Streamline Your Operations With the Right Board Management Software for Nonprofits

Like for-profit entities, nonprofit organizations need reliable software tools to manage their board operations effectively. Managing nonprofit boards can be particularly challenging due to high turnover rates.

Board management software alleviates these hurdles by streamlining various board activities, from tracking meetings and storing minutes to recording important decisions. There are many board management software solutions today that are specifically tailored to nonprofits. However, before purchasing any tool, ensure it has the key features your nonprofit requires rather than being clustered with unnecessary add-ons.

Selecting a tool from a service provider like Harbor Compliance that understands the needs of different organizations and has expertise in navigating legal and regulatory requirements can bring added benefits.

This article will discuss the key features to look for in board management software for nonprofits and introduce Harbor Compliance's Records Manager, which simplifies board activities with centralized storage and meeting tracking features.

What Is Board Management Software for Nonprofits?

Board management software is a specialized tool that facilitates better management and organization of board activities by:

• Storing information on meeting minutes and other important documents

• Tracking meetings

• Sending reminders for upcoming meetings

• Keeping track of leadership changes

• Recording important board decisions

In the past, managing board documents involved storing them in physical files, which increased the risk of losing important files and made it difficult to find information quickly. The introduction of board management software solved this problem by centralizing and securely storing board-related records and keeping track of meeting schedules.

By organizing such records, these tools make meetings more productive, facilitate easy access to important records, and ensure the organization's sensitive documents can be stored securely.

Why Do Nonprofits Need Specialized Board Management Software?

Managing nonprofit boards presents unique challenges. As such, they require specialized software solutions since:

1. It promotes paperless meetings

2. It provides centralized storage for information

3. It helps streamline meeting tracking

4. It assists with legal compliance

1. It Promotes Paperless Meetings

Nonprofit boards, comprising volunteers, donors, and community representatives often face challenges in maintaining clear communication and safeguarding important records. Board management tools address these issues by enabling organizations to transition to paperless meetings, where meeting agendas and minutes can be uploaded, shared, and accessed online.

This approach ensures vital records are securely stored and reduces the risk of loss due to accidental loss or disasters.

2. It Provides Centralized Storage for Information

Board management software offers nonprofits a centralized solution for storing meeting minutes, donor details, financial records, and other essential documents. This ensures that sensitive information remains secure while being easily accessible to authorized volunteers and board members.

3. It Helps Streamline Meeting Tracking

Nonprofit boards often face high turnover rates due to the constant recruitment of new volunteers and evolving personal commitment. Board management tools help address these challenges by streamlining meeting tracking and leadership transitions.

These tools create internal events with automated reminders and store meeting minutes and participant lists to show who participated in discussions and decisions. This centralized record ensures continuity by enabling future board members to easily reference past meetings, understand key resolutions, and seamlessly transition through onboarding and offboarding processes.

4. It Assists With Legal Compliance

A digital board management tool enables nonprofits to securely store meeting minutes and board documents, ensuring adherence to complex regulatory requirements and audits. Integrating this tool with entity, license, and tax management solutions further enhances its utility by centralizing critical details, such as donor records and governance records.

This integration is especially valuable for nonprofits with frequent turnover rates and overlapping operational and board roles as it creates a unified platform to streamline governance and regulatory obligations.

Essential Features To Look For in Board Management Software for Nonprofits

There are numerous paid and free nonprofit board management software solutions on the market, offering advanced features like video conferencing, agenda building, ESG reporting tools, and meeting analytics. While these add-ons can benefit large boards, they may not align with the needs of nonprofit boards.

Investing in such tools might not provide a good return on investment, especially when free tools like Google Docs (for creating meeting agendas) and Zoom (for virtual meetings) already meet some of these needs. Instead, nonprofit boards should prioritize these essential features when selecting board management software:

• Meeting tracking and reminders—The tool should be able to track board meetings and send reminders to volunteers to ensure everyone is informed.

• Secure document storage—The software should safely store nonprofit information, such as bylaws, financial records, and meeting minutes, and also ensure it can easily be accessed by authorized personnel.

• Leadership tracking—The tool should track board member changes, given the high turnover rates typical in nonprofit boards. It should also alert you when there are vacancies on the board that need to be filled.

Managing Your Nonprofit Board With Harbor Compliance's Records Manager

Numerous providers offer software solutions for managing nonprofit boards, each with a more or less unique set of functionalities. However, it is advantageous to opt for a provider like Harbor Compliance, which offers a board management tool and supports your organization’s broader needs, such as applying for tax exemption and adhering to diverse regulatory requirements.

