How do you prepare for a board meeting effectively?

Give Homework - I was working with a client last week who was preparing for a one-hour board meeting. Looking at their agenda and handouts, my best guess is that they had over 3 hours of information to cover.I suggested to give the Board members the information before the meeting. Let the meeting be about discussing what they have reviewed, not educating them on what the organization does or is doing. This is all too common. Ultimately, our Board members are here to help, and for the most part, they want to help. Somehow, the goal has become to have our Board members spend as little time helping the organization as possible. That's the wrong goal. It's okay to give some homework so that our meetings will benefit everyone involved.