Help centre / Meetings & minutes / Build the agenda
Build the agenda
Open the meeting and use Add item in the Agenda section. Each item gets a title, an optional time limit in minutes, and a lead. Upload papers under Papers and pre-reads. Everything appears in the board pack automatically.
Add agenda items
- Open the meeting from Meetings.
- In the Agenda section, select Add item.
- Give the item a title, such as Approve the safeguarding policy.
- Add detail if it helps people prepare. This is optional.
- Pick a Segment. This is just a label for the kind of item: Check-in, Metrics, Priorities, Updates, Action review, Discussion, Recap or Item.
- Set a Timebox in minutes. The time limits add up to the meeting's planned length, and the live timer uses them to keep you on track.
- Choose a Lead / presenter if one person is introducing the item.
- Select Add item. Use the pencil icon to edit an item later, or the bin icon to remove it.
Add papers and pre-reads
Upload files or links in the Papers & pre-reads section of the meeting. Anything you add there appears in the board pack under Pre-reads, so trustees get everything in one place. See send the board pack.
Common questions
Do I have to finish the agenda before the meeting? No. You can start the meeting with an empty agenda and add items as you go.
Can each item hold notes? Yes. Open an item to find a shared notes space everyone in the meeting can type in together. Typing a forward slash there lets you turn a note into a decision, task or project.
What makes a good agenda? Our free guide to planning a trustee meeting agenda walks through it.
The governance behind this: our free guide on charitycontrol.org explains the why in plain English.