What Is a Written Consent Agenda?

Written consent agendas are a governing tool which allows nonprofit boards streamline meeting procedures. They blend The influence of new technologies on the processes of modern mergers and acquisitions routine and non-controversial topics into groups that can then be put to a vote and included in the board minutes. This method allows for shorter meetings and more time to discuss high-priority issues.

These routine items include budgets with financial reports committee updates, the approvals of the most recent draft of the minutes for board meetings and other non-controversial matters. These items are added to the agenda prior to the meeting, are then scrutinized by board members, and they vote on them as a bloc at the start of the meeting.

Before the vote, the chair of the board may inquire whether any member of the board wants to move an item from the agenda of consent to the discussion portion of the meeting. This allows each board member to clarify or raise questions before the grouping is decided on and also ensures that no unintentional issue was overlooked during the process of gathering information that the board can then approve.

A well-planned consent agenda could be a powerful tool for nonprofit boards to utilize in maximizing efficiency of meetings and increasing board director involvement, and improving productivity. It is important to note however that the consent agenda should not be used to address issues that require a lengthy discussion or thoughtful review, or when a discussion could change the outcome or impact of the issue. It should only be used when a decision can be made without debate. The results of all votes should be recorded in the minutes of the board’s meeting.