How to Take Board Meeting Minutes + Free Template & Sample
You are in charge of keeping the board meeting minutes at your next big board meeting, so what are board meeting minutes, and how do you keep them organized? Taking board meeting minutes may not be the most straightforward task. Still, it’s a practical and essential step that you should complete to protect your organization against possible liability.
Today, we’re going to share with you everything you need to know about board meeting minutes, along with several examples of ways that you can keep board meeting minutes.
What are board meeting minutes?
Board meeting minutes are an essential and official record of who attended a board meeting and everything discussed, decided upon, and anything else consequential about the meeting.
Taking board meeting minutes can be challenging because you’re recording one or more hours of discussion into a few typed pages. Extreme attention to detail and accuracy are crucial for getting the board meeting minutes right.
What is the purpose of board meeting minutes?
Board meeting minutes are a legal obligation that all nonprofit organization boards must fulfill.
The primary purpose of board meeting minutes is to ensure that all board members followed necessary procedures during the meeting, complied with federal and local laws relevant to the type of organization, and followed the organization’s bylaws.
It also tracks if the board members stayed true to the organization’s mission by recording any decisions made and noting if they align with the company’s goals, bylines, and overall mission.
In addition, board meeting minutes are also helpful for the nonprofit organization members to refer back to.
These meeting minutes are crucial because they can protect your company against liability by documenting decisions made during the meeting. Board meeting minutes also create a detailed list of next steps for the organization.
In short, board meeting minutes ensure that the board makes ethical, informed, and prudent decisions.
What should you include in board meeting minutes?
So, what are the best steps for how to record board meeting minutes?
All board meeting minutes should include the following:
Date, time, and location of the board meeting
The type of board meeting (routine, special, annual, emergency, etc.)
If quorum requirements are satisfied
Attendance of the board chair, board members, secretary, and any guests
Approval of the previous meeting’s minutes
Reports and presentations during the meeting, including the titles and names of presenters
Action steps required
Attachments of shared documents and presentations
A closing summary with a timestamp for when each meeting adjourned, the next meeting date and time, and an approval signature from the president
Planned hour of adjournment
Before taking board meeting minutes, take the following steps:
Review your organization’s bylaws and policies. Ask your board chair or manager for clarification on anything you’re unsure about.
Remember that the board meeting minutes should ideally protect your organization from undue liability, so they should positively reflect the organization’s actions during the meeting.
Remember that the board meeting minutes are a factual and concise record of the session. Avoid filler language and keep your notes brief.
What should you not include in board meeting minutes?
Board meeting minutes should not include:
Different personal views
Detailed accounts of guest speakers - only include details pertinent to the items discussed. Highlight the main points of guest speakers.
The seconder’s name
Withdrawn motions
Detailed reviews of reports - focus on recording key points and highlights of reports
Board meetings should also never include any of your own opinions. Board meeting minutes should be as unbiased as possible, so avoid recording personal opinions, accolades, anecdotes, criticisms, or emotional readings of a situation.
For example, don’t record remarks like “well-organized report” or “heated discussion.” However, you should include any positive expressions, such as “thank yous” or expressions of appreciation that the entire group echoes.
How do you take board meeting minutes effectively?
We recommend that you do the following to take board meeting minutes effectively:
Prepare a board meeting minutes template for your organization before the meeting so that you can easily follow the template and fill in the necessary information.
Bring all materials you need to the meeting, such as multiple pens, paper, your laptop, power cord, etc.
Take attendance at the very beginning of the meeting. If it’s a large group, send a sheet of paper around the room for everyone to write down their names.
Note the time the session starts and ends.
Use Notta to create a live transcription of your board meeting. An audio recording and transcription will allow you to go back and fill in any missing points or action items. It can also free up your hands so that you can participate in the board meeting discussions more because you won’t need to type the entire conversation out.
Gather copies of all reports provided during the meeting beforehand, if possible. If not, ask for copies from the presenters at the end of the session.
Distribute copies of the last minutes at the beginning of each board meeting so members can approve the minutes and add their comments.
Create multiple backup copies of all board meeting minutes. For example, you could have a file folder with printed documents, a file stored on your computer, and a backup copy in the Cloud.
Board Meeting Minutes Template
Board of Directors, Meeting #
Month Day, Year
Time meeting takes place
Where the meeting is held, City, State
A short paragraph explaining who called the meeting, when the meeting started, and the primary purpose of the meeting. This paragraph should also include the location of the meeting.
Those in attendance and constituting a quorum included:
Present:
Name
Name
Name
Absent:
Name (Excused)
Name (Unexcused)*
Guests: List names
Quorum present? Yes or No
*Also note whether someone absent was excused, such as if someone was missing because they were sick or out of town, and note if someone was unexcused and didn’t give notice that they would be absent.
Approval of the Agenda
Motion: NAME moved to approve the meeting agenda.
Seconded and carried without dissent.
Approval of the Minutes
Motion: NAME moved to approve the minutes of the Month Day, Year meeting.
Seconded and carried without dissent.
You should always include the approval of the plan and minutes at the top of the minutes to indicate that all board members were made aware of the agenda and minutes.
Following this, the board meeting minutes will follow a breakdown of each discussed topic.
Board Minutes Body
Topic/Presentation #1
Discussion 1: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Motion 1: Include who made the motion and if it was seconded or not.
