I was asked a great question today. Rather than having a board portal, why wouldn’t a non-profit just use Google Docs as a way to share documents with board directors?

Google Docs and Dropbox are convenient for storing documents but can get messy when you need multiple folders for committee documents and resources.

Plus, board portals are much more than a great repository for documents. The portal template I’ve created is also a way to share upcoming event information like venues, hotels, agendas, a registration button and documents related to the event all on one page.

Each committee has its own page that displays the members of the committee (and email link), minutes, a link to scheduled conference calls, key documents such as the committee charter and strategic documents. Essentially anything your organization wants the board directors to have at their fingertips can be added to the portal. Here’s a sample of a committee page:

Links to committee pages are right on the home page and you can feature a call-to-action in the header, for example, to mention an upcoming event including a button to register.

The portal will hold resources like a board directory, orientation documents for new directors, board books and a blog written specifically for the board with the latest news. The most recent three blog posts are right on the home page:

Finally, the mobility of the portal, since it’s a website, allows a board director to access the site easily and is mobile responsive for quick navigation on phones and tablets. Imagine having the board book stored on the portal which board directors can access during the meeting. No more printing gobs of paper that will be tossed shortly after the meeting ends.

If you would like me to create a portal for your organization, reach out to me.