The short summary

Implementing Governance360 typically takes 1-2 hours of setup time, with most boards fully operational within a week. Within this, a free trial typically takes between 10 to 12 minutes to get up and running – with only 3 (short) forms needed to set up your account as the main Administrator, create your Organisation and confirm the plan you want to trial.  In other words, within 15 minutes you’ll get a quick sense of whether Governance360 is for you.  So not a lot to lose, really…

From there, the process involves three main steps: uploading your existing documents (we usually recommend starting with your last meeting and then your next one only) and then inviting board members to sign-up to your Organisation for the trial. Unlike enterprise systems which generally requiring IT support and a (sometimes paid) onboarding call to help you start, Governance360 is designed for volunteer trustees and small teams to set up independently, with immediate access and no technical expertise needed.

The key steps to get going are

• Sign up, create your own account and that of your Organisation (12 minutes)
• Choose your plan and walk through the basic features available to you for the trial (30 minutes)
• Upload documents and organise governance materials (30-60 minutes)
• Invite members and set permissions (15 minutes)
• Schedule your first meeting using the platform (15 minutes)

The Challenge of Being First

Here is why this is hard though: most smaller and medium-sized organisations have never used a board portal before. You’re not replacing an existing system – you’re moving from scattered email chains, Dropbox folders, and frantic document searches before meetings.  We get it – it is bit scary.  But also the challenge we wanted to solve when we started building Governance360 since we just thought there must be a better way!

The fact that you haven’t used a platform like ours before though creates a unique challenge. There’s no “old way” to compare against, no established processes to migrate. You’re building governance infrastructure from scratch, often without anyone on your board who’s used similar software.

As one credit union described their situation before implementing Governance360: “For a long time, sharing board packs was a challenge, and we lacked a central, reliable space for board-related policies and documentation. On top of that, juggling conflicting technologies for calendar invites and document sharing was increasingly at odds with our goal to be more productive, professional, and resilient.”

Start with the Basics

Initial Setup (Week 1)

The first step is deliberately simple: create your account and set up your board structure. This means adding your committees, adding your key roles (Chair, board members, leadership team, etc), and establishing basic permissions.  This is where the fixed price per organisation really comes into its own – you don’t have to worry about whether adding ‘Fred’ is required, your plan means you can be flexible.

What this actually involves:

You’ll input your organisation name, confirm your structure (single board or board plus committees), and add member details. The system guides you through each decision, with sensible defaults that work for most organisations.

Most organisations complete this in under 30 minutes. The key is not to overthink it – you can adjust everything later as you learn what works.  And our team are always hand for a call if you get stuck or want to query something.

The document migration conundrum

Here’s where first-time users often hesitate: what documents should you upload first?

Practical approach:

Start with your upcoming meeting agenda and the last meeting. Add your governing document, current year’s accounts, and any active policies if you want to start moving ahead, and some take a chance to add one or two items to the Risk Register. But you can simply choose to run one meeting if you don’t want to be overwhelmed – that is more than enough to run your next board meeting effectively.

You don’t need to digitise five years of historical records on day one. Build your document library gradually, adding older materials when they’re actually needed.  If you want to research the topic further as a current Charity trustee, then use the basics covered in our longer guide here as a start.

One charity trustee explained their experience: “We were looking to replace our existing board portal as it had started to cost me and the Charity time to use and administer. We were impressed from the start with the way that Governance360 had been built with us in mind – a bright, crisp design that made it easy to use, a focus only on features that matter to us and our Board.”

Common Implementation challenges

Challenge 1: Convincing less technology literate board members

The concern: “We’ve always done it by email, why change now?”

What actually helps: Set up a demonstration meeting using Governance360 alongside your regular email process. Let trustees see their agenda, papers, and previous minutes in one place rather than hunting through email threads.

Most resistance dissolves when trustees experience the practical difference – especially when they can access everything on their tablet during the meeting without printing anything.

Challenge 2: Security fears about document access

First-time users often worry excessively about permission settings. “What if someone sees something they shouldn’t?”

The reality: Default permissions are sensibly restrictive. Board members see board materials, committee members see their committee’s documents, and the administrator controls everything else.

You can refine permissions later. Start with the defaults, run a meeting or two, then adjust based on actual needs rather than imagined scenarios.

Challenge 3: The ‘perfect system’ trap

Some boards delay implementation because they want to design the perfect folder structure, naming convention, and document organisation system first.  Or because they notice that Governance360 doesn’t have ‘feature X’ ready and that would be helpful too, wouldn’t it (we may well be working on it right now though!)

Better approach: Use Governance360’s suggested structure initially. You’ll discover what works for your board through actual use, not theoretical planning. The platform makes reorganisation straightforward when needed, plus the time saving you’ll be making from using Governance360 to be more efficient means you can focus on what really matters.

Making the most of the free trial

Week 1: Run your first meeting with Governance360

Schedule a board meeting in the system, attach the agenda and papers, and send the meeting notice through Governance360. This establishes the basic workflow.

Key principle: Don’t run parallel systems. If you send the meeting notice through Governance360, don’t also email it separately “just in case.” Trustees need to know this is the official channel.

Weeks 2-3: Get the basics in place for moving ahead

Set up simple processes:

– Where do draft minutes go?
– Who will be our Admins?
– When do documents get marked as approved?

These routines matter more than sophisticated features. Governance360 handles the technical side; you just need consistent practices.

As one arts charity reported: “The Governance360 platform has surpassed our expectations. It’s been easy to use and ensures that there is one version of our board work. I’ve had great feedback from my board, particularly around the risk register but also the user-friendly interface.”

Week 4: Review progress and the value for money discussion

Gather informal feedback. What’s working? What feels awkward? Most boards discover one or two tweaks that significantly improve their experience.

Common adjustments include changing notification settings, reorganising committee folders, or adjusting who receives automatic updates about new documents.

The advantage of a blank canvas

Not having previous board portal experience actually offers benefits. You’re not trying to recreate features from expensive enterprise systems, the free trial means you won’t be wasting money until you know that the platform can actively help you.

Instead, you’re solving real problems: finding documents quickly, ensuring everyone has current versions, maintaining proper records, and reducing email chaos.

Governance360 was built by directors and trustees who experienced these exact challenges. The platform assumes you’ve never done this before, guiding you through each step without requiring technical knowledge or governance software expertise.

One charity described the impact: “For the staff team, it’s a new way of working but also provides a central place with independent logins so that everyone can feel confident in what they need to read and be aware of for upcoming board meetings.”

Getting going

Ready to get started? Here’s your implementation plan:

This week:
• Sign up for a free trial (no credit card needed)
• Add your board structure and member details
• Upload documents for your next meeting

Next 14 days
• Run your first meeting using the platform
• Gather initial trustee feedback
• Establish basic document routines

If happy to proceed, settle on the plan you want and move to become a customer (as well as take advantage of our free onboarding support call if you want too)

First three months:
• Build your historical document library gradually
• Refine permissions and settings based on experience
• Explore features like action tracking, policy management and the risk register (or turn off the features you won’t be needing to streamline the experience for your board members)

Start your free trial now

Governance360 includes setup guidance and responsive support for all subscribers. Most questions are answered within hours, not days, and the platform is designed for self-service implementation.

Start your free trial today – https://governance360.com/trial