Updated August 08, 2023
A board meeting agenda acts as a roadmap to guide the board members through an efficient and informative meeting. A chairperson will head the meeting and read from the agenda after it has been approved by the members. After approval, the meeting will proceed in accordance with the standard procedure (see Robert’s Rules Cheat Sheet). During the meeting, the secretary should keep a written record of the items discussed in the board meeting minutes.
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Formatting (8 parts)
Formatting of a board meeting depends on the type of organization. Below is the appropriate formatting for a for-profit or non-profit corporation.
I. Opening
The chairperson begins with the purpose of the meeting while having opening words to all the members.
II. Take Attendance
All attendees should be listed in addition to all those who are absent.
III. Approval of Agenda
The agenda will be distributed to all members. After careful reading, and any motions to add items, the agenda will be voted on. After approval, the meeting will proceed in accordance with the agenda.
IV. Previous Minutes are Distributed and Approved
If the previous meeting minutes have not yet been distributed they should be at this time. After reading by the members, they will be voted on to be an accurate description of the items discussed at the last meeting. After approval, old and new business items may be discussed.
V. Old Business
Or “unfinished business” is any remaining items from the last meeting that should be listed for discussion. As the members go through each item, they should vote on any solutions or business decisions related to the matters.
VI. Reports are Distributed
Any financial summaries or any reports should be distributed at this time that is related to the business. After distribution, new business items can be discussed.
VII. New Business
Any and all new items for discussion should be mentioned at this time. A designated person may be requested to present with a general discussion of the members afterward. Any decisions made should be put up to a vote at this time.
VIII. Other Business
Any other items that have not yet been discussed should be at this time. If there are no other business items, this section can be skipped.
- Adjournment – Marks the end of the meeting and the exact time when it ended will be entered on the meeting minutes. The Chairperson will review and approve the minutes with their signature followed by the Secretary’s signature who took wrote the minutes.
Sample – Board Meeting Agenda
Download: PDF, MS Word, OpenDocument
