AltF Minutes

Board meeting minutes template

Board minutes are a formal record: who attended and whether there was a quorum, that prior minutes were approved, each motion with who moved and seconded it and the vote result, and when the meeting closed. The board template below uses Chair, Secretary, Present and Apologies labels and records resolutions in that form.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Nothing uploaded
  • No AI rewriting
  • Works on mobile

What board minutes must record

  • Organisation name, meeting type (regular or special), date, time and place
  • Chair and secretary
  • Directors present and absent, and whether a quorum was reached
  • Approval (or correction) of the previous minutes
  • Reports received
  • Each motion: wording, mover, seconder, vote result, and any abstentions or declared conflicts
  • Time of adjournment and next meeting date

How to write a motion

Record the motion as it was put, then the result. Example: "Motion to approve the 2027 budget as presented. Moved by J. Ortiz, seconded by M. Lee. Carried 6-1, one abstention." Keep debate out unless your bylaws require it.

What to leave out of board minutes

  • Word-for-word chatter and side conversations
  • Personal opinions, jokes or emotional remarks
  • Who said what in a heated debate, unless the record requires it
  • Confidential or legal advice that belongs in a separate privileged record
  • Guesses about owners or deadlines nobody actually stated

Board meeting minutes: questions and answers

Are board minutes legally required?

Companies, nonprofits and associations are usually required by law or their bylaws to keep minutes of board meetings. Requirements differ by country and organisation type, so check your bylaws or an adviser.

Who signs board minutes?

Typically the secretary prepares them and the chair signs once the board approves them at the next meeting.

Do board minutes follow Robert's Rules?

Many boards use Robert's Rules of Order, which records motions and their results rather than debate. The board template here follows that style.

What to put in meeting minutes, and what to leave out

Include

  • Meeting name, date, time and place or link
  • Who chaired and who took the notes
  • Attendees and apologies (and quorum, for boards)
  • The purpose or agenda, item by item
  • A short summary of each discussion, not a transcript
  • Every decision, worded exactly as agreed (motions with mover, seconder and vote for boards)
  • Action items with one owner and a due date each
  • Open questions and parked topics
  • Date of the next meeting

Leave out

  • Word-for-word chatter and side conversations
  • Personal opinions, jokes or emotional remarks
  • Who said what in a heated debate, unless the record requires it
  • Confidential or legal advice that belongs in a separate privileged record
  • Guesses about owners or deadlines nobody actually stated

Templates and guides

All of AltF MinutesTranscript extractor, templates, agenda timer, tracker and cost calculator.Meeting minutes templateFree meeting minutes template you fill in online: team, board, standup, 1:1, kickoff, retro and client formats. Export to Docs, Word, PDF or Markdown.How to write meeting minutesHow to write meeting minutes before, during and after the meeting: what to include, what to leave out, an example and a free template you can fill in.Transcript to minutesPaste a Zoom, Teams or Google Meet transcript and get minutes: decisions, action items with owners and due dates, questions and risks. Nothing is uploaded.MOM formatMOM full form, the standard minutes of meeting format, a sample MOM in business English and a free template to fill in and email in minutes.Nonprofit, HOA and club minutesSimple meeting minutes template for nonprofits, HOAs, PTAs, clubs and churches: attendance, quorum, reports, motions, votes and actions. Free, no sign-up.Action items templateWrite action items that get done: one owner, a verb and a due date. Free action items template and tracker with owner filters and CSV export.Meeting agenda templateFree meeting agenda template with time allocation: start and end times for each item, an overrun warning and a live meeting timer. Turns into minutes in one click.Meeting cost calculatorCalculate what a meeting costs: attendees x hourly rate x length, with overhead, prep time and recurring yearly cost. Live cost meter. Free, private.Meeting minutes examplesMeeting minutes examples you can copy: team meeting, board meeting, client call, standup and project kickoff, with decisions and action items done right.Standup meeting notesFree daily standup notes template: yesterday, today and blockers for each person, a 15-minute agenda timer and blocker actions you can track.One-on-one meeting notesFree one-on-one meeting notes template and 1:1 agenda: wellbeing, priorities, feedback both ways and growth, with agreed actions you can track.Project kickoff meetingFree project kickoff meeting template: goals, scope, roles, timeline, risks and communication plan, with a timed agenda and minutes you can export.Retrospective notesFree sprint retrospective template: what went well, what did not, ideas to try and agreed actions with owners. Includes a 45-minute retro agenda timer.Client meeting notesFree client meeting notes template: client needs, proposal, concerns, decisions and next steps, ready to paste into a follow-up email.

More free meeting tools

Plan the meeting

Before anyone joins.

During and after

Capture, summarise and follow up.

Time and cost

Keep meetings short and worth it.

AltF Minutes runs in your browser. Transcripts are never uploaded; only your minutes draft and action list are kept, in this browser's local storage.