Crafting Effective Board of Directors Minutes

For non-profit boards striving to do a good job making effective crafting effective board of directors minutes board of director minutes is a crucial task. It makes sure that all stakeholders can see how the board is moving towards its goals, serves as a an accountability point for members and helps hold the organization accountable to the funders.

The structure of meeting minutes is usually an art form, and can vary between organizations. However, certain key elements should be incorporated into the minutes. Those include:

A summary of the key issues discussed and the final decisions made. The secretary of the board must record the results (i.e. an action was approved or not) and the reasons behind each vote. This will allow the board to establish an official record in the event of a legal case.

If the board decides to enlist an appropriate committee to weigh in on a particular issue or transaction, the minutes should clearly reflect that decision and include the proportion of attendees who constitute a majority. The minutes should also state whether the committee has full authority or is able to make an announcement that requires approval of the board.

The person taking the minutes must be impartial. This is particularly crucial in the event of legal proceedings, as minutes are often compelled to be submitted and used to determine an organization’s actions. It is important to have a third party independently review the minutes in order to verify that they are accurate and impartial.