The Future Leaders on Philanthropy blog is publishing a new series to give young people a clearer sense of what nonprofit jobs are like — so they can avoid learning too late that their supposed dream job isn’t all they’d expected.

In the first post of the series, Elizabeth Miller, a senior program associate at the Overbrook Foundation, describes one of the most time-consuming responsibilities of her job: preparing for and participating in meetings.

Her “crash course,” Meetings 101, discusses the types of meetings foundation employees can expect to attend. First, there are board meetings, which provide “a formal arena in which to discuss program priorities and interests, as well as governance issues,” she says.

Many foundations also hold committee meetings in addition to board gatherings. They may focus on programs, governance, planning, or other issues, says Ms. Miller.

Foundation staff members might also meet with their peers at other foundations for “funder-driven affinity meetings.”

One of the biggest of these types of meetings, of course, is the annual Council on Foundations meeting. Foundations that support the same cause, or the same geographic region, may also hold regular gatherings.

On occasion, grantees host meetings of foundation officials. Ms. Miller writes that she recently attended one such event, the National Conference on Media Reform hosted by Free Press.

Events hosted by grantees are often “larger multi-day conferences which include panels, workshops, self-organized sessions, and keynote plenary speakers,” she says.

Are there other types of meetings you would add to the list? Are these meetings helpful? Do they take up too much time?