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.
The board should assume the minutes are confidential and, in most cases, they will remain so. They should also realise that, sooner or later, the minutes may be available as part of a legal case. In short, they should include everything necessary to show that the directors are doing their duty.
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.
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.
Legal requirements for board meeting minutes include the name of the company, date and location, names of present and absent directors, and a record of all the proceedings during the meeting. Legal documents and reports must come as attachments.
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).
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.
An emergency meeting of the board of directors may be called to discuss business or take action that cannot be delayed for the forty-eight hours required for notice. At any emergency meeting called by the board of directors, the board of directors may act only on emergency matters.
The meeting-minute approval process begins when a chairperson makes the motion. To approve minutes, unanimous consent is required. The minutes of the previous meeting should be approved during the current meeting. If this isn't possible, a special committee or executive board may be required to approve the minutes.
The format for a meeting depends on the meeting type and style. While there is no set format for meeting minutes, templates provide guidelines for essential information that should be included in your documentation.
Board meeting minutes template Date, time, location. Type of board meeting — regular, special or annual. Attendance of board chair, board members, secretary and other guests. If quorum requirements are satisfied. Approval of previous meeting minutes. Reports and presentations including names and titles of presenter.