A good agenda keeps a board meeting on time and gives your secretary a clear spine for the minutes. Here's a copy-ready agenda in the standard order most nonprofit boards use — paste it into a doc and adapt.
Board meeting agenda — copy & adapt
- Call to order — Chair notes the time the meeting begins.
- Roll call / quorum check — Secretary records who is present and confirms a quorum before any votes.
- Approval of the agenda — Board approves the agenda as written or with additions.
- Consent agenda — Routine, non-controversial items bundled into one vote. Any member may pull an item out for discussion.
- Approval of minutes — Approve minutes from the last meeting (or handle within the consent agenda).
- Financial report — Treasurer presents current financials; note any items needing a vote.
- Executive Director / staff report — Brief update on operations, programs, and staffing.
- Committee reports — Short updates from standing committees. Written reports circulated in advance keep this quick.
- Old / unfinished business — Items carried over or tabled from a previous meeting.
- New business — New topics, proposals, and motions. List each action item that needs a decision.
- Votes / action items — Confirm each motion, second, and recorded outcome.
- Announcements & next meeting — Confirm the date, time, and location of the next meeting.
- Adjournment — Chair notes the time the meeting ends.
Optional additions: opening mission moment, public comment period, executive session (board-only), or an annual-calendar item.
How to use it
- Match it to your bylaws first — they set your quorum and required order of business, and those rules win.
- Send it in advance — circulate the agenda and supporting documents a few days ahead.
- Use the consent agenda to save time — bundle routine items into one vote.
- Add time estimates next to each item to help the chair keep pace.
- Trim or expand as needed — a small board can drop committee reports; a larger one may add executive session.
Pre-meeting prep checklist
- Confirm the date, time, and location/link, and send notice per your bylaws.
- Build the agenda and mark which items require a vote.
- Gather and attach supporting materials (financials, reports, proposed motions).
- Draft the consent agenda and flag anything routine to bundle.
- Confirm enough members will attend to reach a quorum.
- Distribute the agenda and packet to all members ahead of time.
- Prepare the minutes template and note-taker so votes are captured accurately.