In fact, successful board meetings are the vehicle by which you engage—and bring out the best—in your directors.
As a result of a well-executed meeting, not only do your directors feel fulfilled and valued, but the organization moves forward by leaps and bounds.
And never forget: Ultimately, it’s the outcomes of your board meetings that result in extraordinary impact for your nonprofit organization.
In the last High Impact Boards eNewsletter, we laid out the first three steps to help your charity raise $150K on Giving Hearts Day. And now that Giving Hearts Day is officially 112 days away, it’s time to unveil the final two steps. Buckle up. Sharing Steps 4 and 5 next.
Giving Hearts Day–February 12th, 2026, is officially 126 days away! We’ve developed a five-step blueprint that you, your staff, and your board can follow to make the most of this year’s Giving Hearts Day (and we will zero-in on steps 1-2 this time, and 4-5 next time.) Let’s dive in.
A lesson about planning and why it matters. In 1911, two of the most revered polar explorers, Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen, engaged in an epic battle of wills and skills to be the first to reach the South Pole. These two renowned explorers were polar opposites.
Bowling (yes, bowling) is one of the most widely-played sports in America. In fact, 67 million Americans do it regularly. What is it about bowling that makes it so attractive for so many people? Is it the shoes? Is it the camaraderie? Is it the stylishly-retro, short-sleeved shirts?
Two simple words: Thank You.
It costs you nothing to say them.
And when you do, these two words have the power to set hearts ablaze.
They have the power to build bridges. They have the power to ignite life-changing energy. They have the power to create things that last.
Yet, without them, it can cost you everything.
As simple as all this sounds, it’s heartbreaking to know that a significant percentage of donors never receive a prompt, heartfelt thank you.
In fact, a 2024 EverTrue report showed that a stunning 58% of first-time donors do NOT receive a follow-up interaction after their first gift.
58%. Ouch.
And this is where your board members can play a meaningful role in taking your nonprofit to the next level.
This Just In. Researchers have now discovered that ending your board meeting on a positive note significantly improves your directors’ overall memory and perception of the experience—even if it didn’t go particularly well. When it comes to your board meetings, LAST impressions matter most.
Words Matter. If you want to achieve extraordinary impact as a nonprofit board member, it comes down to eight words. Eight. When taken together, these eight words are so powerful that they’ve fed the hungry, housed the homeless, and healed the sick. They’ve given us better and brighter tomorrows.
It’s a fact.
As a board member, you bring a lot to the table.
Your experience, your reputation in the community, and your ability to connect with others all create a unique opportunity for you to be an important part of group that takes an organization from good to great.
And while routine board duties like developing the annual budget, monitoring the financials, and overseeing the external audit are important activities (insert yawn here), what your CEO really wants from you is for you to help them dream BIG.
That’s right.
Your charity’s CEO wants you—as their trusted board partner—to be a co-creator in envisioning a better, brighter, bigger, and more impactful tomorrow for your nonprofit.
They want you to come to meetings energized.
They want you to come to meetings with an eye on the future. They want you to be looking around corners. They want you to press the limits on what’s really possible.
In a nutshell, they want you to dream BIG.
This is what your charity’s CEO really wants from you.
Not convinced?
In a fascinating study entitled “What Nonprofit Executives Really Want and What They Actually Get from their Board Members,” researchers found that the vast majority of board members believe the CEO wants assistance in overseeing the mandatory red tape that goes along with operating a nonprofit.
Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong.
While these are all important activities, researchers found that what nonprofit CEOs really want from their board members is help with creating a better tomorrow.
They want help with envisioning a breathtaking future—one that changes lives and transforms organizations.
They want help with envisioning a future where the charity grows by leaps and bounds.
They want help with envisioning a future where the nonprofit achieves “best-in-class” status.
If you want to achieve extraordinary impact, your board needs to be fully-engaged. This is a no-brainer. Indeed, when your board is fully-committed and actively involved in your nonprofit’s mission, great things are going to happen. Your directors have to be all-in.