In the United States, formal boards of corporations, nonprofits, associations and councils commonly keep minutes in the style described by Robert's Rules of Order. The central idea is that minutes are a record of what was done at the meeting, not what was said. They capture the motions made, who made them, how the vote came out, and what the body decided, while leaving out the back-and-forth of debate.
The template on this page follows that approach. You enter the meeting details, add your notes or a transcript (or write by hand), and the tool arranges everything into a clean Word document you can edit, circulate for approval and file with your corporate records.
What formal US board minutes usually contain
| Part | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Opening paragraph | Name of the organization, type of meeting (regular or special), date, time, place, who presided, who recorded, and whether the prior minutes were approved. |
| Attendance and quorum | Directors present and absent, guests, and a statement that a quorum was present. |
| Reports | Officer and committee reports, with the text attached or a note on where it is kept. |
| Old and new business | Each main motion, the person who made it, the final wording as adopted, and the vote result. |
| Announcements and adjournment | The time the meeting adjourned. |
| Signature | The secretary's signature; drafts are usually marked “draft” until approved. |
What to leave out
- Debate. Record the motion and the result, not each speaker's argument.
- Who seconded. Many organizations omit seconders; follow your bylaws or adopted parliamentary authority.
- Personal commentary. The secretary's opinions do not belong in the record.
- Unneeded names. Name the presiding officer, the secretary, committee reporters and guest speakers, and the movers of motions.
When you use the AI option, add an instruction such as “record motions, movers and vote results; do not summarize debate”, and check the result against your own notes.
How to use this generator
- Enter the organization or board name as the meeting name, then the date, time and place.
- List directors present under Attendees and anyone absent under Absent / apologies.
- Choose Use a letterhead if the minutes go into formal records on organization stationery; otherwise leave it off.
- Upload a transcript or recording, or type your notes, then click Draft the minutes with AI. You can also choose Write manually and use the section headings as a skeleton.
- Check every motion, name and vote count, then download the .docx and add the signature line details.
Tips from the secretary's chair
- Draft the minutes within a few days while memories are fresh, then circulate them before the next meeting.
- Record the final wording of resolutions exactly as adopted.
- If a director recuses from a vote, note it.
- Keep approved minutes with your corporate records; ask counsel how long to retain them.
- Be cautious about discussing privileged legal advice in minutes; ask your counsel how to record it.