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Write a board meeting memo
Paste your numbers and notes. Get a board pre-read with results against plan, what is and is not working, and the decisions you need.
River's board memo writer turns your numbers and notes into the pre-read directors receive before a board meeting. Paste the quarter's results, your notes on what happened, and the decisions you need, or attach last quarter's memo so the format stays consistent.
You get a short memo that leads with the headline, shows results against plan with the reasons for each variance, says plainly what is working and what is not, and sets out each decision with options and your recommendation. Figures come only from what you provide.
For a full board meeting kit with a minutes template and an approvals register, River's board meeting templates go further. This tool is for the memo itself, written the week before the meeting.
What Makes Board Memos Effective
Effective board memos prepare directors to add value, not just receive information. Weak memos are either too sparse (directors arrive unprepared) or too detailed (directors drown in data and miss what matters). Strong memos provide context on company performance, highlight what's working and what's not, surface strategic questions where board input helps, and clearly identify decisions that require board approval. The goal is informed governance. Directors should arrive at the meeting understanding the business state and ready to discuss strategy, risk, and key decisions.
The best board memos follow a clear structure. Executive summary capturing the quarter in one page. Financial performance with actual vs plan and commentary on variances. Operational highlights organized by department or initiative. Key metrics dashboard showing trends. Strategic priorities and progress. Risks and challenges with management's mitigation approach. Decisions needed from the board with options and recommendation. Next quarter priorities. Each section should answer implicit board questions: Are we on track? What changed? What risks need attention? Where does management need guidance? What requires board approval?
To evaluate your board memo, ask: could a director read this and understand company state without verbal explanation? Are variances from plan explained? Are strategic questions framed for productive discussion? Are decisions clearly presented with context? Strong memos make meetings efficient because directors arrive informed. Weak memos mean the meeting becomes a presentation instead of discussion. Send the memo early enough for directors to read it and prepare questions; many boards ask for several days. Include appendix with detailed financials, metrics, and supporting data. The memo itself should be scannable, with appendix for directors who want to go deeper.
How it works
Paste your numbers
Results, cash, notes on the quarter and the decisions you need, or last quarter's memo.
River writes the memo
A pre-read built from your figures, with variances explained and decisions set out.
Fill the gaps
Confirm any marked figures, then send the memo to directors ahead of the meeting.
Prepare in chat
Ask for likely director questions, a shorter version or a one-slide summary.
What you get
- A one-paragraph headline on the quarter, written for a director with five minutes
- Results against plan, with the reason behind each meaningful variance
- What is working and what is not, stated plainly rather than buried
- Each decision with the options, your recommendation and what you need from the board
- Specific asks of directors, such as introductions or advice on a hire
- Missing figures marked for you to confirm instead of estimated
Common questions
What is the difference between a board memo and a board deck?
A memo is a written pre-read sent before the meeting so directors arrive informed. A deck is presented in the meeting. Many boards prefer a memo because the meeting can then be spent on discussion and decisions instead of a presentation.
Should I include bad news?
Yes. Directors cannot help with problems they do not know about, and surprises damage trust far more than a missed quarter. The memo states what went wrong, why, and what you are doing about it, in the same plain tone as the good news.
What decisions belong in the memo?
Anything that needs formal board approval, such as budgets, equity grants, financings or major contracts, and any question where you want the board's advice. For each one, the memo gives the options, your recommendation and what you are asking the board to do.
How long should the memo be?
As short as it can be while a director can understand the quarter without you explaining it. Put detailed financial statements in an appendix. River does not pad the memo to reach a page count.
Write a board meeting memo
Describe what you need, add any files you have, and your workspace opens with the work already underway.