Meeting-Only Access

Meeting-only access allows you to invite external guests to specific meetings without giving them permanent access to your organization. This is ideal for one-time presenters, consultants, or candidates who need to participate in a single meeting.

What is Meeting-Only Access

When you invite someone to a meeting without assigning them an organization role or group membership, they receive meeting-only access. These guests can view and participate in their invited meetings but cannot see your organization's general content.

Meeting-only guests:

• Appear in your people directory
• Can access only the meetings they are explicitly invited to
• See meeting agendas and materials (based on their access level)
• Cannot view the document library, other meetings, or the people directory
• Automatically lose access 30 days after their last meeting ends

When to Use Meeting-Only Access

Meeting-only access is appropriate for:

• External presenters - Speakers delivering a presentation to your board
• Consultants - Advisors attending a single strategy session
• Interview candidates - Executives being considered for board positions
• Auditors - External auditors attending an audit committee meeting
• Legal counsel - Attorneys participating in a specific discussion

If someone will attend multiple meetings or needs ongoing access to your organization, consider assigning them a Guest role or adding them to a specific committee instead.

How to Grant Meeting-Only Access

From the Meeting Page

1. Navigate to the meeting and click Manage Attendees
2. In the attendee field, enter the guest's email address
3. If the person does not exist in your directory, they will be created automatically
4. Select their access level:
   • Full Access - Can view the agenda and all meeting documents
   • Agenda Only - Can view the agenda but cannot access meeting documents
5. Save the meeting

When the meeting is announced or published, the guest receives an invitation email with a link to create their Boardwise account.

From the People Directory

1. Navigate to People and click Add Person
2. Enter the guest's name and email address
3. Leave the organization role unassigned (do not select Admin, Member, or Guest)
4. Do not add any board or committee memberships
5. Save the person record
6. Add them as an attendee to the appropriate meeting

What Meeting-Only Guests Can See and Do

Meeting-only guests have limited access compared to regular organization members:

Feature	Meeting-Only Guest	Organization Member
View invited meetings	Yes	Yes
View meeting agendas	Yes	Yes
View meeting documents	With Full Access	Yes
RSVP to meetings	Yes	Yes
View document library	No	Yes
View other meetings	No	Yes
View people directory	No	Yes
Access board materials	No	Yes

Access Level Options

When inviting a guest to a meeting, you can choose their access level:

• Full Access: The guest can view the agenda and download all meeting documents. Use this for guests who need to review materials before the meeting.

• Agenda Only: The guest can see when and where the meeting is, but cannot access attached documents. Use this for guests who only need to attend without reviewing confidential materials in advance.

The 30-Day Grace Period

Meeting-only access does not end immediately when a meeting concludes. Guests retain access for 30 days after the meeting ends. This grace period allows guests to:

• Review meeting minutes after they are posted
• Access documents discussed during the meeting
• Follow up on action items or questions
• Download materials they may have missed

After 30 days, if the guest has no upcoming meetings, their access to your organization automatically expires. The guest record remains in your directory for historical reference, but they can no longer log in to view your organization.

Example Timeline

1. March 1: Guest is invited to a board meeting on March 15
2. March 15: Meeting takes place, ends at 3:00 PM
3. March 15 - April 14: Guest can still access the meeting and its materials
4. April 14: Grace period expires; guest loses organization access

If you invite the same guest to another meeting before the grace period ends, their access continues seamlessly.

Converting Meeting Guests to Regular Members

If a meeting-only guest needs ongoing access to your organization, you can upgrade them to a regular member:

Option 1: Assign an Organization Role

1. Navigate to People and find the guest
2. Click their name to view their profile
3. Click Edit
4. Under Organization Role, select the appropriate role (typically Guest or Member)
5. Save the changes

Option 2: Add to a Board or Committee

1. Navigate to People and find the guest
2. Click their name to view their profile
3. Click Edit
4. Under Board & Committee Memberships, click Add Board/Committee Membership
5. Select the appropriate board or committee and role
6. Save the changes

Once someone has an organization role or group membership, they are no longer considered meeting-only. Their access continues as long as their role or membership remains active.

Managing Meeting-Only Guests

Identifying Meeting-Only People

In the People directory, you can identify meeting-only guests by their lack of role badges. They will not display Admin, Member, Guest, or any committee memberships.

Removing a Meeting-Only Guest

To immediately revoke a meeting-only guest's access:

1. Navigate to the meeting they were invited to
2. Click Manage Attendees
3. Remove them from the attendee list
4. Save the meeting

If they have no other meeting invitations, their access ends immediately (rather than waiting for the 30-day grace period).

Blocking Access

If you need to immediately prevent a guest from accessing your organization for security reasons:

1. Navigate to People and find the guest
2. Click their name to view their profile
3. Click Block Access

This immediately prevents the person from logging in, regardless of any meeting invitations or grace periods.