Keeping Offical Minutes

Minutes are perhaps one of the most important duties that a Club Secretary has. Minutes should be kept for each Club meeting and Board meeting that is held throughout the year. Minutes are important because they document the business that your club has conducted. This will help your Club in the future to be able to look back and see what items have been addressed. While everyone will have their own style of keeping minutes, the following information should be included in every set of minutes:

• Date of meeting

• Commencement time of meeting

• Location of meeting

• Attendance

At the beginning of each meeting, it is your duty to read the minutes of the previous meeting for approval by those in attendance. If this seems like a hassle, then someone can be motion to skip the reading of the minutes. However, if this occurs it must be documented

When recording the minutes on a discussion, it is important to remember that only the topics should be recorded. If specific information is being determined, then that should also be recorded in the minutes. Just remember that you should not use biased phrases such as “heated discussion” or “great idea” when keeping the minutes. A good rule to remember is that minutes are a record of what was DONE, not what was SAID at a meeting.

When motions are made during a meeting, it can get a bit confusing trying to keep it all straight for the minutes. When a motion is made, the minutes should state the maker of the motion and the EXACT wording of the motion. A motion has to be seconded before it can be voted on, however the name of the person that seconds the motion does not have to be in the minutes. The outcome of the motion should also be clearly stated after the above minutes.

Here is an example of how this can be recorded:

• John Doe moved that we hold a bake sale to raise money for the One Spark Campaign.

o Motion seconded

o Motion carried 4-2 (or motion failed 4-2)

After all business is taken care of, the floor should entertain a motion to adjourn. This motion should also be recorded in the minutes. If your club is less formal, they can skip this step. However, the time that the meeting ends should be recorded in the minutes.

After the meeting, it is your responsibility to send the minutes out to all respective parties. For general meeting minutes, minutes should be sent to all Club members regardless of whether they were present at the meeting or not. For Board meeting minutes, they should be sent to all Club Board members. One thing to consider is that ALL minutes should be sent to your Club advisors, your respective Lieutenant Governor, and the District Secretary.

There are a few slight differences between minutes for a regular club meeting and those for a Board meeting. Examples of each type of minutes are located in Appendix A.