Getting started with BoardTools

How do I get started with BoardTools?

There are two ways into BoardTools, depending on who you are:

• You're starting a new board. Sign in, then create your board — you'll become its first administrator and walk through a short setup wizard.
• You've been invited to an existing board. Open the invitation email you received, sign in (or create your account) to confirm it's you, and accept. See Sign in for what that looks like.

Either way, you'll land on your board's dashboard — your day-to-day home in BoardTools.

Using BoardTools on your phone? You can add your board to your home screen so it opens in one tap.

What's on my dashboard?

Your dashboard (the "Overview" page) is a calm, personal summary of exactly what needs you — nothing more. It's organized into sections:

• Upcoming meetings — the meetings on your calendar, with a one-tap Join button when a meeting has a video link.
• RSVPs you owe — upcoming meetings still waiting on your Yes, Maybe, or No, each linking to the meeting where you answer.
• Open votes — motions currently open that are waiting on your ballot.
• Your tasks — action items assigned to you, with overdue ones clearly flagged. When it's empty, an Add a task button lets you add one to your own list right there, without leaving the page.
• Documents to acknowledge — governing documents (bylaws, policies) you haven't yet confirmed you've read.

Every item links straight to where you need to act. If nothing needs you right now, the dashboard simply says so — "You're all caught up" — instead of showing you empty sections. If your role can add a task or a board member, that "caught up" screen also offers Add a task / Add a member buttons, so a brand-new board isn't a dead end while you're setting things up.

Good governance tip: the dashboard is deliberately quiet. If it's empty, that's not a bug — it means your board is caught up. Enjoy it.

If you're new to the board, a small Your onboarding card also sits near the top of your dashboard until you've finished your onboarding checklist — for example "1 of 3 steps · 2 documents to acknowledge". See Your onboarding.

Finding your way around

The sidebar down the left shows the things you use: Home, Meetings, Documents, Tasks, Discussions, Decisions and Members.

Below them, More opens the tools you need less often — Calendar, Projects, Committees, Surveys, Search, and About this board, a read-only page with your board's name, timezone, contact details and governing rules (quorum, what it takes to pass a motion, written consent). More starts folded away; select it to open the list, and it opens on its own whenever you're on one of those pages.

If your role runs the board — an administrator or the chair — you'll also see the admin tools between the two: Succession, Reports and Settings (and the Audit log for administrators and observers). Directors and other roles don't see tools they can't use.

Getting around on a phone

On a phone the navigation sits in a bar pinned to the bottom of the screen, within thumb reach, rather than in the sidebar you see on a laptop. It carries five tabs — Home, Meetings, Discussions, Documents and Tasks — plus a sixth, More, which opens a list of everything else: Members and Decisions first (and your admin tools, if your role has any), then the same Other tools the sidebar's More group holds.

The bar at the top of the screen keeps to four buttons: New, notifications, search, and your account menu. The account menu (your initials) holds My profile, Your onboarding, Help & docs, the Theme choice (System, Light, Dark or High contrast), Switch board if you belong to more than one board, and Sign out.

Nothing is hidden — every destination is one or two taps away at any size, and the bar only ever shows you what your role can actually open.

The bar also clears your phone's home indicator, so the last tab is never half-covered by the gesture area.

How do I create something new?

The New button sits in the bar at the top of every page. It's the fastest way to create anything from wherever you are: a meeting, a discussion thread, or — depending on what your role allows — a discussion space, a document, a task, a survey, or a member. It only ever offers what you're actually allowed to create, and each choice takes you straight to the right place with the form already open where there is one.

Where do I go next?

New boards usually aren't fully set up on day one, so a setup checklist sits at the top of your dashboard until it's done (or you dismiss it). It shows how many of the setup steps are complete and links straight back into whichever one you left off on — see Set up your board for what each step covers.