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    <title>Australian Board Portal | Board Management Software on Our Cat Herder</title>
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      <title>Company Secretary in Australia and New Zealand: Role, Requirements and Options</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/company-secretary-australia/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/company-secretary-australia/</guid>
      <description>What does a company secretary do in Australia and NZ? Legal requirements, when to appoint one, and outsourcing options for both jurisdictions.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>What Our Customers Say | Our Cat Herder Testimonials</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/testimonials/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/testimonials/</guid>
      <description></description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Can I Use Our Cat Herder for Staff Meetings?</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/technology/staff-meetings/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/technology/staff-meetings/</guid>
      <description>Yes, Our Cat Herder runs staff meetings too. Here&amp;rsquo;s how to set it up using your existing portal or a second portal, with the pros and risks of each.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Introducing Registers: Build Any Board Register in Our Cat Herder</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/board-registers/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/board-registers/</guid>
      <description>Registers in Our Cat Herder give boards a flexible, secure way to maintain governance records like conflicts of interest, contracts, and more — with customisable columns, role-based access, form submissions, and direct integration into meeting minutes.</description>
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      <title>Australian Board Portal for NFP Treasurers</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-nfp-treasurers/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-nfp-treasurers/</guid>
      <description></description>
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    <item>
      <title>Board Portal for Chief Executive Officers</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-ceos/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-ceos/</guid>
      <description></description>
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    <item>
      <title>Australian Board Portal for Board Members</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-board-members/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-board-members/</guid>
      <description></description>
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    <item>
      <title>Australian Board Portal for Chairpersons</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-chairperson/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-chairperson/</guid>
      <description></description>
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      <title>Australian Board Portal for Company Secretaries</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-company-secretaries/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-company-secretaries/</guid>
      <description></description>
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      <title>Australian Board Portal for Presidents</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-president/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-president/</guid>
      <description></description>
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    <item>
      <title>Free Action Register Template for Board Meetings | Our Cat Herder</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/resources/action-register-template/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/resources/action-register-template/</guid>
      <description></description>
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    <item>
      <title>Board Meeting Action Items | Our Cat Herder</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/features/board-meeting-action-items/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/features/board-meeting-action-items/</guid>
      <description></description>
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      <title>Board Meeting Agenda Builder | Our Cat Herder</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/features/board-meeting-agenda-builder/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/features/board-meeting-agenda-builder/</guid>
      <description></description>
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      <title>Board Meeting Minutes Software | Our Cat Herder</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/features/minute-taking/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/features/minute-taking/</guid>
      <description></description>
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      <title>Free Consent Agenda Template for Board Meetings | Our Cat Herder</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/resources/consent-agenda-template/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/resources/consent-agenda-template/</guid>
      <description></description>
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    <item>
      <title>Vulnerability Disclosure Policy</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/security/vulnerability-disclosure/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/security/vulnerability-disclosure/</guid>
      <description>This policy exists so that if you happen to find a vulnerability in Our Cat Herder, you know how to tell us about it. This is not an invitation to scan, probe, or test our platform. We do not authorise security testing by external parties unless we have agreed to it in writing.
