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Consent Agenda Template
Every board meeting has two kinds of agenda items.
The first kind requires real deliberation: strategic decisions, financial commitments, and leadership questions. The second kind is administrative: minutes from the last meeting, a financial report that looks exactly like the last one, and a policy renewal nobody objects to.
Without a consent agenda, both kinds get the same treatment.
The board works through each routine item one at a time, motions are made and seconded, and the clock ticks down before directors have said a word about anything that matters.
Attention fades in the early going and never fully recovers.
A consent agenda separates these two categories. Routine items are bundled into a single motion and approved in one vote. Any director can pull any item for discussion — no explanation required — so nothing is ever buried.
What is a Consent Agenda?
A consent agenda is a grouped list of routine, non-controversial items that can be approved by a board without discussion, allowing for a single vote to address many items at once. It’s also referred to as a consent calendar or unanimous consent agenda.
Under Robert’s Rules of Order, a board may adopt a consent agenda as long as there’s unanimous consent. If any director feels an item on the consent agenda needs more discussion, they can pull that item before the vote is taken. They don’t need to justify doing this, as the point of the consent agenda is to approve only those items that everyone agrees on.
When used well, a consent agenda signals that the board trusts its committee chairs and management with routine matters. In exchange for this trust, they gain more time to focus their oversight on substantive questions.
What Goes on a Consent Agenda?
Consent agenda items can be anything that fits three characteristics: they must be routine, expected, and non-controversial. If discussion is needed or an objection is anticipated, the item is not a good candidate for a consent agenda.
Common Consent Agenda Items
The items below are commonly placed on a consent agenda:
- Approval of previous board meeting minutes
- Routine financial reports
- Policy renewals with no substantive changes
- Committee reports submitted for information only, where no action is required
- Routine appointments or reappointments with no controversy
- Compliance certifications and required acknowledgments
- Correspondence filed for the record
What Does NOT Belong on a Consent Agenda
There are some items that should never be on a consent agenda, including:
- Any item requiring discussion, debate, or director input
- Significant financial decisions or material budget changes
- Executive compensation, hiring, or performance decisions
- Items involving an actual or potential conflict of interest
- New policies or changes to existing governance documents
- Anything a director has flagged for removal in advance
If there’s ever any doubt, the item should default to the regular agenda. The consent agenda loses its value and erodes trust when it’s used to bury items that should have been discussed.
How to Use a Consent Agenda: Step-by-Step
The steps below outline how to run a board meeting that includes a consent agenda:
1. Prepare the Consent Agenda in Advance
Before the meeting, either the board chair or secretary identifies routine items and assembles them in a dedicated consent agenda section of the board pack. All supporting materials must be distributed well before the meeting so directors have time to read over the items and determine if they want to set any item aside for further discussion.
2. Circulate and Invite Pull Requests
Directors should be notified before the meeting that they have the right to pull any item from the consent agenda for separate discussion. These requests can be submitted in advance by approved communication methods or raised in the meeting before the vote happens. This right is unconditional for every director.
3. Confirm No Pull Requests at the Start of the Meeting
To ensure that every director has the opportunity to pull any items they’d like to discuss, the chair should ask plainly if there are any items to be removed before the vote occurs. Any items that are pulled get placed onto the regular agenda to be discussed and voted on separately.
4. Approve the Consent Agenda in a Single Motion
The process starts when someone makes the motion, “I move to approve the consent agenda as presented.” It’s then seconded, voted on, and recorded so the meeting can proceed with the regular agenda.
5. Record in the Minutes
As with every other vote, the approval of the consent agenda should be recorded in the minutes, along with documentation of any items that were pulled. If there are any items removed, the minutes must also record how they were voted on.
Consent Agenda Template
Board Meeting
Consent Agenda
Organization
Organization name
Meeting Date
Month DD, YYYY
Meeting Type
Regular Board Meeting
Presiding Officer
Board Chair name
ℹ️
Any director may request that an item be removed from the consent agenda before the vote. Pulled items will be moved to the regular agenda for separate discussion and vote. No justification is required to pull an item.
A
Meeting Minutes
B
Financial Reports
C
Committee Reports (Information Only)
D
Policy Renewals
E
Other Routine Items
✓
Motion to Approve
Copy the HTML to get an editable version. Check "Pulled" to flag items for separate discussion.
How Board Portal Software Supports Consent Agendas
To run a consent agenda well, boards need excellent preparation, distribution, and recordkeeping. Unfortunately, these tasks become much harder as boards grow and meet more frequently. Board portal software helps remove this friction with many key features:
- Agenda building: Rather than using a Word document to build the consent agenda section, an agenda builder with a dedicated consent agenda template makes it easy for the secretary to put the section together quickly.
- Pull requests before the meeting: With annotation and comment tools, directors have a clear way to flag items they want to discuss further before the meeting even starts. This ensures all voices are heard.
- Meeting records that hold up: A dedicated minutes builder captures the outcome of the consent agenda vote automatically, including which items were pulled and how they were voted on. This creates a complete audit trail with no manual work.
To see how OnBoard streamlines board meeting agendas, request a free trial today.
Product Overview
Enhance strategic meetings with OnBoard's intuitive board management tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a consent agenda in a board meeting?
A consent agenda is a group of routine, non-controversial items that are approved in a single vote at the beginning of the meeting, with no individual discussion.
What items go on a consent agenda?
A consent agenda includes routine items that require no discussion: previous meeting minutes, standard financial reports, policy renewals with no changes, informational committee reports, and routine appointments are all common consent agenda items.
Can any director pull an item from the consent agenda?
Yes. Before the vote, any director can pull any item from the consent agenda for any reason. This request cannot be denied, and no justification is required.
Is a consent agenda allowed under Robert's Rules of Order?
Yes. Robert’s Rules of Order permit the adoption of a consent agenda as long as there’s unanimous consent. Any member must be allowed to object and request that an item be considered on its own.
How is a consent agenda different from a regular agenda?
A regular agenda must list items individually, so they each receive discussion and a vote. Consent agendas group many routine items into a single motion, where they are all voted on at once.
How do you record a consent agenda in the minutes?
List all consent agenda items that were included, record the motion and vote, and indicate if any items were pulled. For example, “The consent agenda was approved with an 8-0 vote. Item 3b was pulled and approved with a 7-1 vote.”
Do all board members need to agree for a consent agenda to pass?
Under Robert’s Rules of Order, a unanimous consent agenda means there is no objection. Should any director object by requesting that an item be pulled, that item is removed and voted on separately. The remaining items are then approved together.
About The Author
- Gina Guy is an implementation consultant who specializes in working with nonprofit organizations get the most from their board meetings. She loves helping customers ease their workloads through their use of OnBoard. A Purdue University graduate, Gina enjoys refinishing furniture, running, kayaking, and traveling in her spare time. She lives in Monticello, Indiana, with her husband.
