The club board is responsible for running the work of the club between the annual general meetings (AGMs). To do this, the board needs to meet to plan and make decisions about its activities – this is done by holding minuted club board meetings throughout the year.
Some things to do with board meetings are laid down in the statutes, such as how far in advance notice must be given.
An invitation with agenda should be sent to the members of the board a few days in advance. This gives members enough time to prepare matters to be discussed and to add new items to the agenda.
To make this easier, it can be useful to use a template for the agenda.
To keep order during the board meeting, it is helpful if the chair gives everyone a chance to speak and makes sure the meeting doesn’t get bogged down on one point without moving on. Try to keep to this principle, even if you know each other.
Of course you can open the floor to everyone but if you have a good routine in place, it makes it easier to deal with differences of opinion.
It is equally important to keep to the agenda to keep the minutes in order and to make the meeting as efficient as possible.
After the board meeting, it’s important that the minutes are written and before they are handed out, they are reviewed and signed by the secretary, the chair and the person/people elected to approve the minutes.
The minutes are usually taken as discussion minutes (containing what the minutes secretary has captured of the discussions and the spirit of the meeting as they experienced it) or as decision minutes (normally containing only motions and decisions and any abstentions and notes to the minutes).