No bug bounty program We don&amp;rsquo;t run a bug bounty program and we can&amp;rsquo;t pay for vulnerability reports.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>What is the Ideal Board Size?</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/ideal-board-size/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 15 Jan 2026 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/ideal-board-size/</guid>
      <description>Learn how to determine the ideal board size for your organisation, including strategies for resizing, assessing effectiveness, and balancing skills with efficiency.</description>
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      <title>Robert’s Rules of Order Explained</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/roberts-rules-explained/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 20 May 2025 07:02:24 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/roberts-rules-explained/</guid>
      <description>Rooted in centuries of best practices for meetings and business conduct, Robert’s Rules of Order is a detailed framework used to guide parliamentary and meeting procedures.</description>
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      <title>Should you Video or Audio Record a Board Meeting?</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/technology/recording-board-meetings/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 20 Jan 2025 08:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/technology/recording-board-meetings/</guid>
      <description>Should your board record its meetings? Video and audio recordings can improve accuracy and accountability, but they also come with privacy risks, legal complexity, and operational downsides.</description>
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      <title>The Hidden Risks of AI-Powered Minute-Taking in Board Meetings</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/technology/risk-ai-powered-notes/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 18 Nov 2024 10:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/technology/risk-ai-powered-notes/</guid>
      <description>AI-powered minute-taking can boost meeting efficiency with automated, searchable records, but its challenges—like misidentifying speakers, missing context, and legal risks—underscore the need for human oversight and robust technical safeguards.</description>
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      <title>Board Meeting Minutes: More Than Just Paperwork</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/minutes-more-than-paperwork/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 07:02:24 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/minutes-more-than-paperwork/</guid>
      <description>Board meeting minutes are vital for legal compliance, transparency, and accountability. Essential for effective governance, decision-making, and organisational reputation.</description>
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      <title>Maintaining Board Documents and Records in Digital vs. Hardcopy</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/technology/digital-hardcopy-association-records/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/technology/digital-hardcopy-association-records/</guid>
      <description>Explore the advantages, challenges, and best practices of digital and hardcopy archiving for board documents in associations and non-profits, focusing on governance, compliance, and operational efficiency.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>How to Choose the Best Company Secretary for Your Company</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/company-secretary-model/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Jun 2024 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/company-secretary-model/</guid>
      <description>Discover the best company secretary model for medium-sized organisations to ensure effective governance and boardroom success.</description>
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      <title>How to Approve Board Meeting Minutes: A Comprehensive Guide</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/approving-minutes-guide/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 06 Jun 2024 07:02:24 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/approving-minutes-guide/</guid>
      <description>Approving the minutes is a crucial task for boards and directors, as it ensures the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of the record.</description>
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      <title>What Is a Consent Agenda? Including Template Consent Agenda</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/consent-agenda/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2024 07:30:24 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/consent-agenda/</guid>
      <description>How to use a consent agenda to streamline board meetings and improve the quality of discussions, including key items and a sample agenda.</description>
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      <title>Understanding MAICD vs GAICD: Navigating Australian Institute of Company Director Membership Levels</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/understanding-maicd-gaicd/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 17 Apr 2024 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/understanding-maicd-gaicd/</guid>
      <description>Explore the differences between MAICD and GAICD membership levels at the AICD. Learn about eligibility, benefits, and how these designations can enhance your directorship career in Australia.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Minute-Taking Essentials: Includes Templates with Examples</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/minute-taking-essentials/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 28 Feb 2024 07:02:24 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/minute-taking-essentials/</guid>
      <description>Board meeting minutes are a crucial component of the governance framework for organisations</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Governance</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/glossary/governance-definition-faq/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 22 Feb 2024 09:37:49 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/glossary/governance-definition-faq/</guid>
      <description>Governance encompasses the frameworks, processes, and systems used by governing bodies to ensure an organisation is managed and led towards achieving its goals. It involves the mechanisms through which organisations, and those tasked with governance, align their objectives with legal, ethical, and societal expectations. At its core, governance is about responsibility, accountability, and the ethical management of an organisation. Governance provides the structure through which organisations set their strategic direction, implement policies, monitor performance, and achieve their objectives.</description>
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      <title>A Comprehensive Guide to Achieving a Quorum</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/quorum/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 19 Feb 2024 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/quorum/</guid>
      <description>This comprehensive guide provides extensive tips and strategies for achieving a quorum at meetings of all types and sizes.</description>
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      <title>Crafting Well-Structured Board Reports for Maximum Impact</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/structured-board-reports/</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jan 2024 01:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/structured-board-reports/</guid>
      <description>Board reports enable effective oversight through structured communication of strategic priorities, risks and recommendations. This article provides FAQs and examples. Concise executive summaries orient directors. Logical sequencing of background and insights aids discussion. Accuracy, visual appeal and road testing refine reports to maximise clarity.</description>
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      <title>Take Your Board to the Next Level: Powerful Agenda Best Practices</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/agenda-best-practices/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 06 Dec 2023 01:02:24 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/agenda-best-practices/</guid>
      <description>Running efficient, productive board meetings is critical for boards. This article outlines best practices for board meeting agendas that drive impact.</description>
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      <title>10 Common Board Paper Problems &amp; How to Fix Them</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/fix-board-paper-problems/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 29 Nov 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/fix-board-paper-problems/</guid>
      <description>For board meetings to be impactful, directors need board papers that clearly communicate the right information in an actionable manner.
