Free kit · Board and governance
Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes Kit: free board meeting agenda template in Word, Excel and PDF
Run board meetings where the board decides something only it can decide. The kit has an agenda with a consent agenda and one strategic question, a packet checklist, an executive director's report of two pages at most, minutes that record what the board did, a follow-up within 48 hours and a calendar for the year's standing items.
Word, Excel and PDF · 14 pages · For board chairs and executive directors
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What is inside
- Board meeting agenda. The agenda with decisions before reports, a consent agenda and one strategic question framed by three or four more.
- Board packet checklist. The steps from the agenda call to a packet sent at least five days ahead, and what goes in it.
- Executive director's report. Two pages at most: what you need from the board, progress on the plan, money and early warnings.
- Board meeting minutes. Attendance and quorum, conflicts of interest, each motion with the vote, executive session and action items.
- Follow-up within 48 hours. Decisions, action items and open questions, sent to every board member within two days.
- Annual board calendar. The year's meeting dates and 13 standing items, from conflict of interest disclosures to next year's budget.
How to use it
- Before the year starts: fix the meeting dates and give each standing item a meeting (Form F).
- Two weeks before: draft the agenda and the strategic question with the board chair (Form A).
- At least five days before: send the packet (Form B) with the executive director's report (Form C).
- At the meeting: the secretary takes the minutes (Form D), approved on the next consent agenda.
- Within 48 hours: send the decisions, action items and open questions (Form E).
Questions
Is the kit free?
Yes. Enter your name, email and organization once, and every kit in the library opens on this browser.
Can I edit it?
Yes. The Word and Excel files are fully editable: change the agenda items, the meeting times and the standing items to fit your bylaws and your fiscal year.
Does it work in Google Docs?
Yes. Upload the Word file to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs; the tables and ruled lines carry over.
Can I share it inside my organization?
Yes. Copy it, adapt it and share it with your board and staff.
Read the guide
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Board Self-Assessment Kit26-statement questionnaire, scoring workbook, retreat guide and action plan
With board meetings, the template is rarely where it goes wrong. The conversation is: asking a board that approves everything to decide something. A coach helps you prepare to lead it; the agenda and the minutes stay yours.
Six sessions of executive coaching: $300, $400 or $600, set by your organization's yearly operating expenses.
