Govenda Reviews

Pros

It gives us a lot in one platform and being able to access it remotely is a big advantage.

Cons

A couple of things still need work, there's no way to add annotations to meeting minutes and the reminders should show the actual meeting name instead of just saying "Govenda Reminder."

Pros

Keeping track of our meetings has become much better with this software and the reminders it sends before a meeting starts are really helpful for staying on schedule.

Cons

Few features are not very user friendly to locate and that can sometimes leave you feeling frustrated while trying to find what they need.

Pros

Adding agendas for board meetings feels very user friendly and the whole process has been simple to use.

Cons

One issue I've noticed is that it can be a bit slow to load the next window when switching from one meeting to another.

Pros

Getting started with the product took very little time and the interface is very simple to work with. As a super user, I really appreciate being able to manage company settings myself instead of depending on the helpdesk every time something needs to be added, removed or updated. The drag-and-drop and copy functions make everything feel user friendly and I can put together meetings and agendas very quickly. Our board members have also said the system is extremely simple to use.

Cons

The only downside is that the dashboard only displays the next three meetings, instead of letting you scroll through all upcoming scheduled meetings that already have published agendas.

Pros

Right away, the software feels very user-friendly. Managing users is simple and I appreciate being able to lock settings on specific documents so I can control exactly what different users are allowed to view. Another feature I really value is the option to add a note to the communication sent out when changes are made before it gets shared with the recipient(s).

Cons

Rarely when the system glitches, it becomes a major obstacle and doesn't leave much room to work around the issue. I've run into problems like agenda items not saving after being typed, attachments not loading into the agenda and the import function not working correctly. It doesn't happen often but when it does, it's extremely frustrating because the work being handled in the site is so important.

Pros

It's really convenient having everything handled in a single piece of software.

Cons

Honestly there's nothing about the software that I dislike.

Pros

A feature that's been especially useful is the quick link, along with the way it organizes presentation materials in the same order as our agenda. It saves executives from having to search around for which document is coming up next and keeps the flow of the meeting much more organized.

Cons

A frustrating limitation comes up when we add separate points to the agenda because each presentation topic only lets us attach one document. There are times when teams have two different items they need to present under the same topic and it doesn't let us include both. Because of that, we end up wasting time merging documents together just so they can be added under that specific agenda item.

Pros

Getting this set up and deployed took very little effort and the interface is very user friendly to move around in. It has saved us a huge amount of time when it comes to preparing multiple paper copies for meetings and everything is conveniently available to everyone through either the web version or the app. It's been a real time-saver and a very cost-effective solution.

Cons

Something that has been a little frustrating is moving agenda items with the drag-and-drop tool. It doesn't always place the item exactly where I want it. That said, when I contacted support, they helped right away by taking control and showing me another method for moving the agenda line items. Even though this is probably my least favorite part of the product, the support experience was still very positive.

Pros

Out of all the tools I've used, this one has been the most user-friendly. Training other people on it takes very little effort and it does a really good job of keeping our meetings organized and on track.

Cons

Since we rely on it for every meeting, I do wish it could group or branch all of our agendas that share the same name.

Pros

To get started with it was simple and it does a really nice job of keeping meetings organized. Rolling it out across our group was simple and the support has been excellent too,being able to talk directly with someone for help makes a big difference.

Cons

Would be much better if it connected with external meeting platforms like Microsoft Teams. The calendar side also needs work especially since our members would rather receive Outlook invitations.

Pros

It gives us one shared place to keep all of our board documents which is really useful.

Cons

Can't say much about the downsides yet since this is the first board software I've worked with.

Pros

Setting up meetings is simple and it's convenient to create agendas and attach files all in one place.

Cons

What I'd still want is better control over signed documents. After e-signatures are collected, it would help to keep other users from viewing the signed file and also have the option to move that document into a meeting tab.

Pros

One of the best things about it is the outstanding 24/7 US-based support available for both admin users and board members/end users. Every support request from our organization has been handled exceptionally well. Their professionals also provide direct training to end users whenever and wherever it's needed which has been incredibly valuable. I also appreciate that it is a women-owned, women-led company focused specifically on serving the needs of board managers and board members. The interface works well across desktop, tablet and mobile and our board members find it very accessible and user friendly. Another huge plus is that our Board Liaison can set up, configure and manage the system independently, without needing help from internal IT which really speaks to the thoughtful design and usability of the platform.

Cons

It continues to roll out new features and improvements and their product roadmap includes a lot of promising enhancements. The reporting and survey tools are fairly new additions and we're glad to have them available. That said, both areas could still use more efficient functionality and my understanding is that these improvements are already planned on the roadmap.

Pros

Being able to add unlimited users without paying anything extra was the feature I relied on most.

Cons

I think it misses the option to include attachments when emailing board members. That said, when I reached out to it's customer service, they responded quickly and said they would pass the request along to the software team.

Pros

A feature I really appreciate is the agenda tool especially being able to attach and upload documents directly to it.

Cons

The only thing that bothers me is that emails are sometimes set to post at a scheduled time instead of going out right away, unless I manually change that setting.

Pros

Using it for our June board meeting worked out really well. Uploading documents for board members to review ahead of time and during the meeting was very simple. It was also really helpful having the agenda and all of the meeting materials stored together in one place on the site.

Cons

At first, I didn't have permission to upload documents but our administrator was able to sort that out. I'm still not sure why it was set up that way initially.

Pros

Everything feels polished and well laid out and it's simple enough for anyone on the team to use without much effort.

Cons

There are so many places to store things that a few documents ended up getting misplaced along the way.

Pros

Across our charity, it has gone down really well with both staff and Trustees. We have people of all ages and all levels of IT confidence and the platform has been simple for everyone to use. It also includes helpful resources we can share with users which makes getting started and joining the system much simpler.

Cons

It's genuinely hard to point out any downsides. Since we hadn't used a similar system before, we don't really have anything to compare it against.

Pros

This has been a really strong solution for managing and supporting our nonprofit board. The platform is user-friendly and helps keep communication with board members organized and efficient. It became especially valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic since we relied on it for virtual committee meetings as well as our larger Annual Meeting. One feature we really appreciate is no longer having to distribute paper packets that often get left behind once the meeting is over. Board members can review materials whenever it works for them, both before and after meetings.

Cons

One thing that could be improved is how former board members are handled. We can mark them inactive so they are hidden from new boards but it would be much better to have an archive option so they do not continue to appear in the administrator's growing user list. Over the next few years, that list is likely to get quite large and harder to manage. I did raise this issue with our customer representative but unfortunately I never got a response.

Pros

Getting started was convenient thanks to the vendor and they've walked us through several demos while staying available anytime questions come up. We're excited to keep expanding how we use it internally as we move toward using less paper.

Cons

At this point, I haven't run into any downsides.