciting meetings without having the luxury to put in the necessary amount of time required to get the job done right—and anyone who’s experienced this knows how stressful this can be!

But we’re just getting started.

Accountants have to make-ready the financial documents.

Dashboards need to be updated.

Agendas need to be created.

Guests need to be invited.

Calendars need to be confirmed.

Copies need to be made.

Stuff needs to be mailed.

Food needs to be ordered.

And worst of all, your directors get swamped with TMI—too much information.

By reducing your annual board meetings to just four, a wonderful calming effect takes place.

Magically, board meetings don’t seem so overwhelming—in fact, they almost feel fun.

And, again, who doesn’t love that?

3. Four Meetings a Year Maximize Interactions:

Researchers have also found that when charities limit their meetings to four times per year, directors show up ready to lean-in and engage!

So, how does this happen?

Interestingly, when directors are required to attend 6-12 meetings per year, they often perceive the meetings as repetitive in that the same information gets talked about over and over again.

And this, to use the common vernacular, sucks the oxygen from the room because there’s nothing new and meaningful for people to chew on and wrestle with (and we all know what happens to people when they don’t get enough oxygen).

However…

Fewer meetings keep your topics of discussion fresh. And this is what engages and animates your directors.

4. Four Meetings a Year Produces a Satisfying Rhythm:

Last but not least, researchers tell us that when you commit to quarterly board meetings everyone gets in the right groove.

Here’s how it works.

Four meetings a year equates to four, 90-day “chunks.”

Let’s break this down.

The first 30 days of every 90-day ‘chunk’ are all about crafting the agenda, creating and assembling the materials, perfecting the questions, confirming calendars, and coordinating the details, etc., etc., etc.

Your primary goal in this first 30-day period of time is to think through all of the details so everyone gets what they need when the group comes together.

Next, days 31-60 are dedicated to delivering your board meeting with both substance and style. As the maestro, your sole goal is to make sure your meetings are marvelous, magical, and memorable.

Never forget, you are only as good as your last meeting. And, if you want to keep your directors energized and engaged, these meetings need to be great.

The final chunk of time, days 61-90, is all about following-up and following-through.

Then the whole process starts again—and you repeat it four times each year.

But here’s the thing.

Researchers have found that when board meetings are held four times a year, everyone gets into the same rhythm—preparation, delivery, and follow-up. It’s almost like a waltz (or the hully-gully if you grew up in the 60s—Google it).

This is when the magic happens—and it’s insanely fun when everyone starts swaying to the music together!

Extraordinary Impact

As leaders of nonprofits, we’re all looking to create (or at least we should be!) extraordinary impact. And, to accomplish this, we should be eagerly embracing anything and everything that gets us closer to our desired destination.

Believe it or not, having four board meetings a year is one of those techniques that does just that. 

In fact, in addition to all of the benefits listed earlier, researchers confirm that those charities that commit to quarterly meetings raise more money, help more people, and have far greater impact than those that don’t. 

Oh, and there’s one more thing. 

Those charities that commit to quarterly meetings have executives, staff, and directors who stay with the organization for longer periods of time. And longer tenures create stability; and stability creates trust; and trust creates impact. 

It’s a beautiful thing. 

Thanks for all you do! 

Until next time.