Board meeting minutes template
A ready-to-use board meeting minutes template with attendance, quorum, declarations of interest, each decision in full, actions and the signature. Follow the agenda item by item and delete what the meeting didn’t cover.
Want to know what the minutes should cover, how much detail to record and how to take them from draft to signed record? Read the guide to board meeting minutes.
Use the agenda as your outline. Start with our board meeting agenda template. This sample of board meeting minutes follows the same items in the same order.
In Hippoly you don’t start from a blank document at all. The minutes open with the agenda items already in place, so you can take the minutes during the meeting, with no printing, signing and scanning afterwards. If your rules let the board approve the minutes between meetings, send them for e-signing as soon as they’re ready, and the signed PDF lands in the meeting folder. Turn the follow-up into actions, with an owner and a due date if you want them.
Important: this template is a starting point. Who signs the minutes, and when, depends on the country, the legal form and the governing document. Under the UK Companies Act 2006 a company must record minutes of every board meeting and keep them for at least ten years (section 248). Minutes authenticated by the chair of that meeting or of the next board meeting are evidence of what happened (section 249). A charity or nonprofit that isn’t a company follows the law that applies to it and its governing document. In the US, state law and the bylaws decide. The template is general guidance, not legal advice.
Minutes of a meeting of the board
Minutes of a meeting of the board of [organisation name] ([company or charity number, if it has one]), held at [venue, or by video] on [date, e.g. 22 April 2027] from [start time] to [finish time].
Present: [names of the board members who attended]
In attendance: [chief executive, auditor and other guests, with the agenda items each was present for]
Minute taker: [name]
[Delete lines that don’t apply. If someone joined late or left early, note the item, so the minutes show who took part in each decision.]
1. Welcome and apologies
The chair, [name], welcomed everyone and opened the meeting. Apologies were received from [names]. / There were no apologies.
2. Notice and quorum
The chair confirmed that the meeting had been called in line with the articles or governing document and was quorate, with [number] of [number] board members present. [Your articles or governing document set the quorum.]
3. Declarations of interest
[Name] declared an interest in item [number] and [did not vote on it / left the meeting for that item]. / No interests were declared.
[Record what was declared and how the board dealt with it. Your articles or governing document say whether a member with a conflict may take part or vote.]
4. Minutes of the previous meeting
The board approved the minutes of the meeting held on [date, e.g. 18 March 2027] as a correct record [with the following corrections: [corrections]], and the chair signed them. [/ The minutes had already been approved and signed electronically on [date].]
5. Matters arising and actions
| Action | Owner | Status | New due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| [action] | [name] | [done / in progress / postponed] | [date] |
| [action] | [name] | [done / in progress / postponed] | [date] |
6. Chief executive’s report
[Who reported, the main points and anything the board needs to act on. Minutes record the substance, not every word said.]
The board noted the report.
7. Finance report
[Results against budget, cash position and variances. Refer to the documents in the board pack.]
The board noted the finance report [and resolved: [decision]].
8. Items for decision
Item 8.1: [title]
Background: [short background and the materials the decision was based on]
Discussion: [the main points, risks and assumptions that shaped the decision]
Decision: The board resolved to [the decision in full, with amounts, terms and dates].
Action: [action / none]
[Add an owner and a due date if the board sets them. Delete the next two lines if there’s no action.]
Owner: [name]
Due date: [date, e.g. 3 June 2027]
[If the board voted, record the result: [number] for, [number] against, [number] abstaining.]
[Dissent: [name] asked for their objection to be recorded: [objection].]
Item 8.2: [title]
Background: [short background and the materials the decision was based on]
Discussion: [the main points, risks and assumptions that shaped the decision]
Decision: The board resolved to [the decision in full].
Action: [action / none]
[Add an owner and a due date if the board sets them. Delete the next two lines if there’s no action.]
Owner: [name]
Due date: [date, e.g. 3 June 2027]
9. Items for discussion
[What the board discussed, where it got to and when the item comes back. No decision.]
10. Items from the annual plan
[An item due at this meeting under the board’s annual plan, e.g. the budget, the annual accounts or the risk review. Record the decision or conclusion as under item 8.]
11. Any other business
[Items raised under any other business. If an item needs a decision, check your articles or governing document, and whether the board had enough notice and information to decide it properly.]
12. Date of next meeting
The next board meeting will be held on [date, e.g. 20 May 2027] at [time], [place].
13. Close
The chair closed the meeting at [time].
Actions from this meeting
| Action | Owner | Due date | Item |
|---|---|---|---|
| [action] | [name] | [date] | [number] |
| [action] | [name] | [date] | [number] |
Signature
[In a UK company the chair usually signs the minutes as a correct record once the board has approved them, often at the next meeting. For charities in England and Wales, Charity Commission guidance is the same: approval at the next meeting, then the chair’s signature. Add or delete lines to match who signs under your governing document.]
Signed as a correct record:
[Name], Chair
Date: [date, e.g. 20 May 2027]
[[Name], Secretary, if your rules require a second signature]