Form with which the board of directors of a corporation records the contents of its annual meeting.
Form with which the board of directors of a corporation records the contents of its annual meeting.
Keep a basic record of what went on during the meeting. For example: who gave a presentation, did a “discussion ensue,” were “questions asked and answered?” But avoid recording everything.
There are no hard and fast rules for what to include in meeting minutes. Robert's Rules of Order rules for meeting minutes recommends focusing on what's done in the meeting — not who says what — but many boards don't follow those rules, and they aren't a comprehensive guide.
Include the date and time of the meeting. List all the meeting attendees as well as those who were invited but could not attend. Use the meeting agenda as the outline for the minutes. Use the same naming convention for all minutes files and, if possible, store them in a designated folder so they can be easily located.
Minutes should never be a verbatim documentation of every statement made during a board meeting. A document that purports to record every uttered word is a transcript, not “minutes.” Minutes should be concise and informative, but never voluminous.
What information do board meeting minutes contain? Meeting date, time and location. Type of meeting. Names and titles of attendees and guests. Any absent board directors. Quorum. Notes about directors who left early or re-entered the meeting. Board approvals, resolutions and acceptance of reports. Overview of discussions.
Minutes are not supposed to be verbatim and including too much detail may only provide ammunition that may be used against the board in a lawsuit. However, with too little detail the minutes may be useless and may leave an impression that the board did not adequately consider one or more matters.
Meeting minutes don't need to capture discussions word by word, but they should effectively summarize key items and decisions to provide a clear and concise record of the meeting. Know that it's perfectly acceptable to write “a discussion of the options ensued.” If you need clarification on anything, be sure to ask.
Robert's Rules (Section -16) state that “the minutes should contain mainly a record of what was done at the meeting, not what was said by the members.” Minutes are not transcripts of meetings; rather, the document contains a record of actions taken by the body, organized by the meeting's order of business (agenda).
As a member of the company, you may ask the company in writing for a copy of the minutes of a meeting of members, or an extract of the minutes, or the minutes of any resolution passed by members without a meeting.
No. Churches have the protection of the First Amendment and as a religious organization, they are not required to make their records public or be subject to public scrutiny.