Why taking board minutes is important for your charity.

"Why taking board minutes is important for your charity" and a picture of a notepad and pen.

Why taking board minutes is important for your charity.

As a trustee, you will regularly meet and attend board meetings as necessary, and they are a key component of your charity’s governance.  

An effective way to demonstrate that your actions align with your charitable purpose is by taking board minutes. You must act in the best interest of the charity and due to charity regulations, will have more responsibilities than a company director. 

Board minutes are a formal record of these meetings and must be documented accurately, approved by trustees, and kept securely for at least 6 years.  

The board minutes are a critical written summary of all matters, and once approved, form a legal record of the business of the meeting. They are also a valuable resource for trustees, staff, volunteers and regulators. 

Although board minutes do not need to be word for word, they need to record information that is important to the charity and usually point out: 

  • Key discussions and action points 
  • Accomplishments of the organisation 
  • Assign responsibilities and tasks 
  • Inform those unable to attend 
  • Provide reference to valuable historical governance 

Find an approach that works for your charity 

There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to writing minutes. Every organisation will decide its principles around minute-taking. 

Assign the responsibility of taking minutes to someone appropriately skilled for the task and not directly involved in the meeting, such as a company secretary. Many trustees find it difficult to participate and make adequate notes at the same time.  

Many smaller charities may not have the staff for such tasks. If you must allocate the responsibility to a trustee, they need to be nominated ahead of the meeting.  

Be accurate with your board minutes

Accurate and impartial board minutes record the main discussion points, any evidence provided of decisions made and, the action points to move forward. You can take accountability for action points, assign tasks and follow up in future meetings to ensure you are making progress. Some tasks and actions that can be documented within the minutes are: 

  • Approving the annual report before submission to the Charity Commission 
  • Approval of budgets/grants allocation 
  • Making investment decisions 
  • Recording potential/actual conflicts of interest 
  • Approving new policies 

If you do not accurately record minutes, you could put your charity organisation at risk. Board members must safeguard themselves and the charity, so your minutes can help mitigate the risk of disputes, legal action or even Charity Commission involvement.  

As part of your statutory record-keeping, your minutes must show that, as trustees, you are aware of your obligations and duties, such as agreeing on financial statements or for audits.  

Governing documents require discussions on certain decisions before any action and may explicitly set out what types of meetings the charity needs to have and how they must take place.  

Keep a minute book 

A minute book keeps a copy of all original minutes and is signed by the meeting Chair. Charities have a tradition for these to be bound volumes or loose-leaf minute books. You are permitted to retain your statutory books on a computer, alongside copies of your minutes.  

Having access to your historical minute books can help future leaders and trustees understand the decision-making process and any previously tried and tested strategies. When reviewing the board minutes, consider what crucial elements you will want to re-read in 5 years. 

If you need assistance with maintaining charity governance, speak with our Charities team today. 

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Charlotte Willmore
Audit Manager at Wilder Coe
Charlotte has experience in the supervision and preparation of statutory accounts, management accounts including tailored client-specific analysis and service charge accounts as well as the audit of statutory accounts and preparation of Corporation tax returns for companies.