Board meetings

Board meetings are formal meetings of the charity’s trustee board. 

The board must meet as often as is necessary to carry out their role of governing the charity.

Trustees must be able to see or hear each other at meetings – this includes face to face meetings, or (unless prohibited in the governing document) meetings held by video conferencing. It is recommended that boards meeting exclusively by video conferencing should have at least one physical meeting each year.

The rules governing the frequency and conduct of board meetings vary from charity to charity and are usually set out in the charity’s governing document and/or or associated policies.

A charity’s rules might, for example, set out:

• the required frequency of board meetings
• the quorum – the minimum number of trustees required to be present for a meeting to be valid
• other specific procedures - for example, the power to hold meetings by telephone or the power for individual trustees to call meetings.

The chair of trustees is responsible for chairing meetings of the trustee board. Any further duties or powers of the chair might be set out in the governing document or agreed by trustees or members.

The minutes are a formal record of the board meeting and must be recorded accurately and agreed by trustees and securely preserved

Trustees are collectively responsible for the decisions taken by the trustee board as a whole. This applies even if a trustee is unable to attend a board meeting. It is important, then, than trustees always prepare for meetings and read background papers, even if they cannot attend the meeting.