# Nonprofit Board Packet > Creates board meeting packets with agenda, financial summaries, program updates, and vote items for nonprofit governance. - Skill: `reaperinvest/nonprofit-board-packet` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add reaperinvest/nonprofit-board-packet` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/reaperinvest/nonprofit-board-packet/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Data & Analytics - Author: reaperinvest (https://skillmd.com/u/reaperinvest) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/reaperinvest/nonprofit-board-packet --- # Nonprofit Board Packet ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when you need to: - Create a board meeting packet with agenda, financials, and program updates - Prepare vote items and resolutions for board approval - Build a standard board packet template for recurring meetings - Present organizational performance data to a nonprofit board of directors **DO NOT** use this skill for staff meeting agendas, advisory board updates, or investor presentations. This is for formal nonprofit board of directors governance packets. --- ## Core Principle A BOARD PACKET MUST GIVE EVERY DIRECTOR THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS IN THE MEETING — NOT A MOMENT OF READING TIME SHOULD BE WASTED ON CONTENT THAT DOES NOT DRIVE A DECISION OR REQUIRE BOARD AWARENESS. --- ## Phase 1: Brief ### Required Inputs | Input | What to Ask | Default | |-------|------------|---------| | **Meeting date and time** | "When is the board meeting?" | No default — must be provided | | **Meeting type** | "Regular quarterly, annual, or special meeting?" | Regular quarterly | | **Vote items** | "What decisions need board approval at this meeting?" | No votes — information only | | **Financial period** | "What financial period should the summary cover?" | Previous quarter | | **Key updates** | "What major program or organizational updates should the board know?" | No default — must be provided | | **Distribution deadline** | "When should directors receive the packet?" | 7 days before the meeting | **GATE: Confirm the brief and gather all data before building the packet.** --- ## Phase 2: Structure ### Board Packet Contents ``` 1. Cover page — meeting date, time, location, call-in details 2. Agenda — timed agenda with item owners 3. Consent agenda — items for approval without discussion 4. Minutes from previous meeting — for approval 5. Executive Director report — narrative update (1-2 pages) 6. Financial summary — income statement, balance sheet, budget vs. actual 7. Program updates — key metrics and highlights per program 8. Committee reports — updates from active committees 9. Vote items — resolutions requiring board action 10. Appendix — supporting documents referenced in the packet ``` ### Agenda Template ``` ## Board Meeting Agenda **Date:** [Date] **Time:** [Time] **Location:** [In-person / Zoom link] | Time | Item | Type | Presenter | |------|------|------|-----------| | 0:00 | Call to order and roll call | Procedural | Board Chair | | 0:05 | Approval of consent agenda | Vote | Board Chair | | 0:10 | Executive Director report | Information | ED | | 0:25 | Financial review | Information/Discussion | Treasurer | | 0:40 | Program updates | Information | Program Director | | 0:55 | [Vote item 1] | Vote | [Presenter] | | 1:10 | [Vote item 2] | Vote | [Presenter] | | 1:20 | Committee reports | Information | Committee Chairs | | 1:35 | New business | Discussion | Board Chair | | 1:45 | Adjournment | Procedural | Board Chair | ``` **GATE: Present the agenda for approval before building the full packet.** --- ## Phase 3: Write ### Executive Director Report ``` ## Executive Director Report — [Period] ### Highlights - [Top 3-5 achievements or milestones] ### Challenges - [Key challenges and how they are being addressed] ### Key Metrics | Metric | Target | Actual | Status | |--------|--------|--------|--------| | [Metric 1] | [X] | [Y] | On track / Behind / Ahead | ### Looking Ahead - [Priorities for next quarter] - [Decisions or support needed from the board] ``` ### Financial Summary ``` ## Financial Summary — [Period] ### Income Statement (Budget vs. Actual) | Category | Budget | Actual | Variance | |----------|--------|--------|----------| | Revenue | $[X] | $[Y] | +/- $[Z] | | Expenses | $[X] | $[Y] | +/- $[Z] | | Net | $[X] | $[Y] | +/- $[Z] | ### Cash Position - Current cash on hand: $[X] - Months of operating runway: [X] months - Restricted funds: $[X] - Unrestricted funds: $[X] ### Notable Items - [Any significant variances with explanations] - [Upcoming large expenses or revenue] ``` ### Vote Item Format ``` ## Resolution: [Title] **Background:** [2-3 sentences explaining the context and why this needs board approval] **Recommendation:** [What the staff or committee recommends] **Financial impact:** [Cost or revenue implications] **Motion:** "Resolved, that the Board of Directors approves [specific action]." **Supporting documents:** [Reference to appendix items] ``` --- ## Phase 4: Polish ### 1. Packet Checklist ``` - [ ] Cover page has all meeting logistics (date, time, location, dial-in) - [ ] Agenda is timed and assigns presenters to each item - [ ] Previous meeting minutes are included for approval - [ ] Financial summary matches the reporting period - [ ] All vote items include background, recommendation, and resolution language - [ ] Packet is under 20 pages (excluding appendix) - [ ] Distributed to all directors at least 7 days before the meeting ``` ### 2. Consent Agenda Guide Items appropriate for the consent agenda (approved without discussion): - Previous meeting minutes - Routine financial reports - Committee reports with no action items - Staff hiring/departures (informational) Any director can request an item be removed from the consent agenda for discussion. ### 3. Post-Meeting Follow-Up - Distribute draft minutes within 48 hours - Send action items to responsible parties with deadlines - File the approved packet in the organization's records - Update the board portal with final documents --- ## Example 1: Quarterly Board Meeting Packet ``` Contents: Agenda, consent agenda, ED report, Q3 financials, 3 program updates, 1 vote item (approve annual budget), committee reports from governance and finance Page count: 15 pages + 8-page appendix Distribution: Sent via board portal 10 days before meeting ``` ## Example 2: Annual Meeting Packet ``` Contents: Agenda, annual financial report, impact summary, board officer elections, strategic plan update, annual budget approval, auditor selection vote Page count: 22 pages + annual report as appendix Distribution: Sent 14 days before meeting ``` --- ## Anti-Patterns - **Information overload** — a 50-page packet guarantees that directors will not read it. Stay under 20 pages for the core packet. - **No advance distribution** — handing out the packet at the meeting means unprepared directors making uninformed decisions. - **Vague vote items** — "Approve the budget" without the budget attached is not actionable. Include all supporting data. - **All information, no decisions** — board meetings are for governance decisions. If there is nothing to decide, the meeting may not be necessary. - **Missing financial context** — numbers without budget comparison or narrative explanation are meaningless to non-financial directors. - **No action items after the meeting** — decisions without assigned owners and deadlines do not get implemented. --- ## Recovery - **Financial data is not ready:** Include preliminary figures with a note that final numbers will be distributed before the meeting. Never delay the full packet for one section. - **No vote items this quarter:** Use the time for strategic discussion. Provide a discussion guide with questions for the board to consider. - **Board members do not read the packet:** Shorten it. Add an executive summary page at the front with the 5 most important things they need to know. - **First time creating a board packet:** Start with agenda, financials, and ED report. Add additional sections as the board governance matures.