Form with which the board of directors of a corporation records the contents of its first meeting.
Form with which the board of directors of a corporation records the contents of its first meeting.
In most cases, the meeting secretary will sign the approved copy of the minutes, while some boards require all present board members to sign the approved minutes.
Board meeting minutes serve as a record for actions and resolutions. One of the most important tasks for minute taking is to make it clear what assignments, delegations, and deadlines have come out of the meeting to hold board members accountable.
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).
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.
What should board of directors first meeting minutes include? Your corporation's first directors meeting typically focuses on initial organizational tasks, including electing officers, setting their salaries, resolving to open a bank account, and ratifying bylaws and actions of the incorporators.
The basic features of meeting minutes are the date, time, location and attendees, followed by a record of the board's actions, including brief descriptions of any presentations or topics discussed, specific resolutions adopted, and finally, general resolutions.
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.
The chairperson usually signs the minutes after they have been read to the subsequent meeting and verified by him/her for their accuracy. There is usually a resolution passed by the subsequent meeting approving the adoption of the minutes.
In most cases, the meeting secretary will sign the approved copy of the minutes, while some boards require all present board members to sign the approved minutes.
Board meeting minutes are an objective record of what took place during a board meeting. The minutes are typically used for internal purposes like record-keeping and for posterity. Minutes can serve to inform future meetings and recall what was discussed, agreed upon or dismissed by a company's board members.