Good Governance Guide to Loomio

Good governance is more than a board meeting, it requires good communication before and after meetings.

This guide is intended to help you use Loomio in your board or committee, so you can stay connected between meetings, deal with urgent matters and reduce board admin.

  • Continue governance between meetings
  • Keep track of communications
  • Use board meetings for issues that matter
  • Preserve institutional memory with a detailed record

Loomio is a versatile discussion and decision-making tool for collaborative boards and committees.

Following are some examples of common practices of boards and committees, and how to apply these in Loomio.

Demo of Loomio for boards

Rahul walks through a demo of Loomio for a board.

Originally recorded as part of the online Governance forum hosted by the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC), Australia. 30 November 2021.

In this guide:

Why does your board need an online place for discussion and decisions?

Good governance exists where an organization has systems and processes in place that are appropriate to its circumstances, and which enable the organization to pursue its purpose effectively and meet its obligations under the law.

“It is participatory, consensus-oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law.” United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

Underpinning all of these principles is the need for good communication.

Here are some or the challenges directors and boards experience:

  • Getting directors together in person
  • Time available to consider important issues
  • Tracking communication
  • Urgency of critical issues
  • Online video meeting fatigue
  • Directors in multiple, remote locations, sometimes with poor internet connectivity
  • Mixed governance practice and experience
  • Dealing with high volumes of transactional business
  • Maintaining institutional memory

Loomio offers an opportunity to strengthen governance, to extend collaboration beyond board meetings, to include everyone in open, honest and respectful discussion while documenting everything.