Unfortunately, many board packs miss the mark on delivering materials that actually inform and empower directors.
Below we delve into the 10 most frequent complaints directors have about board papers. We provide concrete examples of each issue, explain the resulting negative impacts, and offer suggested solutions to help you to improve your board packs.</description>
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      <title>Flying Minutes: Uses, Benefits and Risks of Circular Board Resolutions</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/flying-minutes/</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 03 Nov 2023 10:02:24 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/flying-minutes/</guid>
      <description>Flying minutes, also called circular resolutions, allow board decisions outside regular meetings. This guide covers creating, distributing, and recording flying minutes using board software for timely governance.</description>
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      <title>Ensuring Your Board of Directors is Diligent</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/diligent-board-pre-reading/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 03 Oct 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/diligent-board-pre-reading/</guid>
      <description>Practical tips and strategies for company secretaries, chair persons, and CEOs to promote diligent pre-reading of board packs by board directors</description>
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      <title>Crafting a Board Paper Policy for Effective Information Flow</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/board-paper-policy/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/board-paper-policy/</guid>
      <description>A robust board paper policy will help you create better board packs and is essential for ensuring directors receive the right information at the right time to fulfil their duties.
In this comprehensive article we provide guidance on developing a board paper policy that will streamline your board papers and board reporting.
Follow these tips to help you implement a board paper policy that meets your board&amp;rsquo;s needs.
Why do you need a Board Paper Policy?</description>
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      <title>Managing Conflicts of Interest in Non-Profits</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/conflicts-of-interest-boards/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/conflicts-of-interest-boards/</guid>
      <description>Conflicts of interest often crop up on charity &amp;amp; non-profit boards due to connected relationships. Even potential conflicts can damage trust &amp;amp; credibility. Key strategies: develop policies, maintain register, establish culture of disclosure via training, documentation &amp;amp; communication.</description>
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      <title>Promoting Trust Through Transparency in Board Reporting</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/transparency-in-board-reporting/</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 01 Sep 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/transparency-in-board-reporting/</guid>
      <description>Discover how to use board reporting to build trust. Management should define needs, provide balanced insights, verify accuracy, meet deadlines, admit imperfections, reinforce expectations, and listen to feedback to elevate reporting quality.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Board Meeting Etiquette</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/board-meeting-etiquette/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 23 Aug 2023 10:02:24 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/board-meeting-etiquette/</guid>
      <description>Board meeting etiquette tips like arriving on time, limiting distractions, listening, and more enable productive governance. Directors should prepare thoroughly, share speaking time, disagree respectfully, reach consensus, and integrate practices from diverse cultures.</description>
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      <title>Board Members with Ego</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-members-ego/</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2023 10:00:39 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-members-ego/</guid>
      <description>Effective Board meetings require self-aware members, clear roles, disciplined focus on priorities, constructive debate, decisive facilitation, and avoidance of tangents, ego, groupthink, and micromanaging.</description>
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      <title>Board Portal Officeholders</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/positions-officeholders/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2023 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/positions-officeholders/</guid>
      <description></description>
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      <title>Who Should Control the Reporting of Information to the Board?</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/control-board-reporting/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/control-board-reporting/</guid>
      <description>Boards must proactively control reporting rather than passively receive what management provides. Controlling information flow enables oversight, reduces bias, aligns with legal duties, allows setting expectations, and mitigates risks of inadequate reporting.</description>
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      <title>Board Portal for Health &amp; Aged Care Providers</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-health-aged-care/</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 11 Aug 2023 10:15:00 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-health-aged-care/</guid>
      <description></description>
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      <title>How to Provide the Information Your Board Needs for Effective Decisions</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/information-your-board-needs/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 08 Aug 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/information-your-board-needs/</guid>
      <description>Learn how to empower board decisions through effective reporting - focus on strategic insights, provide relevant info concisely, verify quality data, structure logically, use visuals, emphasize analysis not just data, and solicit director feedback.</description>
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      <title>Board Portal for Financial Services</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-financial-services/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 01 Aug 2023 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-financial-services/</guid>
      <description>Company Secretaries navigate a lot of complexity Simplify Board Management with Our Cat Herder Financial services companies need careful planning to keep board administration running smoothly. Our Cat Herder provides tools to reduce the administrative hassle of board management.
