Minutes should include

Be concise and just try to summarize the main points. The same goes for documents that the board shares during meetings. Just refer to them and either attach them to the minutes or make note of where to find them. A little-known mistake in recording board meeting minutes is switching tenses.

That makes the minutes somewhat confusing and disturbs the flow. Stick with the past tense — it usually works well. Sometimes, board directors become friends over time, and they may make personal comments during meetings. Use a neutral tone when recording the minutes. Avoid issues surrounding small talk. The same goes for offering words of praise. But it is important to capture the essence of the meeting, including details such as:.

Minutes are a tangible record of the meeting for its participants and a source of information for members who were unable to attend. In some cases, meeting minutes can act as a reference point, for example:. Download our Meeting Minute Checklist for Associations and Nonprofits with examples and learn how to take better minutes.

According to Today I Found Out , the "minutes" of "meeting minutes" don't refer to the minute measurement of time, but to the "minute" my-newt notes taken during meetings. A well-planned meeting helps ensure effective meeting minutes. If the Chair and the Secretary or minutes-taker work together to ensure the agenda and meeting are well thought out, it makes minute taking much easier.

For example, depending on the meeting structure and the tools you use, the minutes-taker could work with the Chair to create a document format that works as an agenda and minutes outline as well. You can find more templates and details on formatting meeting minutes here. Download our Meeting Minute Checklist for Associations and Nonprofits with sample minutes taken at a meeting and learn how to take better minutes. You can also find more meeting minutes templates made for Microsoft Word here.

Still wondering if you're taking notes correctly? Here's a sample of what meeting minutes at a board meeting might look like. Here are some tips that might help:. They are not an official record of a meeting unless this has taken place.

Depending on your Board, minutes may also be formally approved at the beginning of the next meeting. The method of sharing or distribution will depend on the tools that you and your organization use. For example, if you are using a word processing tool e. Committee or Board members can simply read the documents online and save a few trees! Through members-only webpages, you can create a secure online Intranet for your Board and committees. If you are wondering about the types of tools you might use specifically for meeting minutes, here are some tools that organizations we've worked with have found helpful:.

Most committees and Boards review and either approve or amend the minutes at the beginning of the subsequent meeting. Some organizations may store these online e. You may also need to print and store hard copies as well or provide these to a staff member or Chair for filing. If you're a nonprofit with regular board and member meetings and you want to save time and money managing your organization, get a free trial of WildApricot , an all-in-one membership management software which allows you to:.

Find out all the features of WildApricot's free membership management software here. WildApricot is also the the 1 rated membership management software used by over 20, organizations every day.

Here, Bowie shares her list of meeting minutes must-haves below, along with some of her best tips as part of the Simbli Webinar Series. Note that you should always check your bylaws for any variations to these practices.

Boards can hold several types of meetings , says Bowie, including regular, special, called, emergency and other meetings. She offers a quick rundown of the most common types of board meetings:. Called Meeting: A called meeting is a meeting that occurs for a specific purpose. For example, a board might hold a called meeting to discuss the purchase of an item. Bowie notes that the agenda for a called meeting cannot be amended. If the board discusses and takes action on any topic outside of the agenda, she says, the discussion and actions are moot.

Special Meeting: A special meeting is one held separately from regularly scheduled meetings. A special meeting can replace a meeting that was cancelled or postponed, for example, and it must be announced.

Unlike a called meeting, the agenda of a special meeting may be changed, says Bowie. Although this might sound obvious, your minutes should include the official name of the organizing body. Bowie says this is often left out because the recording secretary and the group already know the name of the organization that is meeting.

However, the name should always be included in the minutes. Bowie clarifies that the meeting time you record in the minutes is the time the meeting is called to order. If the meeting was scheduled for , and for some reason it started at , the minutes should indicate as the start time. The location should be included unless the organization meets at the same place every time. If this is the case, only include the location in the minutes of the first meeting of the fiscal year.

If no decisions are recorded, everyone knows that the meeting has been a waste of time or that issues are still outstanding and need to be considered for the next time. However, in many other cases, it is just as important to record the discussion as it occurred during the meeting in a summarized format. Organizing a summary record Preparing to write a meeting record Tips for taking notes Activity 7 The language of meeting records Activity 8 Activity 9 Assignment preparation task 10 Assignment 2a.

Module 2a — Office Correspondence and Records.