A portal for boards can be a powerful tool to streamline meetings, reduce administrative burdens and improve communication. But it’s important to select the most appropriate software for your particular organization. A lot of board portals are over-engineered and include features that your nonprofit doesn’t require. It’s easy to waste money on tools that don’t add value to your board.
To avoid this trap, you can use this checklist to evaluate potential providers of board portals. The questions below will help you identify the most important and relevant factors that will impact your final choice of vendor.
Choosing Leading Board Portals
First, find a website with an intuitive interface that is easy to understand and use. Take note of the performance of the customer support staff of the company. Whether you need help creating your new portal or to resolve an issue, the way in which they respond will have a huge impact on your satisfaction with the product and how well it will meet your requirements.
Then, you should look into the security measures that a potential vendor has in place to protect your data. Some websites offer two-factor authentication and secure encryption of data. They also conduct penetration tests on their software by third parties. Some portals house their servers in secured data centers and conduct regular security audits. It is also important to determine whether they’re the best board portal in corporate governance equipped for a disaster recovery scenario.
Ask a potential service provider how they plan to enhance the functionality of their board portal. Do they have an agenda for features in the future? And do they inform customers about any upcoming updates that could impact their experience?