

You can also include a statement about confidentiality and security to remind board members to not share the information publicly. Use your organization’s logo or branding on the document, and include an official header with the date, time, place, and type of meeting. A board meeting minutes template is a great place to start.Īn effective template for board of directors meeting minutes includes 3 basic elements:įor the sake of consistency, it’s important to use the same board meeting minutes format each time you prepare meeting minutes. If a question arises about why a specific decision was made, meeting minutes can be used to answer those questions.īefore putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), it’s important to consider the board meeting structure you’ll use. Meeting minutes serve as a record of those key decisions – as well as the reasoning behind why they were made. Documented rationale for decision-making: Boards are responsible for making many decisions for the organizations they serve.On the other hand, if there are missing or incorrect details in the meeting minutes (or if there aren’t any meeting minutes at all), the consequences can be devastating to the organization and its board members. Comprehensive, well-written meeting minutes can potentially protect the organization (and its board members) against liability. If an organization were to encounter a lawsuit, there’s a chance meeting minutes could be subpoenaed. Legal protection: Meeting minutes are a legal record of what happened during a board meeting.What’s more, board meeting minutes help ensure continuity as members join and exit the board. Continuity: Meeting minutes help to ensure continuity from one meeting to the next boards can pick up where they left off at the last meeting rather than rehashing the same information and topics.Referencing meeting minutes over time can also be an effective way to track progress toward goals. Having such a record helps hold boards (and individual board members) accountable. They reflect what goals, projects, and initiatives the board has committed to, who is responsible for what, and key deadlines. Accountability and progress: Meeting minutes serve as a record of a board’s long and short-term planning.Let’s explore 4 of the top benefits of meeting minutes. Keeping such a record is beneficial for a number of different reasons. Meeting minutes serve as a single source of truth of what happened during a given board meeting.

MEETING MINUTES HOW TO
Read on to get tips for how to take board meeting minutes, as well as a template to help you get started. It just requires extreme attention to detail and a solid process to get it right. Make no mistake: Taking great board meeting minutes is possible. This is especially true for someone who’s not exactly sure how to take board meeting minutes. However, the reality is it can be challenging to distill an hours-long meeting into a few pages of concise, understandable board meeting minutes. Taking board meeting minutes might seem simple enough. Board meeting minutes can potentially protect your organization against liability, document decision-making, and create a clear list of actions and next steps. They serve as the official record of what decisions were made, who was in attendance, and anything else consequential about a board meeting. But it’s an incredibly important one nonetheless.īoard meeting minutes are an essential component of all board meetings. Taking board meeting minutes might not be the favorite task of a board secretary.
