What minutes are for
Minutes are not a transcript, and they don't need to be. A set of minutes for a small charity board should let someone who wasn't there understand what was decided and why. In practice that means recording:
- Who attended, who sent apologies, and that the meeting was quorate
- Any conflicts of interest declared, and how they were handled
- The decision on each item, in wording precise enough to act on
- Enough of the discussion to show the board considered the risks and options
- Actions, with an owner and a timescale
What you can usually leave out is who said what. Attributing comments to named trustees rarely helps and can make the board more guarded the next time round. If a trustee asks for their view to be recorded, record it.
If your minutes run to ten pages for a ninety-minute meeting, they are probably recording too much discussion.
General guidance, not legal advice.