Best Board Manual Checklist

A board manual is an important document laying out the policy and procedures governing the board. Most manuals are living documents and are updated periodically to adjust to the current workforce and their needs. Typically the board manual is used for educational and training purposes for new board members. Which then is used as a tool during the board member's tenure. 

Today, most board manuals are organized digitally. Digitally housing the manual allows for contents to be updated continuously and allows members to access the information from anywhere. The documents can be uploaded to a password-protected section of the organization’s website to keep the board manual secure from unauthorized use. In addition, there are online platforms designed to manage and organize a nonprofit board of directors.

These platforms allow for more than just the hosting of the board manual. These software platforms allow board members to set agendas, create and share board packets, take and organize minutes from board and committee meetings, and assign and track actions.

The first step is creating an organized and thorough board manual that details the board's policy and procedures. This board manual checklist is a great resource for building a board manual. This checklist is broken down into each category needed for the manual. In each category are the names of the documents needed to complete the manual.