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Most boards would relish the opportunity to have the time to talk about the future of their organization. To have the time to actually think about where the club will be in one year, five years or even 10 years would be a tremendous benefit to your members. What about how great it would be to devote time to the creation of your very own Chevy/U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills Program or synchronized team?

Sadly though, most club boards spend their valuable time consumed with the day-to-day items - reports, the approval of the minutes, committee actions, etc. This is where the consent agenda can be a tool that allows clubs to devote time to the "big picture" without hurting the traditional governance of the usual "old business" items on an agenda.

The Consent Agenda Explained

• Minutes from the previous meeting
• Minor changes such as contact information updates
• Committee reports or actions
• Officers' reports

These are all examples of issues that do not require discussion before voting to accept.

There is obviously an evolutionary process associated with the consent agenda. Club boards first need to have an established level of trust. Next, the board needs to have the means to get this information out to the entire board at least one week prior to the meeting. It is important to realize that any board member can pull an item that he or she feels warrants some discussion, but if this is done every time, it defeats the purpose of the consent agenda, and you will be back to square one.

This is where trust comes in. At first, select items that would not in any way create a conflict or controversy. Perhaps starting with the approval of the minutes and housekeeping issues would be a good place to begin. Working on these noncontroversial issues first establishes the routine of the consent agenda. Then the board can add other items to the consent agenda as the members become more comfortable with the process.

Under the more traditional agenda, these routine items can eat up more than an hour in most board meetings. With the passing of one motion, these items can be voted on in less than five minutes. This results in a huge time saving, keeps the board focused, and might allow everyone to go home on time!

Making it Happen

What does it take to accomplish the goal of using the consent agenda?

First, make a commitment to the concept. Discipline is also involved – people need to submit their reports in writing well before the meeting. Finally, there needs to be a commitment to send the consent items out to all board members at least one week prior to the meeting.

Oh yes, and let's not forget that the board members must commit to reading the items on the consent agenda prior to voting to accept it. In short, the consent agenda requires a commitment to the concept, but it is basically a very simple process.

Keep in mind that this is a radical departure from the way most boards operate. The consent agenda and the process need to be clearly explained to all board members. Everyone should understand not only the benefits of this tool but how it works. The obvious benefit is that it will save time – time that can be spent discussing meaningful and substantive club issues.

Here are some simple suggestions that will help make the consent agenda work for your club:

First, suggest that your board make the commitment to use the consent agenda for at least six months. This will give you the opportunity to make it work efficiently and to allow the process to evolve.

Suggest that people who have questions or comments on a consent agenda item contact the person submitting the report prior to the meeting. That way these questions can be effectively addressed prior to the meeting. If the concern cannot be addressed by talking to the person generating the report, it might be necessary for the item to be discussed in the meeting.

A word of caution: be careful not to include in the consent agenda any major decisions that really warrant some healthy discussion. This will be the quickest way to break the trust and render the process ineffective. You will not only kill this concept and lose ground, you will most likely revisit the issue at length in a later meeting!

Well, there you have it. The concept is a simple one - perhaps not easy but certainly simple. We encourage you to give it a try. Portland ISC President Jody Gardner used the consent agenda after learning about it at September's Club Management Seminar in Seattle, and she was thrilled with the result.

"I used everything [that was taught] at the Seattle seminar about running a meeting, and I finished it in one hour," Gardner said about one of the club's recent board meetings. "We passed the consent agenda in one minute – it included minutes, the treasurer's report and old business that did not need to be discussed."

If you give the consent agenda a try, or if you have any questions, e-mail Senior Director of Member Development Rose Snyder at rsnyder@usfsa.org.