Who Takes the Minutes

Who takes the minutes at board meetings? This sounds like a simple question, but the answer is… it depends.

There isn’t a rule that is set in stone. The minute-taker is likely different at different non-profits. When deciding who should take minutes, or if you are evaluating what you are doing now, here are a couple of thoughts to consider.

The board of directors is a group of volunteers that are not paid to be on the board. They often have full-time jobs or responsibilities away from the non-profit. By agreeing to hold a role on the board of director’s they usually agree to attend meetings having read the information distributed in advance. Once the board meeting is over, they may, on occasion, have other duties to handle, but more often, they return to their full-time jobs or responsibilities with little time for the non-profit until the next meeting.

The executive director, on the other hand, is a paid employee of the non-profit. Her job is to do the work for the organization. The executive director is often responsible for distributing the minutes after the meeting, managing signatures on minutes, and filing minutes. The executive director is paid to do this work. It is very common, then, for the executive director to be the one who takes the minutes at meetings.

Ultimately, though, the decision is made by the board of directors.

Ultimately, though, the decision is made by the board of directors. The board decides what will work best for them. That doesn't mean that things can't change. If your non-profit has been handling minute taking at meetings in a specific way that seems dated or the wrong fit for your organization, the matter should be discussed at a board meeting to determine if changes should be made.

I hope you’ve found these ideas helpful. If you have a question, please leave a comment, or send me a message. I’d love to help you out. Talk to you soon. 😊

-Christie