Board Manager

Overview

Board Manager is web-based software for nonprofit board administration, aimed at executive directors, board chairs, and governance committees. It is best suited to organizations with zero to two staff, where board work is one responsibility among many. Its focused mix of records, meeting coordination, recruitment, and compliance signing makes it a practical option for small nonprofits, but the entry plan is capped and the product lacks several formal security credentials.

The maker says subscriptions are its only source of revenue; it does not sell data, run advertising, or take commissions. Organizations can export member records and the skills matrix to CSV, and can request deletion by email.

Key features

• Roster and terms: Store board roles and contact details, track term dates, and receive alerts before terms expire. This is useful for shared or volunteer-run administration, though it does not replace the need to keep records current.
• Meetings: Organize committees, schedule meetings, and track RSVPs and attendance. It covers the recurring coordination and recordkeeping tasks a small board needs without requiring a separate attendance process.
• Recruitment: A Kanban candidate pipeline and skills-and-diversity matrix help a board identify gaps and follow candidates through recruitment. These are more purposeful than a simple contact list, especially when a committee is trying to recruit against defined needs.
• Document signing: Members can sign compliance documents through a link without logging in. That removes a login step for signers, but organizations needing formal security certifications should weigh the product’s audit limitations.
• Onboarding: Engage adds board member onboarding checklists, giving organizations a structured way to handle new members’ initial tasks.

Pricing

Board Manager is freemium, with no free trial. Starter costs nothing, billed $0/ month, and allows up to 25 board members and candidates with 500 emails / month. It is a sensible starting point for a small board with modest email needs, but the combined member-and-candidate ceiling can become restrictive as recruitment grows.

Engage costs $19 a month, billed $19/ month. It provides unlimited members and candidates, 2,500 emails / month, 250 SMS / month, and onboarding checklists. It suits nonprofits that have outgrown Starter or rely on SMS reminders, though its email and SMS quotas still matter for higher-volume organizations.

Platforms

Board Manager is available on the web. The application runs on Vercel, with data stored in Supabase-hosted PostgreSQL in the United States. Providers encrypt data at rest, and site connections use TLS in transit. Records are scoped to organizations, requests check user membership, and database-level row security is enabled. Supabase, Vercel, Stripe, Resend, and Twilio are listed as service providers; Twilio is used for SMS reminders when an organization enables them.

The maker says it has not completed a SOC 2 audit, an outside penetration test, or HIPAA certification. That may be a deal-breaker for organizations whose policies require one of those assurances. Support requests go to the person able to fix the issue, and security issues can be reported by email.

Who it's for

Board Manager is a good fit for small nonprofits whose staff or volunteers need to keep terms, meetings, recruitment, and compliance paperwork organized without a dedicated governance team. It is less suitable for organizations that need a completed security audit or certification, or whose board and candidate records exceed Starter’s caps but do not fit Engage’s monthly communication quotas.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Roster, meeting, recruitment, and compliance tasks sit in one web tool, which is useful when administration is shared across a lean team.
• Pros: Starter has no subscription charge and includes up to 25 members and candidates, making it possible to begin without a paid commitment.
• Pros: CSV export and email-based deletion requests give organizations routes to retrieve or remove key records.
• Cons: Starter’s 25-person and 500-email monthly limits may force a move to Engage as a board or candidate pool grows.
• Cons: Engage caps usage at 2,500 emails and 250 SMS per month, so unlimited membership does not mean unlimited communications.
• Cons: No SOC 2 audit, outside penetration test, or HIPAA certification may exclude it from organizations with strict assurance requirements.

Alternatives

For a wider comparison, browse Board Management Software or Nonprofit Board Management Software.

• BoardiGO is worth considering if an iOS app or API access matters; its free plan is limited to one organization, 10 users, and 2 GB of storage.
• My Board View is a free web option for teams focused on meeting scheduling, attendance responses, minutes, board documents, policies, and announcements.
• BoardPAC is an alternative for organizations seeking a broader range of platforms, including mobile, desktop, and self-hosted options; pricing is by inquiry and depends on annual periods and end-user count.
• BoardBook Premier is another paid board-management option, with pricing available by contacting its maker.
• Board Intelligence Portal offers tailored pricing based on organizational requirements.
• Computershare BoardWorks includes all modules and unlimited committees in its subscription, with additional users charged.
• iBabs may suit organizations comparing paid options across mobile, desktop, web, and self-hosted platforms; pricing varies by country and user count, with volume discounts above 100 users.
• IntegrityLog is another paid option available on web, iOS, and Android.

Verdict

Choose Board Manager if a small nonprofit needs one web tool for board records, meetings, recruitment, and compliance signing, and values a free starting plan or a $19 monthly step-up for unlimited members and onboarding. Look elsewhere if formal security assurance is mandatory, or if your communications needs exceed Engage’s monthly email and SMS limits.