Discussion 2: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Motion 2: Include who made the motion and if it was seconded or not.
*If a discussion does not require a motion, please note this within the discussion section.
Topic/Presentation #2
Discussion 1: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Motion 1: Include who made the motion and if it was seconded or not.
Discussion 2: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Motion 2: Include who made the motion and if it was seconded or not.
*Continue to organize the board meeting minutes by headers titled with the topic or presentation until the meeting is over. At the end of the minutes, include additional topics, not on the agenda under “Other Business,” when the meeting ended, and who submitted the minutes.
Other Business
Topic #1
Factual record of what this discussion included.
Topic #1 Action Item: What actions need to be taken.
Meeting adjourned at TIME.
Next board meeting at TIME, DATE, LOCATION
Minutes submitted by Secretary, FULL NAME _____ Date
Board Meeting Minutes Sample
Use the following board meeting minutes sample to understand what fleshed-out meeting minutes look like so that you can more accurately create your own during your next board meeting.
Sample Board Meeting Minutes
Board of Directors, Meeting #123
June 8, 2022
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Public Library Meeting Room #1B, Chicago, Illinois
President Golden called the routine Unit Board of Directors meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. at the Public Library in Meeting Room #1B in Chicago, Illinois.
Those in attendance and constituting a quorum included:
Present:
John Smith
Abbey Ross
Grant Johnson
Absent:
Jane Doe (Excused)
Bob Norton (Unexcused)
Guests: Hailey Snow, Derek Green, Scarlet Harris
Quorum present? Yes
Approval of the Agenda
Motion: President Golden moved to approve the meeting agenda.
Seconded and carried without dissent.
Approval of the Minutes
Motion: Smith moved to approve the minutes of the June 8, 2022 meeting.
Seconded and carried without dissent.
CEO’s Report
Discussion: President Golden recommends that if we cannot find new software for creating and storing reports by the end of the month, the unit should continue creating reports in the current software during the summer. Board briefly discussed different options.
Motion: Johnson moved to extend the time needed for finding a new software program for the next two months. Seconded and passed without dissent.
Discussion: Ross shared that the KBL has introduced a new education class for unit board members. The course will be held at the upcoming ABC event. It was recommended that all board members who will be at the ABC event take advantage of the opportunity to attend the class and that the unit board should reimburse board members that attended.
ABC Action Item: Every board member attending the ABC event should attend the new education class on 7/7 at 9:00 AM.
Motion: Johnson moved that the board will reimburse the class fee to any board member who attends the class. Seconded and passed. Dissenting on the record: Smith
*Recording dissenting votes is not required. Dissenting votes should only be recorded if a member requests that they are on record as a dissenting vote.
Treasurer’s Report
Financial Reports
The financial committee and the Chicago Elementary School’s Accountant presented the quarterly financial reports and talked about the “Schedule.” (Note the narrative that is present with each report. Record the general discussion on the organization’s financial state and condition as stated in the reports while noting issues, concerns, and the actions needed to address the problems.)
Create an organized table to note each issue or situation, such as the following:
Accounting Review
Discussion: Treasurer Ross shared that our accountant has reviewed our organization’s bookkeeping procedures and found them to be acceptable, in preparation for next year’s financial audit.
990 Review
Discussion: Johnson reported that the unit’s IRS form 990 is available for viewing on the organization’s website. The publication online meets the requirements for making the IRS form 990 available for public viewing. Johnson touched on the highlights, issues, and trends from the balance sheet, cash flow statement, and saving goals.
Motion: Smith moved to accept the treasurer’s report. Seconded and passed without dissent.
Committee Reports
Board Seminar
Discussion: Ross reminded the board of the scheduled seminar coming up in one month and gave everyone a drafted seminar schedule. The board gave feedback on the agenda, and the consensus was that the board would follow the provided schedule except for a few small, noted changes. The board will move forward with the schedule. No board action required.
Bylaws
Discussion: Johnson presented the board with the reworded Bylaws paragraph draft, which will allow the board to take action with electronic mail and social media accounts. Johnson suggested a review and permanent changes to the Bylaws accordingly. The consensus was to consult legal counsel and verify if the proposed change is consistent with our state laws and the organization's mission. Johnson agreed to accept this action and notify members of what he learned at the next board meeting.
Bylaws Action Item: Johnson will contact legal counsel and give an update at the next board meeting.
Other Business
Special Events (Smith)
The AADL has set a date in 2022 as AADL Day. There will be a two-session event for additional masterpoints. Smith will find out the specific day and report back next meeting.
Special Events Action Item: Smith will find out the particular day and report back later.
Meeting adjourned at 7:03 p.m.
Next board meeting at 6:00 p.m., July 8, 2022, Public Library Meeting Room #1B, Chicago, Illinois
Minutes submitted by Secretary Joe Wellington _____ Date
Final Thoughts
Taking board meeting minutes doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Keeping to the same template for each meeting makes the process streamlined and creates consistency for each meeting. If your organization allows audio recordings, we strongly recommend using Notta to transcribe notes from board meetings.
Notta will save you time and energy when reviewing your notes from the meeting and allow you to quickly fill in the factual, practical information for each discussion, along with the decided-upon action items. In addition, Notta frees up your hands during the board meeting so that you can participate in the board meeting discussion without missing important points. Notta also helps you quickly create reports and meeting notes, which you can highlight and edit to best suit your needs.
