Enrichment · Passion Projects

A meeting that ends
when it says it will.

Most club meetings run long for one reason: nobody added up the minutes. List the items in the usual order of business with a leader and minutes for each, write out every motion before the meeting, and the agenda times itself from the start. It works the same way as a Student Council Meeting Agenda Generator, with the quorum checked.

Build an agendaWhat you get

Your agendas

The worked example is made up: a student council meeting with a $350 budget vote, a quorum of 10 out of 18 members and items that add up to five minutes more than the slot. Saved on this device only.

Loading the agenda form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · Passion ProjectsFree

What you finish with
An agenda per meeting with club, date, start time, length, place, chair, note-taker, voting members and quorum; items with leader, minutes, kind and the motion for each vote; five prep steps. Times every item from the start; flags an agenda over its length, a quorum larger than the membership and votes without a written motion; prints the timed agenda.
Who it is for
Student council officers, club presidents and secretaries in middle school, high school and college, and their advisers.
Format
Browser agenda builder with a saved record per meeting. Prints the timed agenda for members, the full record, every agenda as a table or a blank agenda; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Passion Projects space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Enter the meeting’s date, start time and length.
  2. Add items in the usual order with a leader and minutes for each.
  3. Write out each motion in full: “To spend up to $350 on …”.
  4. Fix any flag, then print or send the agenda two days ahead.
  5. Duplicate it next time; most items repeat.

Build an agenda

Motions

How a motion moves1. Move“I move that we …”2. SecondAnother member agrees todiscuss it3. StateThe chair repeats themotion4. DebateMembers speak, one at atime5. VoteThe chair puts thequestion6. AnnounceThe chair states theresultThe basic steps from Robert’s Rules of Order. Your bylaws may simplify them.How a motion moves1. Move“I move that we …”2. SecondAnother member agrees to discuss it3. StateThe chair repeats the motion4. DebateMembers speak, one at a time5. VoteThe chair puts the question6. AnnounceThe chair states the resultThe basic steps from Robert’s Rules ofOrder. Your bylaws may simplify them.
The basic steps from Robert’s Rules of Order. Many clubs and councils use a simplified version in their bylaws.

Quorum

Quorum is the number of voting members who must be present for the group to make decisions. Your bylaws set it; under Robert’s Rules the default is a majority of the membership. Check it at the start and note it in the minutes. Without quorum you can talk, but votes do not count.

Kinds of items

Information items share news: reports, updates. Discussion items gather ideas before a decision. Vote items end in a decision, and members vote better when the motion was written down and shared ahead. Mark each item so members know what to expect.

Sources

  1. Robert, H. M., et al. Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th edition. PublicAffairs (2020).
  2. Robert’s Rules Association. Frequently asked questions: quorum and the order of business (robertsrules.com).
  3. National Association of Student Councils. Resources for student council officers and advisers (nasc.us).
  4. National Association of Secondary School Principals. Student leadership resources (nassp.org).

The worked example is made up. Your club’s bylaws and your adviser’s guidance come first. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.