Not all boards are the same. Some are made up of hands-on startup advisors, while others consist of seasoned executives from large corporations. Some boards focus heavily on compliance and governance, while others offer strategic guidance. Because of these differences, a one-size-fits-all board deck doesn’t always work.

Customizing your board deck management strategy based on the type of board you’re working with helps ensure your content is relevant, your process runs smoothly, and your meetings are more productive. In this blog, we’ll explore how to adjust your approach depending on the type of board you’re presenting to.

Understanding Different Types of Boards

Before customizing your strategy, it’s important to understand the main types of boards you might be working with:

1. Advisory Boards
These boards provide strategic advice but usually don’t have formal decision-making power. They are often made up of industry experts or mentors and may focus more on ideas and growth than compliance.

2. Fiduciary Boards (Governance Boards)
These are official boards of directors that have legal responsibilities, including approving budgets, reviewing financials, and ensuring the company complies with regulations.

3. Nonprofit Boards
Nonprofit boards typically focus on mission alignment, fundraising, and program impact. They may include donors, community leaders, or experts in the nonprofit’s field.

4. Startup or Early-Stage Boards
These boards are usually small and informal, often including founders, investors, or startup advisors. They may want frequent updates on growth, burn rate, and runway.

5. Public Company Boards
These boards oversee publicly traded companies and follow strict rules for transparency, documentation, and reporting. The structure and expectations are more formal.

Each of these boards has different priorities, and your board deck management strategy should reflect that.

Tailoring the Content

For Advisory Boards
Focus on key strategic questions, new ideas, and opportunities for growth. Limit the use of formal financials unless requested, and aim to generate discussion rather than make decisions.

Include:

• Product roadmap updates
• Market trends and insights
• Partnership opportunities
• Open challenges you want feedback on

For Fiduciary Boards
Content must be accurate, formal, and well-documented. These boards expect thorough financial reporting, risk management insights, and updates on performance against strategic goals.

Include:

• Detailed financial statements
• Audit or compliance reports
• Strategic goals and performance metrics
• Risks and how they’re being addressed

For Nonprofit Boards
Focus on mission-driven metrics, program results, and donor updates. Use simple visuals and clear storytelling to show how the organization is making an impact.

Include:

• Program outcomes
• Fundraising updates
• Budget use and resource allocation
• Volunteer and staff engagement

For Startup Boards
Startup boards care about growth, customer feedback, and runway. The deck should give a clear view of the business’s progress and help guide fast, informed decisions.

Include:

• KPIs and traction metrics
• Customer acquisition cost and retention
• Product development updates
• Burn rate and cash runway

For Public Company Boards
These boards require a high level of structure and documentation. Accuracy and governance are critical. Materials may also be reviewed by external parties such as regulators or shareholders.

Include:

• Regulatory updates and filings
• Governance reports
• Investor relations updates
• Detailed committee summaries

Adjusting the Workflow

1. Frequency of Meetings
Advisory and startup boards might meet monthly or even informally, requiring faster turnarounds. Public or fiduciary boards often meet quarterly, giving you more time for thorough review and approval cycles.

2. Review and Approval Process
Public and fiduciary boards typically require legal or compliance review before distribution. For advisory boards, a lighter process may be enough.

3. Content Review Involvement
For formal boards, multiple departments (finance, legal, compliance) should be involved in reviewing the deck. For smaller or informal boards, the CEO or founder might take the lead with only a few contributors.

4. Distribution Method
Sensitive boards (public or fiduciary) may require secure board portals for distribution and access control. Advisory or nonprofit boards may accept email or shared links.

Communication Style and Tone

Formal vs Informal
Boards with legal responsibilities require a more formal tone and professional formatting. Startup or advisory boards might prefer a conversational tone and high-level summaries.

Data-Heavy vs Insight-Heavy
Public or fiduciary boards need detailed data and footnotes. Advisory and startup boards may value insights and analysis more than raw data.

Visual Design
Nonprofit and advisory boards often benefit from charts, visuals, and storytelling. Public company boards expect standardized formatting and presentation.

Getting Feedback to Improve

Regardless of board type, it’s important to ask for feedback on the usefulness of your deck and the clarity of your process. Consider sending a short survey or checking in with key board members after each meeting. Ask questions like:

• Was the deck easy to follow?
• Did it help support meaningful discussion?
• Were any sections unnecessary or unclear?

Over time, you can fine-tune your approach for each board’s specific preferences.

Final Thoughts

Customizing your board deck management strategy isn’t just about changing the content. It’s about understanding the needs and expectations of your board and shaping your workflow, communication style, and distribution method to match.

When your board materials are aligned with the type of board you’re working with, meetings become more efficient, decisions are better informed, and everyone comes away with more value. Whether your board is strategic, formal, mission-driven, or investor-focused, the right deck strategy can make all the difference.