Harbor Compliance specializes in helping organizations adhere to state requirements, fulfill their regulatory obligations, and enhance their operational efficiency. We offer proprietary software solutions to help entities oversee their licenses, manage their entities, and keep track of their tax registrations.

One of the modules in our Software Suite is Records Manager, which maintains and manages corporate records and assists in managing board operations.

How Does Records Manager Enhance Nonprofit Board Operations?

Our Records Manager streamlines nonprofit operations by offering the essential features needed without unnecessary complexities. This module helps nonprofit boards manage their activities by:

• Tracking personnel—The module keeps detailed records of nonprofit board members and directors, showing how many are authorized by the entity's bylaws and identifying any vacancies on board.

• Meeting coordination—It facilitates efficient meeting management by tracking scheduled meetings, setting the frequency of recurring meetings, and sending automated meeting reminders to board members. This ensures all members are aware of and prepared for upcoming internal meetings.

• Offering secure document storage—The Records Manager provides a secure and centralized location for critical nonprofit documents, such as articles of incorporation, bylaws, meeting minutes, amendments, IRS letters, and policies. This ensures important information can be readily located and retrieved when needed.

Explore Other Useful Software Suite's Modules

The Records Manager solution is just one component in our proprietary Software Suite, which encompasses several other features that facilitate different aspects of an organization's operations, such as tracking licenses, monitoring renewal dates, and managing tax registrations.

The list below outlines the various features of the Software Suite and their capabilities:

1. Entity Manager—Entity Manager integrates with the secretary of state databases and provides crucial information such as your entity's registration status, registration number, jurisdiction, and other publicly available information. It informs you when there are upcoming deadlines, such as due dates for annual reports, so that you can stay on top of important filings. It also provides centralized storage for filings, certificates, and other entity-related documents.

2. License Manager—It provides a comprehensive view of your individual and firm licenses and where they are held. Our License Manager helps you track your licenses and their renewal dates and includes collaborative features for delegating licensing tasks to different team members.

3. Tax Manager—This module simplifies the management of your tax-related data, ensuring you have a clear view of your tax accounts, registration numbers, and status. It also tracks local, state, and federal tax registrations and exemptions.

4. Records Manager—This tool offers a centralized storage solution for organizational records and tracks ownership and leadership information.

5. Requirements Research Engine—This module provides a comprehensive database on licensing requirements, agencies responsible for overseeing permits, step-by-step application instructions, and typical processing times.

How To Order Harbor Compliance's Records Manager

To order our Records Manager software, follow these steps:

1. Visit Harbor Compliance's Records Manager page.

2. Select Schedule a Demo.

3. Provide your contact information.

Our representatives will contact you to discuss your needs and guide you through the next steps.

Additional Services Harbor Compliance Offers

In addition to offering software solutions for managing licenses, tax registrations, and company records, Harbor Compliance provides a range of services that help entities adhere to different state requirements. The table below outlines the additional services we offer:

Category	Services
Nonprofit formation	Our team helps nonprofits file for incorporation and the 501(c) tax exemption.
Tax registration	We help organizations obtain their Employer Identification Number(EIN) and manage their payroll tax registration. We also assist entities in securing their sales and use tax IDs.
Document filing and retrieval	We handle the filing process for foreign qualification, initial, and annual reports. We also offer drop-off filing services and assist entities in obtaining their certified copies and certificates of good standing.
Entity lifecycle management	We offer comprehensive support during an entity's lifecycle by filing for incorporation, LLC formation, amendment, name reservation, and managing Doing Business As (DBA) requirements. We also provide withdrawal and dissolution support when you want to wind down activities.
Registered Agent Service	Our local offices across the U.S. enable us to serve as your registered agent and receive legal correspondence on your behalf. We also streamline the processes of appointing and changing your agent.
Business licensing support	We assist entities in securing the business and industry-specific licenses (construction, engineering, etc.) they need to operate in the U.S.

Optimizing Nonprofit Board Operations With Harbor Compliance's Records Manager

Managing nonprofit boards has its unique challenges, mainly due to the high turnover rates of board members and diverse stakeholders involved. Harbor Compliance's Records Manager addresses these challenges by helping you track meetings, monitor leadership changes, send meeting reminders to board members, and securely store nonprofit documents.

Beyond Records Manager, we offer filing support for nonprofit formation and tax exemption. We also provide services that help entities adhere to state regulations.

If you're ready to take the next step and partner with us, you can get started using our free Harbor Compliance Score™ to first evaluate your adherence to state requirements and identify areas needing improvement. Afterward, you can request a free demonstration, and our team will contact you to discuss your requirements.

Finally, you can visit our Information Center to learn about our comprehensive services and the regulatory obligations specific to your entity.