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A Board Resource Tool 11-oin the Midwest Center liar nonprofit Leadership Consent Agenda David O. Renz, Ph.D. What is a Consent Agenda? A consent agenda is a practice by which the mundane and non -controversial board action items are organized apart from the rest of the agenda and approved as a group. This includes all of the business items that require formal board approval and yet, because they are not controversial, there is no need for board discussion before taking a vote. Items may be on a consent agenda only if all board members agree; if even one member considers a specific item to need discussion, it must be removed and placed on the regular agenda for the board meeting. Why are Consent Agendas Used? Consent agendas are used to save board meeting time and to help ensure that board meetings focus on substantive topics that are worth discussion. Through the "bundling" process, the entire set of items of business that are not worth board meeting time can be voted on in one action versus taking the time to vote on each individual item. When Should Consent Agendas Be Used? Consent agendas should be used when there are a number of non -controversial business items on which the board needs to vote. Complete information must be provided in advance of the meeting to all board members, so that each knows what is being proposed and has the opportunity to consider whether the item truly is non -controversial. The key here is "non- controversial," and the definition of non -controversial may vary from organization to organization. Consent agenda items often are matters that a bylaw or some other rule or regulation requires to be formally approved by the board, yet there is no value added by engaging the board in discussion about the item (e.g., a routine lease renewal for a facility already included in the approved agency budget). Consent agendas are not to be used to hide actions that will be controversial -- to do so breaches the trust of the board and undermines the value of this practice. Where Should Consent Agendas be Placed within the Overall Meeting Agenda? The consent agenda typically appears very near the beginning of the regular meeting. This allows any item removed from the consent agenda to be placed onto the overall agenda for discussion and action later in the meeting. As with all formal board action, a quorum must be present to in order for action on the consent agenda items to be legitimate and binding. The Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership University of Missouri — Kansas City