The agenda builder and customisable templates let you assemble professional agendas tailored to your board&amp;rsquo;s needs.
You can create an agenda template for recurring meetings that covers standard items like risk oversight, strategy, budgets, audits, and compliance.</description>
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      <title>Crafting Well-Organised Board Packs</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/organised-board-packs/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 01 Aug 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/organised-board-packs/</guid>
      <description>A well-structured board pack with consistent formatting and logical flow enables time-pressed directors to efficiently prepare. Follow best practices like highlighting critical data, summarising documents, optimising visual layouts, and soliciting user feedback to create board books that facilitate engaged oversight.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>How to Present to the Board of Directors</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/presenting-to-board-directors/</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 28 Jul 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/presenting-to-board-directors/</guid>
      <description>Being asked to present to the board of directors of an organisation is both an exciting opportunity and a daunting challenge. The boardroom environment brings unique pressures and protocols that require advance preparation and care in your approach.
Follow these tips to make the most of your board presentation opportunity.
Why You Might Be Asked to Present The Board of directors are responsible for making major strategic decisions and overseeing the organisation&amp;rsquo;s performance.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Board Paper Template</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/board-paper-template/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 27 Jul 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/board-paper-template/</guid>
      <description>A Board paper template outlines key sections &amp;amp; details needed to prepare clear, structured reports for board meetings. Board paper template are useful to guide writers to create focused, logical papers with data to help directors make informed decisions.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Company Secretary Playbook: The Art of Reviewing and Refining Board Papers</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/art-of-reviewing-board-papers/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 27 Jul 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/art-of-reviewing-board-papers/</guid>
      <description>Flawless board papers enable productive discussions and oversight. But crafting materials that meet quality thresholds requires rigorous refinement routines. Outlines a 9-step process to achieve excellence.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>How to Structure Your Board Packs</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/structure/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 24 Jul 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/structure/</guid>
      <description>How to you structure your board packs to give directors the understanding they require to engage in strategic discussion and decision making.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>The Optimal Timeline for Board Pack Delivery</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/timelines/</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 23 Jul 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/timelines/</guid>
      <description>How to make sure you deliver board packs with enough time before the upcoming meeting for directors to effectively read and asses the information within.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>What is the purpose of a board pack?</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/purpose-of-board-pack/</link>
      <pubDate>Sat, 22 Jul 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/purpose-of-board-pack/</guid>
      <description>The purpose of a board pack is to provide directors with crucial info to carry out duties, make informed decisions advancing the organisation. A quality pack blends procedural information with infromative insights for sound governance and strategy guidance.</description>
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      <title>Effective Board Packs: The Complete Guide</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/effective-board-pack-guide/</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Jul 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-packs/effective-board-pack-guide/</guid>
      <description>Board packs are intended to empower directors. Learn how to create effective board packs with must-have contents, quality over quantity, timely delivery, easy navigation, tailored information, and transparency.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Company Secretary Playbook: Which Executives should attend Board Meetings?</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/company-secretary-playbook-board-executives/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 20 Jul 2023 02:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/company-secretary-playbook-board-executives/</guid>
      <description>Explore best practices on structuring board meetings and executive staff presence to balance transparency and oversight. From limiting attendees to sequencing agenda strategically and setting participation norms to optimise information flow while preserving board independence.</description>
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      <title>Company Secretary Playbook: How to Reduce the Size of Board Packs</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/company-secretary-playbook-board-pack-smaller/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 17 Jul 2023 10:00:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/company-secretary-playbook-board-pack-smaller/</guid>
      <description>Learn how to cut down large, bloated board packs to create focused, strategic materials that actually inform directors. Expert tips on getting board buy-in, conducting a content audit, setting a page limit, leveraging a board portal, removing granular details, distributing updates between meetings, adopting templates, spreading out recurring items, holding pre-meetings, limiting distribution, and continuously refining. Create concise board packs that enable excellent governance through engaged directors making data-driven decisions.</description>
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      <title>Action Items</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/glossary/action-items/</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 14 Jul 2023 10:38:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/glossary/action-items/</guid>
      <description>Action Item Definition: An action item is a specific task or deliverable that is assigned to a designated owner during a board meeting. Action items drive accountability and ensure priorities discussed get translated into concrete next steps that can be executed after the meeting concludes.
