Running Effective Volunteer Meetings
Run focused, respectful meetings volunteers actually want to attend.
For: Volunteers leading other volunteers
What you’ll learn
- Decide whether a meeting is even the right tool — and what it’s for
- Build agendas that keep volunteer meetings on track and on time
- Facilitate discussion so every voice is heard and decisions get made
- Close with clear action items, owners, and accountability
- Run virtual and hybrid meetings that respect remote volunteers
Screen your volunteers for $5
VolunteerBadge runs FCRA-compliant background checks for just $5 — with identity verification built in. No monthly fees, no contracts.
Create a free account →Course outline
- 1
The most expensive thing in the room
5 min
- 2
Purpose first: decide, discuss, or inform?
5 min
- 3
The agenda: your meeting’s backbone
5 min
- 4
Timeboxing & keeping it moving
4 min
- 5
Facilitation: every voice in the room
5 min
- 6
Action items & follow-through
4 min
- 7
Virtual & hybrid volunteer meetings
4 min
Sources & further reading
- Harvard Business Review — Stop the Meeting Madness (Perlow, Hadley & Eun, 2017)
- Harvard Business Review — Stop Wasting People’s Time with Bad Meetings (2022)
- Patrick Lencioni / The Table Group — Death by Meeting — the four meeting types
- Official Robert’s Rules of Order — Frequently Asked Questions (motions, second, quorum, small boards)
This course is educational and provides general information about the Fair Credit Reporting Act and volunteer-screening best practices. It is not legal advice. Laws vary by state and change over time — consult a qualified attorney about your organization’s specific obligations.