A Free Board Meeting Agenda Template for Charities (And how to use it)
Running a charity board meeting without a clear agenda is like setting off on a long drive without a map.
You might get somewhere, but you’ll waste time, miss important junctions, and arrive later than you needed to.
A good agenda keeps trustees focused, protects the chair, and makes sure the things that matter actually get discussed. This post gives you a free, ready-to-use template and a few practical tips on making the most of it.
Why Your Agenda Matters More Than You Think
Most charity boards meet quarterly — sometimes less. That means you have perhaps four opportunities a year to make collective decisions, review progress, and hold the executive to account. A weak agenda squanders that time.
A well-structured agenda does three things:
- It sets expectations before the meeting, so trustees arrive prepared
- It creates a record of what was discussed (and what wasn’t)
- It protects the chair from the meeting running away from them
The Charity Commission expects trustees to demonstrate active and informed governance. A clear, consistent agenda format helps you do exactly that.
What a Charity Board Agenda Should Include
Charity boards have some specific requirements that a standard business meeting agenda doesn’t always reflect. Here’s what to think about:
Declaration of Interest — this isn’t optional. Trustees need the opportunity to declare interests before substantive items are discussed. It should be a standing item on every agenda. This is managed differently to Conflicts of Interest which may occur afresh during a meeting as a topic is discussed – but declarations clearly up front, particularly once you konw the agenda ahead, is key for any Charity Trustee.
Governance items — these are easy to skip when there’s lots to discuss, but they’re important. A brief governance update keeps trustees aware of regulatory requirements, upcoming filing deadlines, or policy reviews.
CEO or Management update — this is usually the meatiest part of the meeting. It should be circulated in advance, so trustees can read it before sitting down together. Board time is too valuable for reading out loud.
Finance update — a charity’s financial position should be on every agenda. Trustees are legally responsible for the organisation’s financial health, and “we didn’t get to it this time” isn’t a reasonable defence.
Risk Register update — (we believe) one of the key responsibilities of a supervisory board of Trustees – strategic risk that will impact on your ability to survive, thrive and drive impact as a charity
Any other business — keep this tight. AOB shouldn’t be where significant decisions land. If something is important enough to discuss, it should be on the agenda in advance.
Free Download: Charity Board Agenda Template
Feel free to download this and adapt it for your own use. We have a copy in the templates section in Governance360’s board portal, designed specifically for smaller charities, and it has seen some service in charities that the founders have been involved in.
A Few Tips Before You Use It
Send it at least five days in advance. Trustees are volunteers with busy lives. Give them time to read papers and come prepared (dare we say, one of the benefits of using Governance360 – everything is visible, up to date and accessible 24 hours a day as soon as you’ve published it)
Include timing against each item. It’s not a rigid schedule, but it signals priority and stops one topic eating the whole meeting.
Name a lead for each item. It’s clear who’s presenting and who’s responsible for bringing the right information.
Papers go with the agenda, not on the day. If the CEO report lands in inboxes the morning of the meeting, half the board won’t have read it.
One More Thing Worth Knowing
If you’re currently sharing agendas and board papers by email, it works — but it creates clutter, version control headaches, and the odd “I didn’t get that attachment” moment.
Governance360 is a board portal built specifically for smaller charities and volunteer-run organisations. It keeps everything — agendas, papers, minutes, actions — in one place, and it costs less than a weekly coffee for the whole board.
You can try it free, no sales call required: governance360.com
Governance360 was founded by charity trustees who wanted something simpler and more reliable than a shared inbox and sharepoint/dropbox/google drive.