Why are action items important? Action items play an integral role in maximising the output and follow-through from board meetings. They provide clarity around who is responsible and accountable for what coming out of the meeting.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Three Essentials of Successful Meetings</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/three-essentials-successful-meetings/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 13 Jul 2023 10:35:00 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/three-essentials-successful-meetings/</guid>
      <description>Discover why successful meetings require three key elements - a clear agenda, detailed minutes, and assigned action items. Learn how these components work together to provide structure, documentation, and accountability. Find out why meetings drift without agendas to set goals, minutes to capture discussions, and concrete next steps to drive progress between sessions. Read how technology can help optimise workflows around agendas, collaborative minutes, and robust action item tracking.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Company Secretary Playbook: Effective Board Meetings</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/company-secretary-playbook-effective-meetings/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Jul 2023 10:30:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/company-secretary-playbook-effective-meetings/</guid>
      <description>A detailed guide for company secretaries on how to effectively plan and execute board meetings. This guide emphasises the importance of strategic governance, robust board papers, action item tracking, and timely minute documentation. It also highlights the role of the company secretary in facilitating focused discussions, ensuring smooth logistics, preparing presenters, and driving continuous improvement.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>7 Tips for Improving Your Golf Club&#39;s Governance</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/golf-club-governance-improvements/</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 30 Jun 2023 10:30:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/governance/golf-club-governance-improvements/</guid>
      <description>Discover 7 key strategies to enhance your golf club&amp;rsquo;s governance. From defining roles and responsibilities, fostering strong communication, regular training, using a board portal, updating policies, member engagement, to emphasising accountability. Make your golf club more efficient, transparent and effective.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Board Portal for Association Managers</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-association-managers/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 19 Jun 2023 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-association-managers/</guid>
      <description>Association Managers navigate a multitude of complex operations A board portal to streamline your association&amp;rsquo;s governance As an association manager, you know that running an association takes significant time. Between organising board meetings and managing communication, the administrative workload adds up. The Our Cat Herder board portal simplifies your processes and makes your job easier.
Create a Board Meeting Organise Meetings More Efficiently Preparing for board meetings takes up a large part of an association manager&amp;rsquo;s time.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Board Portal for NFPs &amp; Community Orgs</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-nfps-community-orgs/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 19 Jun 2023 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-nfps-community-orgs/</guid>
      <description>Community organisations benefit from working efficiently and effectively. Our Cat Herder is a purpose-built board administration system (board portal or board software) that gives not-for-profit and community organisations the tools to work more efficiently. It centralises board operations, simplifies meeting management, and makes board collaboration easier.
Using Our Cat Herder can reduce the administrative burden on organisations, freeing up time, dollars and energy for fundraising, programs, events, and serving your community.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Board Portal for Schools</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-schools/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 19 Jun 2023 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-schools/</guid>
      <description>Bursars and Business Managers handle many responsibilities at once. Why Board Management Software Matters Managing a school board without the right tools can quickly become frustrating. Endless emails, scattered documents, and missed deadlines are common problems. Board members become disengaged when administrative burdens make participation difficult.
