Minutes of the Board Meeting

Minutes of board meetings are the official record that captures the actions and decisions of a board. Therefore, they’re important for a number of reasons that include the legal implications, governance policies and even accountability. They must be easy to read, precise and clear.

Keep your minutes as short and clear as you can in order to avoid wasting time with lengthy elaborations and keep the focus on key decisions discussions, actions, and discussions. This is particularly helpful for boards with only a limited amount of resources and strict deadlines.

The structure or format of your minutes will vary according to your organization’s needs as well as the culture and style of your organization however, a few common elements are crucial to consider when drafting them. Some of these key points include:

Time and date of the meeting: Writing down clearly when the board meeting occurred will make it easier for future readers to comprehend the events that took place. It’s also a good idea to note the type of meeting (whether regular or special).

Content: Check the minutes to ensure it accurately describes what happened during the meeting. Check for errors or omissions, and be sure to cross-reference with other documents to ensure that the information is accurate and correct. Also, make sure that all action items agreed upon and follow-up activities are documented in the minutes. This includes any actions or follow-up tasks that may have been discussed during executive sessions (private or in-camera portions of the meeting for sensitive topics such as allegations of misconduct, personnel matters or financial concerns with the auditor). These conversations should be recorded in the closed session minutes and not included in the main body of the board meeting minutes.

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