Nonprofit board meeting agenda template
A board meeting agenda template for nonprofit boards, with the standing items, time allotments and motion placeholders a chair needs. Answer three questions and copy or download it. It is free, and there is nothing to sign in to.
Your board meeting agenda
# [Organization name] Board of Directors
## Regular meeting: Agenda
**Date:** [Date]
**Time:** [Start time] to [End time]
**Location:** [Address or video link]
**Presiding:** [Chair] · **Minutes:** [Secretary]
**Materials in the board packet:** prior minutes, financial statements, executive director report, committee reports, [other].
### Agenda
1. **Call to order** (2 min). The chair calls the meeting to order at ___.
2. **Roll call and quorum** (3 min). The secretary records who is present; the chair confirms a quorum under the bylaws.
3. **Approval of the agenda** (2 min). Additions or changes to the order of business.
4. **Approval of prior minutes** (3 min). Motion to approve the minutes of the [prior meeting date] meeting as presented or as corrected.
5. **Consent agenda** (5 min). Approved in one motion unless a director asks that an item be discussed separately.
- Committee minutes received
- Routine reports and correspondence
- [Other routine items]
6. **Executive director report** (15 min). Programs, people, risks, and what the board is asked to decide or help with.
7. **Finance and treasurer report** (15 min). Statements against budget for the period ending ___, cash position, and any variances to explain. Motion to accept the financial report.
8. **Committee reports** (15 min).
- Governance / nominating: ___
- Finance / audit: ___
- Development / fundraising: ___
- Programs: ___
9. **Old business** (10 min). Items carried from the last meeting and the status of open action items.
10. **New business and decisions** (15 min).
- Motion that the board ___. Moved by ___; seconded by ___.
- Motion that the board ___. Moved by ___; seconded by ___.
11. **Executive session, if needed** (as needed). Purpose stated; staff and guests leave; any action taken is recorded.
12. **Announcements and next meeting** (3 min). Next meeting: [date, time and location].
13. **Adjournment** (1 min). Motion to adjourn at ___.
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_This template is a starting point. Your bylaws and state law decide quorum, notice, voting and what the record must contain; when they differ from this template, follow them._
What goes in a board meeting agenda
A board meeting agenda is the order of business for one meeting: what the board will hear, discuss and decide, in what order, and for how long. It tells directors what to read before they arrive, tells the chair how to keep the meeting on time, and gives the secretary the outline the minutes will follow. A good agenda spends most of the meeting on decisions and discussion, and moves routine approvals into a consent agenda.
Most nonprofit board agendas carry these items, in roughly this order:
- Call to order, with the time, so the minutes can record it.
- Roll call and quorum. The secretary records who is present and the chair confirms the board can act. Your bylaws set what counts as a quorum.
- Approval of the agenda and of the minutes of the last meeting, each by motion.
- Consent agenda: routine items passed in one vote unless a director asks to discuss one.
- Executive director report and the finance or treasurer report, with the statements in the packet.
- Committee reports, usually one line each unless a committee is bringing a recommendation.
- Old business: items carried from the last meeting and the status of open action items.
- New business and decisions, each framed as a motion the board can vote on.
- Executive session, if one is needed, with its purpose stated.
- Next meeting date and adjournment, again with the time.
The annual meeting adds the election of officers and directors, the budget for the coming year and conflict-of-interest disclosures. A special meeting is usually called for a particular purpose, and the notice may state it; whether other business can be taken up depends on your bylaws and state law.
The chair owns the agenda and approves it before it goes out, usually with the board packet about a week ahead. Quorum, notice periods and what a special meeting may take up are set by your bylaws and by state law. This template is a starting point for your own agenda, not legal advice.
How Karma Compass does this for you
In Karma Compass, the Agenda Agent drafts the next agenda from what is open on your board, so the chair edits a draft instead of starting from a blank page. It carries forward unfinished action items, lists the decisions the board still has to make, and attaches the reports directors should read first.
The draft is a working draft your board can review and edit before it goes out. The chair or another approver signs off before the agenda and board packet are sent to directors, who open them from links in their email without signing in. Read more about board agendas drafted by AI.
Nothing becomes official until someone on your board with the authority to approve it does. The agents prepare the work; your board makes the decisions. See who approves what.
Questions boards ask
How long should a board meeting agenda be?
Most nonprofit boards plan for 90 minutes to two hours, with a time allotment beside each item so the chair can keep the meeting moving. A one-page agenda is usual: the detail belongs in the reports attached behind it, not on the agenda itself. If the board regularly runs over, the fix is a consent agenda for routine items and fewer reports read aloud.
Who prepares the board meeting agenda?
The chair owns the agenda, usually drafting it with the executive director and circulating it with the board packet about a week before the meeting. Directors should be able to ask for an item to be added. Approving the agenda is often the first motion of the meeting, which lets the board change the order of business before it starts.
What is a consent agenda?
A consent agenda groups routine items that need a vote but not a discussion, such as receiving committee minutes or approving a standing report, and passes them in one motion. Any director can ask for an item to be pulled and discussed on its own. It saves the board time for the decisions that need it.
What is different about an annual meeting agenda?
The annual meeting adds the business many bylaws require once a year: electing officers and directors whose terms are ending, adopting the budget for the coming year, collecting conflict-of-interest disclosures, and sometimes reviewing the bylaws and board policies. Which of these your board must do, and when, is set by your bylaws and state law.
Can a special board meeting cover anything?
It depends on your bylaws and state law. Most bylaws limit a special meeting to the business stated in the notice that called it, and set who may call one and how much notice directors must receive. An agenda for a special meeting should name its purpose. Check your bylaws and state law before adding anything else.