A purpose-built system like Our Cat Herder changes how your board operates. It centralises communication, documents, and tasks, reducing the administrative workload for your team.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Board Portal for Small &amp; Medium Businesses</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-small-medium-businesses/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 19 Jun 2023 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-small-medium-businesses/</guid>
      <description>Small and Medium sized Businesses Boards can benefit from a Board Portal. Our Cat Herder handles everything from meeting organisation to board collaboration, so your board spends less time on administration and more time on strategy.
Organise Meetings Seamlessly Organising board meetings eats up time. Scheduling, building agendas, putting together board packs &amp;ndash; these repetitive tasks add up fast. Our Cat Herder automates much of this work.
The Agenda Builder lets you put together professional agendas based on your needs.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Board Portal for Sports Clubs</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-sports-clubs/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 19 Jun 2023 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-portal-for-sports-clubs/</guid>
      <description>Clubs benefit from working efficiently and effectively. Sports Clubs Thrive with Efficient Systems As a purpose-built board portal platform, Our Cat Herder equips clubs with tools to streamline their board&amp;rsquo;s activities. The intuitive portal centralises governance administration, simplifies meeting coordination, and facilitates remote collaboration.
Leveraging Our Cat Herder can alleviate the administrative burden of governance, freeing up precious time and energy for programs, events, fundraising, and community-building. It allows clubs to devote more resources directly to participants, rather than getting bogged down in the bureaucracy of governing.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Can I Use SharePoint as a Board Portal?</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/technology/sharepoint-ourcatherder/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 16 May 2023 09:30:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/technology/sharepoint-ourcatherder/</guid>
      <description>Explore the pros and cons of using SharePoint as a board portal and understand why a dedicated board portal like Our Cat Herder could be a better choice.</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Run a Board Meeting that&#39;s Effective and Productive</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/effective-meeting-tips/</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 16 Apr 2023 10:02:24 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/meetings/effective-meeting-tips/</guid>
      <description>Effective board meetings are crucial to the effectiveness of the board of directors</description>
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    <item>
      <title>11 Strategies to Enhance Your Arts Organisation&#39;s Governance</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/arts-organisation-governance/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 16 Mar 2023 10:30:00 +1100</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/arts-organisation-governance/</guid>
      <description>Governance improvements to help your Arts Organisation flourish</description>
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    <item>
      <title>10 Tips for Improving Your Board Meetings in 2023</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/improving-your-board-meetings/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 14 Mar 2023 10:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/improving-your-board-meetings/</guid>
      <description>Tips to help you improve your Board Meetings and make them effective.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>What are the elements of a good board meeting?</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/elements-good-board-meeting/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 14 Mar 2023 10:08:00 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/elements-good-board-meeting/</guid>
      <description>Do you know what the elements of a good board meeting are?</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Board Portal Features</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/features/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 14 Mar 2023 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/features/</guid>
      <description></description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Case Study: The Association Specialists</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/och-case-study-double-productivity/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 2022 10:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/och-case-study-double-productivity/</guid>
      <description>Find out how The Association Specialists got a 2X productivity boost for meeting preparation with Our Cat Herder.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>What is a board portal? [Video]</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/what-is-a-board-portal-video/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 06 May 2021 13:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/what-is-a-board-portal-video/</guid>
      <description>Watch this short video to find out more about board portals and the benefits to your board.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>About Us</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/about/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/about/</guid>
      <description>Our Cat Herder is a product of Better Boards, one of Australia’s leading providers of professional development programs for NFP and for-purpose directors.
Quirky name, serious business.
Our Cat Herder provides a tool for those with the job of preparing Agendas, background documents, taking Minutes and coordinating communications between members of boards and committees. It’s an online Secretary or Executive Assistant to boards and committees.
