If you work in nonprofit admin, chances are Zoom is basically a coworker at this point.
Board meetings.
Staff check-ins.
Volunteer orientations.
Webinars.
Emergency “can everyone hop on a quick call?” moments.
And while most of us know how to start a meeting in Zoom, there are a handful of small tricks that can make your meetings more organized, less awkward, and far more productive.
1. Rename Participants for Clarity
When attendees join from phones or shared devices, their names often show up as things like:
“iPhone”
“John’s Computer”
“Galaxy Tablet”
That’s not helpful when you’re trying to manage discussion, take minutes, or provide CEs.
As host, you can rename participants so everyone knows who’s speaking.
How to do it:
- Hover over a participant’s name
- Click MORE
- Select RENAME
Bonus tip: Add roles like “Board Chair – Maria” or “Speaker – Jenn” so participants know who’s who.
2. Mute Participants Automatically on Entry
If you’ve ever started a meeting with barking dogs, keyboard typing, or someone making coffee… you know why this matters.
Turn on “Mute participants upon entry.”
This keeps the meeting calm and professional from the start. People can still unmute themselves when it’s time to speak.
Your future self will thank you.
4. Use the Chat for Resource Sharing
The chat feature is perfect for sharing links, documents, and follow-up resources without interrupting the flow of conversation.
Examples:
- Share the agenda link
- Drop a registration link
- Post slides or resources
- Capture questions during a webinar
Note that using this feature can interrupt the meeting or event flow if attendees are focused on reading the content instead of listening or engaging with the speaker so use it carefully or turn it off if it may detract from the attendee experience.
Pro tip: Save the chat and distribute to attendees at the end of the meeting so you don’t lose all those great links and ideas.
5. Assign a Co-Host (Seriously)
This might be the most important tip if you’re hosting an important meeting or webinar.
A co-host can:
- Monitor chat
- Admit people from the waiting room
- Mute participants
- Launch polls
- Troubleshoot tech issues
That way, you can focus on facilitating the conversation, not juggling buttons.
6. Use Reactions Instead of Interruptions
Zoom’s reaction buttons are a great way to keep meetings interactive without everyone talking at once.
Participants can use reactions like:
👍 Thumbs up
👏 Applause
This is especially useful for:
- Board votes
- Quick feedback
- Checking agreement in large meetings
It keeps things moving without constant interruptions especially in meetings where there are more attendees than can fit on the screen. You will need to advise attendees – probably more than once – when and how to use the reactions this way especially for an action like a vote.
7. Use a Specific Meeting Passcode
Zoom automatically sets a randomly generated passcode for every meeting but they can be hard to remember especially when an attendee asks for it one minute before the meeting starts. Setting a specific passcode on your events like “112233” and using the same one every time will make it easy for you to remember spur of the moment.
8. Set Recurring Meetings
If your organization has regular staff meetings, trainings, or other events, setup one Zoom link for the event and set it to Recurring at No Fixed Time. That way the meeting link isn’t tied to any specific date but can be used whenever necessary.
What’s your favorite Zoom trick?
Every nonprofit admin has at least one “why didn’t anyone tell me this earlier?” tip. Share it with your team — it might save someone else a lot of meeting headaches.