How to Write and Keep Meeting Minutes
DEFINED
Minutes are the official record of an organization. It is crucial that they are accurate since they
are the legal record of the proceedings and actions of the organization
CONTENT
First paragraph: Kind of meeting (regular, special, etc.); the name of the organization; the date,
time and place of the meeting; the name of the presiding officer and secretary; approximate
number of members present; establishment of a quorum; and recording of the action taken on
the minutes of the previous meeting.
The body should include, with each motion being a separate paragraph,:
The exact wording of motions, whether passed or failed, and the way they were disposed of, along with the
name of the maker
If the vote was counted, the count should be recorded. Tellers reports, if there are any, are included. In roll
call votes the record of each person’s vote is included
Notices of motions – previous notice is sometimes required e.g. amendments of the bylaws
Points of order and appeals
Last paragraph: hour of adjournment
NOT INCLUDED
The opinion or interpretation of the secretary
Judgmental phrases e.g. “heated debate” “valuable comment”
Discussion: Minutes are a record of what was done at the meeting, not what was said at the meeting
Motions that were withdrawn
Name of seconder is unnecessary
ATTACHMENTS
The official copy of the minutes should have attached to it the original signed copy of:
Committee Reports
Officers Reports
Written Motions
Tellers Reports
Correspondence
APPROVAL
If the minutes have been distributed to the members before the next meeting then the approval
process can be very short. The presiding officer simply states “Are there any corrections to the
minutes as printed?” If there are none, or after all corrections have been made, the presiding
officer may say “If there is no objection, the minutes will be approved as printed (or as
corrected).”
SIGNATURE
After the minutes have been corrected and approved by the membership, they should be signed
by the secretary and can be signed by the president. The word “approved” and the date of the
approval should also be included
MINUTES BOOK
The official copy of the minutes should be entered in the Minutes Book and kept by the
secretary. These are the property of the organization, not the secretary. If the organization has
a headquarters office, the official copy of the minutes should be kept there.
COPIES
If the members receive a copy of the minutes it is not necessary for them to receive all the
attachments. When they do not receive the attachments, the minutes should include a brief
summary of the attachments.
ANNUAL MEETINGS/CONVENTION MINUTES
Minutes of an annual meeting or convention should be taken by the secretary with the
assistance of the Minutes Approval Committee members. In advance of the annual meeting or
convention, the secretary should prepare a set of skeleton minutes. In the preparation of this
skeleton of the actual minutes the following may be used: agenda, program, previous minutes
(as a guide) and the script. The skeleton minutes are based on what is expected to happen
(the script should be of great assistance here). In preparing the skeleton minutes, be sure to
leave many empty spaces for the specifics that may happen during the meeting and any last
minute changes.
Copies of the skeletal minutes are needed for the secretary, parliamentarian and members of
the Minutes Approval Committee. During the meeting, the members of the committee and the
secretary follow the skeletal minutes and fill in any additional information. Immediately after
each business meeting the committee and the secretary meet and work together on an agreed
upon set of minutes for that meeting. After the last business meeting of the convention, the
secretary prepares the final copy of the minutes based upon what is agreed upon by the
committee. This final copy is reviewed by all committee members. When they all agree, they
sign the original copy and the job of approving the minutes is completed.
If there is a transcript of the meeting, it is the secretary’s job to review the transcript making
sure all the minutes are accurate. If it is necessary to change the minutes, all members of the
Minutes Approval Committee must agree upon the changes.
