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CHAPTER TWO The Board Meeting or How Not to Feel Overwhelmed Congratulations! You have been elected to the board of directors of the Col- lege of Ivy Foundation. You are eagerly looking forward to your first meeting next week, with committee meetings the afternoon of the first day, an awards dinner that night, and the board meeting the next day. You have received an e-mail letting you know that there will be a new board member orientation the morning of the first day. Remember to respond to all e-mails promptly, letting them know you will be there. If you are invited to bring a guest to the awards dinner, you need to let the board know of their attendance as well. Make sure you understand the dress code for all the meetings and events as well as the locations and times. Take along a spiral notebook or journal designated just for the organiza- tion. Of course, taking notes electronically is just as effective as long as you keep them organized by date. You can note questions as well as action items for follow-up at a later date. Now let’s discuss best practices indicative of a well-run board orientation and meeting. Advance Reading Materials In order for the board to conduct its business efficiently, it is critical that all board members receive background materials for items to be dis- cussed in advance of the meeting. Sending materials electronically allows each member to download them on their flash drive or laptop so they can refer to them at the meeting. More and more boards are creating board- only websites where materials are posted, which will be discussed later in Chapter 10.