A board calendar is a list of the things your board does every year, placed on the months when they should happen. It saves the chair from reinventing the agenda each meeting, helps new directors see the shape of the year, and keeps compliance dates from slipping through the cracks. The version below is a starting point. Your fiscal year, bylaws, and state requirements decide the real dates.
Build the calendar around four kinds of items
Governance cycle
Elections of officers and directors, board orientation, and a periodic look at the bylaws.
Financial cycle
Budget approval, regular financial reviews, and the annual audit or review where one applies.
Compliance cycle
Annual filings, state registrations, insurance renewals, and conflict-of-interest disclosures.
Performance cycle
Executive evaluation, board self-assessment, and a strategy check-in.
A sample year by quarter
This sample assumes a calendar-year fiscal year. If yours runs differently, shift the financial items to match.
Q1: Set the year
- Approve the prior year’s final financials and begin any audit or review.
- Collect annual conflict-of-interest disclosures from every director and officer.
- Review the board’s meeting schedule and committee assignments.
- Calendar your annual filing deadlines.
Q2: Review and recruit
- Receive the audit or review results and discuss management’s response.
- Confirm your annual information return is on track to be filed on time.
- Start identifying candidates for open board seats.
- Evaluate the executive director, if you have one.
Q3: Plan
- Review the strategic plan and progress against goals.
- Begin budget planning for the next fiscal year.
- Review key policies, such as conflict of interest, whistleblower, and document retention.
- Hold the board self-assessment.
Q4: Decide and renew
- Approve the next year’s budget.
- Hold elections of directors and officers as your bylaws require.
- Renew insurance and confirm state registrations are current.
- Set the next year’s meeting calendar.
Every meeting, regardless of quarter
Some items belong on every agenda: approve the prior minutes, review the financial report, hear committee updates, and record each decision as a motion. Keeping this standing rhythm lets the seasonal items slot in without crowding out routine oversight. For a structure to follow, see our guide on how to run a board meeting.
Make the calendar a living tool
A calendar only works if someone owns it. Assign one officer, often the secretary, to review it a few weeks before each meeting and add the relevant items to the agenda. Attach the underlying documents, such as last year’s budget or the disclosure form, so directors do not have to hunt for them. After each meeting, update the calendar with anything that moved.
Voloboard includes a compliance calendar for filings, board terms, and policy reviews, alongside agendas, minutes, and a searchable document vault. Try it free for 30 days with no credit card, then $99/month for the whole board. See nonprofit board software or the board management software overview.
Frequently asked questions
What should be on a nonprofit board calendar?
Typically governance items such as elections and orientation, financial items such as the budget and audit, compliance items such as annual filings and conflict-of-interest disclosures, and performance items such as executive and board evaluations.
How often should a nonprofit board meet?
Your bylaws may set a minimum. Many boards meet monthly or quarterly, with committees meeting between full-board meetings.
When should the board approve the budget?
Usually before the new fiscal year starts, which means budget planning begins a few months earlier. Your bylaws or policies may specify the process.
Who should maintain the board calendar?
Many boards assign it to the secretary or chair. What matters is that one person owns it and reviews it ahead of each meeting.
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