Board meetings typically occur 8 times annually. These meetings serve as forums for company strategy discussions, financial report reviews and consideration of executive director and committee reports. The primary goal is always for directors to plan on continuing to move forward by making important decisions. Performance, strategy and new initiatives are often points of discussion.
A board meeting is officially opened by the chairman in a call to order. Attendance is then taken to determine if a quorum is present. If a quorum cannot be confirmed, a simple majority suffices in its absence. The chairman then begins the meeting, addressing personal or procedural items.
At the beginning of the meeting, the proposed agenda is presented. The board must then approve the agenda of the meeting in progress and review the minutes from the prior meeting. For the current meeting, board members may propose additions, amendments, or deletions and a new agenda may be approved. For the previous meeting, the secretary reads the minutes and calls for any corrections. Suggested amendments are added, based on agreement and are only voted on if there is a dispute about it, among board members. The secretary records the changes and the chair signs off on them.
Following the approval of the agenda and minutes, reports are made. The executive director’s report comes first, providing an overview of any developments since the last meeting. The standing committees, often including finance, governance and audit committees, then present their reports, sharing updates relevant to their area of expertise. If a committee makes a recommendation, the board votes whether or not to adopt it. Otherwise, reports are noted without action. Financial reports are then presented without any further action.
After reports are given, the board delves into old business items that were previously discussed and are now ready for formal approval. Items requiring additional discussion or resolution are deferred for later, while others are voted on, approved, postponed, or tabled. New business items requiring the attention of the board are introduced, one by one and discussed by the board, but are not voted on.
At the end of the meeting, announcements are made. These typically call for little to no discussion. Items for future discussion, may be announced for review. There is often a time for open discussion on any relevant topics, giving board members an opportunity to brainstorm, plan strategies, or simply share new information.
The meeting then adjourns or is officially closed. After the meeting, the chair consults the executive officer for a review of the meeting before the secretary writes the formal record.
