Draft minutes the same week

From notes to a draft

Grantkeeper drafts the minutes from what you send: date, time, who attended, whether a quorum was present if your notes say so, each motion with who made and seconded it, the vote as recorded, any recusals, and the decisions. New action items get an owner and a due date.

Anything the notes don't make clear, such as a vote count or who arrived late, is marked for you to confirm rather than filled in. The draft is labelled as a draft until the board adopts it.

Fictional example: the notes say the winter budget passed and the van purchase was tabled, but not who seconded the budget motion. The draft records both decisions, lists the vote as 6 to 0 from the notes, and marks the seconder as a question for you.

Keep it timely

The IRS Instructions for Form 990 ask whether an organization documented its board meetings at the time, and describe contemporaneous as by the later of the next meeting or 60 days after the meeting. They say documentation can include approved minutes, email or similar writings that explain the action taken, when it was taken and who made the decision.

Grantkeeper drafts the minutes the same week, adds the new action items to TickTick with their owners and dates, and carries the open ones into next month's packet. Personal discussion that isn't part of a decision stays out of the minutes.

If a member stepped out of a vote because of a conflict of interest, the minutes say so, using the words from your notes.

Send the notes the day after the meeting while memories are fresh. If your board records meetings, follow its policy on recordings.