Minutes of the board meeting are an essential document of crucial information and governance procedures. They can be used as a basis for post-decision reviews and to ensure that boards are accountable. They also can help stop the board from making a mistake in the future, which could be detrimental to the stakeholders of the organization.
Minutes are usually drafted by the presiding board member or a member of the organization’s staff. It could be a scribe with prior experience in the writing of board minutes, or a professional secretaire who is knowledgeable about what should and shouldn’t be written in minutes. It is crucial that the person who writes the draft minutes is clear about the requirements. This will help them to produce notes that are unique and lend the board meetings credibility.
The first thing that is needed is a statement of the time, date and location of the meeting as this is vital to ensure the accuracy of the minutes. The next thing to do is create a list of presiding officers directors, non-voting participants and the like. It is also important to note if any of them attended via phone or online.
The minutes should be split into two sections: administrative business and substantive business. Administrative business can comprise things like agenda approval, a summary of previous minutes and you can find out more the use of the consent agenda (which reduces the need for debate by recognizing regular or administrative issues with the use of a single motion). Substantive business is more content-heavy including updates from committees, briefings on risk management, and making decisions about new services.