Enrichment · Passion Projects

Minutes that record
what the club decided.

Good minutes are short: who was there, whether there was a quorum, what was moved and decided, and who will do what by when. Fill those in during the meeting and the organizer checks the quorum, catches action items with no owner or date and prints the minutes in the order clubs and student governments usually use.

Take minutesWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Passion projects kit, $39 for 43 items.

Meetings

The worked example is made up: three meetings of a robotics club, including one that fell short of a quorum. Saved on this device only.

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

What you get

Enrichment · Passion Projects$5

What you finish with
A record per meeting: club, date, times, who presided and who took minutes, members present and total, the quorum rule, approval of the last minutes, motions with mover and result, action items with owner, date and status, and reports. Works out the quorum; prints formatted minutes; shows attendance across meetings and open action items; flags motions passed without a quorum, unapproved minutes, action items with no owner or date and overdue items.
Who it is for
Student club secretaries and officers, student government members and club sponsors.
Format
Browser organizer with a saved record per meeting. Prints formatted minutes, one record, all meetings in a table or a blank minutes sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Passion projects kit ($39) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. 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 attendance first and check the quorum.
  2. Record each motion as it is voted on.
  3. Write each action item with an owner and a date.
  4. Print the minutes and send them to members.
  5. Approve them at the start of the next meeting.

Take minutes

Meeting minutes

Minutes in the usual order1Call to orderTime, and who presided.2Attendance and quorumPresent out of members.3Last minutesApproved, or approved withcorrections.4ReportsOfficers and committees,briefly.5MotionsWording, who moved it, theresult.6Action items, adjournWho, by when; the time itended.Minutes in the usual order1Call to orderTime, and who presided.2Attendance and quorumPresent out of members.3Last minutesApproved, or approved with corrections.4ReportsOfficers and committees, briefly.5MotionsWording, who moved it, the result.6Action items, adjournWho, by when; the time it ended.
Under Robert’s Rules, a quorum is a majority of members unless the bylaws set another number, and without one the group cannot take binding votes.

What minutes are for

Minutes are the record of what the group did: motions, votes, decisions and assignments. They are not a transcript. A reader who missed the meeting should be able to tell in a minute what was decided and who is doing what.

Quorum

Robert’s Rules of Order sets the default quorum at a majority of the members; a club’s bylaws can set a different number. Without a quorum the members present can adjourn, recess or try to reach a quorum, but votes they take are not binding unless a later meeting with a quorum ratifies them.

Sources

  1. Robert, H. M., et al. Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th edition (2020): quorum (section 40) and minutes (section 48).
  2. Robert, H. M., et al. Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised In Brief, 3rd edition (2020).
  3. National Association of Parliamentarians (parliamentarians.org): resources on minutes and motions.
  4. National Association of Student Councils (natstuco.org): resources for student council officers.

The worked example is made up. Use initials for members. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.