Chapter minutes
Chapter meeting minutes:

• Are required for each chapter business meeting.
  
  
• Are a record of actions taken and decisions made at chapter meetings.
  
  
• Should be read and approved at regular business meetings to inform those attending of past actions. (When recording minutes, remember that confidentiality must be maintained. When discussing an activity for a recipient, you may not want to include the details of the recipient's situation.)
  
  
• Are typically the responsibility of the chapter records director.
  
  
• Must be retained for seven years. There are two ways to retain chapter meeting minutes:
  
  
  1. The preferred way is to enter chapter meeting minutes online through the "Manage Chapter Meeting Minutes" page in the Chapter Leadership Administration section of For Chapter Leaders. The minutes are automatically stored online for the required seven years (paper copies don't need to be kept), and chapter leaders with Internet access can easily refer to past minutes.

     If you type the minutes directly to the "Manage Chapter Meeting Minutes" page, it's important to save frequently or you may lose your work. Click on the "Save and Continue" button about every 10 minutes.

     Most chapter leaders find the best method is to type their minutes on their word processing software, then copy and paste the completed and approved minutes into the Manage Chapter Meeting Minutes page online.

     Important: Submitting the chapter meeting minutes online does NOT automatically record that the meeting took place. The minutes and the meeting must be recorded separately. To report the meeting, select "Report Locally Supported Activity Results" from the Chapter Leadership Administration Menu, select the Administrative category, and enter the appropriate information. For complete details about reporting a meeting, see reporting a meeting in CHIP.
     
     

  2. Chapter minutes can be filed in the Chapter Leader Materials binder.

When recording minutes, focus on three categories of information:

1. Each decision a chapter makes should be documented, for example:
   
   
   • The admission of members.
     
     
   • Approval or denial of each Care Abounds in Communities® activity/funding request, including funds approved, conditions of approval, etc.
     
     

     Important: Decisions made via e-mail or teleconference between meetings should be documented in the following month's chapter meeting minutes.

   
   
2. Action items that people need to follow up on.
   
   
3. Open issues.

Printable agenda and minutes form available
Chapter leaders can access a printable chapter meeting planner that includes an agenda and chapter minutes form from the Chapter Leadership Administration section of For Chapter Leaders in the Members/Chapters area of www.thrivent.com. In the section, click on “Order Chapter Supplies” and scroll down to chapter meeting planner.