Board Member Training Guide

Andrew Sompels
Andrew Sompels
  • Updated

This facilitator guide helps administrators deliver a clear and efficient 30-minute onboarding session for members, directors, and trustees using OnBoard. It focuses on the core tasks end users perform most frequently, including:

  • Accessing Meetings
  • Reviewing the Meeting Book
  • Annotating materials
  • Viewing Resources
  • Using the Directory

By the end of this single, focused session, participants should feel confident and prepared to use OnBoard effectively.

Before conducting training, review the Preparing for Board Member Training article to ensure you and your organization are fully prepared for success.

Session Goal (Say This First – 30 seconds)

“In the next 30 minutes, you’ll learn how to sign in, find your meetings, prepare using the Meeting Book, take notes, and complete any actions assigned to you.”

Agenda & Timing

Time Topic
0–3 min What OnBoard Is & Logging In
3-5 min Homepage
5–8 min Meeting List
8-10 min Viewing the Meeting
10–18 min Open Book (Primary Focus)
18–23 min Annotations
23-25 min Resources
25–27 min Directory
27–30 min Help, Support & Wrap‑Up

1. What OnBoard Is & Logging In

Key Message

OnBoard is the single, secure place for all board work, including meetings, materials, actions, and communication.

Facilitator Talk Track

  • Remind those who haven't activated their account to locate the invitation email from OnBoard.
  • Email verification and password creation are required
    • Review SSO or MFA options if utilized
  • OnBoard works on web or OnBoard's free iOS or Android phone and tablet apps.
2025-08-12_16-03-11.png

Callout

Reference Article

OnBoard Quick Start Guide - Logging into OnBoard & Accepting the Invitation

2. Homepage

Key Message

The Homepage tells you what needs your attention right now.

Show Live

  • Most recent meeting (next meeting or meeting in-progress)
  • Additional upcoming meetings below
  • Actions awaiting attention
  • Announcements

Explain that everything is permission‑based, so users only see what’s relevant to them. 

Reference Article

Navigating the Homepage

3. Meeting List

Key Message

The Meeting List serves as the official record of all meeting agendas and documents for past, current, and upcoming meetings. 

  • Open Meetings from the Navigation Menu
  • Upcoming meetings appear above “Today” in bold text.
  • Past meetings appear below in gray text. 
  • Select anywhere on a meeting tile to access the meeting information. 

Callout

  • Upcoming Meetings and Past Meetings will be on separate tabs on the phone and tablet apps. 

Reference Article

Viewing the Meeting List

4. Viewing the Meeting

Key Message

All meeting details are available in this view.

  • Date/Time/Location
  • Remote Meeting Details
  • Agenda
  • Meeting Materials (Open Book)

Callout

“If materials aren’t ready yet, you don’t need to check back. Meeting organizers will initiate emails from OnBoard when materials are available."

Reference Article

Accessing Meeting Materials

5. Meeting Book/Open Book (Core of the Session)

Key Message

The Meeting Book (accessible through Open Book) serves as the primary resource for preparing and reviewing meeting materials, and is where members, directors, and trustees are likely to spend the majority of their time.

Show Live (Do Not Rush)

  1. Select a meeting
  2. Click Open Book

Explain the Layout

  • Left: Agenda
  • Right: Compiled Meeting Book
  • Purple icon = documents attached
  • Supplemental Documents (Optional)
    •  Supplemental Documents = reference only, not part of the compiled book

Must‑Show Actions

  • Selecting an agenda section will jump to the first document in that section.
  • Collapse the agenda for more reading space
    • Caret icon on web & panel icon on mobile.
  • Scroll through the Meeting Book or use page numbers to move between pages
  • Use Search to find content quickly by keyword 
    • Magnifying glass on web browser and search bar on mobile apps.

Reinforce

“This replaces emailing PDFs or flipping between files: everything is securely compiled for you.”

Optional (If Enabled)

  • Show Help Me Prepare for agenda section summaries
  • Mention document‑level summaries via the Intelligent Assistant (star icon) 

Important Framing

“Summaries help you prepare faster — they don’t replace reading the materials.”

Reference Article

Viewing and Navigating the Meeting Book

6. Annotations

Key Message

No downloads are needed. Annotations can be created directly in the Meeting Book. Notes are private by default and can be shared with other invitees if enabled.

Show Live

  • Switch from View mode to Annotate mode at top of page
    • Web Browser - Annotation Tools at top of screen
    • Mobile - Annotation tools at bottom right of the screen
  • Review Annotation Tool Options
    • Highlight Text
    • Underline Text
    • Free Hand
    • Free Hand Highlighter
    • Free Text
    • Note Tool
  • (Optional) Annotation Sharing
    • If enabled, select an annotation and select the Share icon to share the annotation with other invitees of the meeting.
  • Explain annotations are private by default and auto‑saved

Reference Articles

Creating, Managing, and Sharing Annotations (Web)

Creating, Managing, and Sharing Annotations (Mobile)

7. Resources

Key Message

Resources is a secure library with unlimited storage for long term reference materials outside of meetings, including policies, bylaws, historical materials, and more.

Show Live

  • Open Resources from Navigation Menu
  • Access is permission-based, meaning they will only see folders and files relevant to them.
  • Select folders and files to view them
  • Users can download documents if downloads enabled.

Reference Article

Viewing and Annotating Resource Documents

8. Directory

Key Message

The Directory is where you can stay up to date on fellow members, directors, and trustees. You can also update your own profile and manage account settings. 

Show Live

  • Select the Show More dropdown from the Navigation Menu
  • Select Directory
  • Select a member's image or name to view their profile information
  • Update your own profile
    • Use the Edit Details buttons to edit profile information
    • Select the Settings tab to update Account Settings
      • Email Address
      • Password
      • Multi-Factor Authentication
      • Alternative Notification Addresses

Reference Article

OnBoard Quick Start Guide - Completing your User Profile

9. Help, Support & Wrap-Up

Help & Learning

Show Help & Feedback:

Select Help & Feedback from the Navigation Menu for:

  • Guided in‑app tutorials
  • OnBoard Academy courses and certifications
  • Help Center articles and videos
  • Contact Support for technical help

Closing Script (Use This)

If you remember just two things:

  1. Start on the Homepage
  2. Use Open Book to prepare

Optional Admin Tips

  • Pair this session with a real upcoming (or past) meeting for best retention
  • Offer a recorded walkthrough for users who miss training
  • Follow the training with the OnBoard 101 Video and End User Getting Started Guide
  • Save advanced topics (Messenger, Tasks, and Actions) for follow‑up sessions

Was this article helpful?

0 out of 0 found this helpful

Have more questions? Submit a request

Comments

0 comments

Please sign in to leave a comment.