Meeting minutes should include a record of who was present, what was discussed, what was decided and what happens next. Here are the eight things every set of board meeting minutes needs.
1. Organization name and meeting type. Is this a regular meeting, a special meeting or an emergency session? State it clearly at the top.
2. Date, time and location. Including whether the meeting was held in person or virtually.
3. Attendees and absentees. Who was there and who was not. For boards this also means noting whether quorum was established.
4. Approval of previous minutes. Was the last meeting's record accepted as written or with corrections?
5. Summary of each agenda item. Not a word for word transcript. A clear summary of what was discussed under each item.
6. Motions and votes. Every motion made, who made it, who seconded it and how the vote went. This is non-negotiable.
7. Action items. Who is doing what and by when. If it is not in the minutes it did not happen.
8. Adjournment time. When the meeting officially ended.
Good minutes protect the board and create a reliable record of decisions. They are not a formality. They are the receipts.
If you want a minutes template that already has all of this built in, we have one HERE.
The Toolkit
Common Meeting Minutes Mistakes
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