If the old method of coordinating members’ timetables, photocopying and collating reams of paper, and storing documents in huge binders was like trying to herd cats, then the cats have been wrangled into order!</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Acceptable Use</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/acceptable-use/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/acceptable-use/</guid>
      <description></description>
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    <item>
      <title>Board Portal Industries</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/industries/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/industries/</guid>
      <description></description>
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    <item>
      <title>Board Portal Partners</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/partners/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/partners/</guid>
      <description></description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Board Portal Pricing</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/pricing/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/pricing/</guid>
      <description></description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Contact Us</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/contact/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/contact/</guid>
      <description></description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>How the Board Portal Works</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/howitworks/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/howitworks/</guid>
      <description></description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Our Cat Herder Privacy Policy</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/privacy/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/privacy/</guid>
      <description>The use and disclosure of personal information that is collected from the individuals online, through our websites.
Effective: 14 March 2023 What this policy covers: Your privacy is important to us, and so is being transparent about how we collect, use, and share information about you.
This policy is intended to help you understand:
What information we collect about you How we use information we collect How we share information we collect How we store and secure information we collect How to access and control your information How we transfer information we collect internationally Other important privacy information This Privacy Policy covers the information we collect about you when you use our products or services, or otherwise interact with us, unless a different policy is displayed.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Security</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/security/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/security/</guid>
      <description></description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Support Policy</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/support-policy/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/support-policy/</guid>
      <description></description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Terms of Service</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/terms-of-service/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/terms-of-service/</guid>
      <description></description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>User Notice</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/user-notice/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 10:15:01 +1000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/user-notice/</guid>
      <description></description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>How the Australian Sewing Guild transformed board operations with Our Cat Herder&#39;s user-friendly portal</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/transform-board-operations/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 28 Nov 2018 10:15:00 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/transform-board-operations/</guid>
      <description>Find out how the Australian Sewing Guild has updated their board with Our Cat Herder&amp;rsquo;s board portal software</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Australian Board Portal - Choosing a Board Portal for your Not-for-Profit</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/australian-board-portal/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 20 Nov 2017 10:11:00 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/australian-board-portal/</guid>
      <description>Why Australian organisations should choose an Australian board portal.</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Board Meeting Mastery: How Should a Chairperson Run the Meeting?</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-meeting-chairperson-run-meeting/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 20 Nov 2017 10:11:00 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/board-meeting-chairperson-run-meeting/</guid>
      <description>When it comes to mastering the running of a board meeting, there is no manual for a Chairperson of the Board to consult.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Three Ingredients for Meetings: Agendas, Minutes and Follow up Actions</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/three-ingredients-meetings-agendas-minutes-follow-up-actions/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Oct 2016 10:05:00 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/three-ingredients-meetings-agendas-minutes-follow-up-actions/</guid>
      <description>There are three key ingredients for any successful meeting.</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>The cost of a Board</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/the-cost-of-a-board/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 05 May 2016 10:05:00 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/the-cost-of-a-board/</guid>
      <description>What are the costs of maintaining a board?</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Boards Don&#39;t Manage — Here&#39;s What They Do Instead</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/management-boards/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2015 10:29:00 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/management-boards/</guid>
      <description>Boards govern, they don&amp;rsquo;t manage. Here&amp;rsquo;s what the board&amp;rsquo;s role actually is, how boards slip into micromanaging, and practical steps to fix it.</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>To Board Portal or Not? How to Decide if Your Board Needs One</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/to-portal-or-not-to-portal/</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2014 10:20:39 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/to-portal-or-not-to-portal/</guid>
      <description>Many boards still rely on email, shared drives, and paper to manage meetings. This guide helps you decide whether a board portal is right for your organisation by covering the warning signs, common objections, and what to look for.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Board Committees: How They Work and Run Well</title>
      <link>https://www.ourcatherder.com/business-boardcommittee-meetings/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2014 10:20:39 +0000</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://www.ourcatherder.com/business-boardcommittee-meetings/</guid>
      <description>Boards make the big decisions, but committees do the heavy lifting in between. Here&amp;rsquo;s what types most boards need, how to establish them with a proper charter, and how to run committee meetings that actually feed useful work back to the board.</description>
    </item>
    
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