Resolutions and Voting

Future Boards gives your board two ways to decide: a decision voted on during a meeting, and a circular resolution voted on outside a meeting. Both use the same three choices, For, Against and Abstain, and both appear on the Decisions page of each space.

Add a decision to an agenda item

A decision lives inside an agenda item, next to the papers it relates to.

1. Open the meeting and the agenda item you want the board to decide on.
2. In the item's editor, type / and choose Decision.
3. Describe the decision the board is being asked to make.
4. Choose the voting threshold: Simple majority, Supermajority or Unanimous.

While the meeting is a draft, the decision card shows "Draft — voting opens when papers are distributed". Once papers are published, the decision appears under Open on the space's Decisions page. Voting itself opens when the chair opens the meeting. See Meetings and Board papers.

Vote in a meeting

1. Once the chair has opened the meeting, go to the agenda item, or open the decision from Decisions.
2. Choose For, Against or Abstain.

You can change your vote while the meeting is open. The card shows how many present voters have voted. Votes count only the eligible voters who are present, so absent members don't stop a unanimous decision. If your role doesn't allow you to vote, the card says "Your role doesn't include a vote". Observers can't vote unless your organisation gives them a custom role that includes voting.

Record a show of hands

If some directors aren't using the app, in the room or on a call, the person running the meeting can record their votes.

1. On the decision card, select Record show of hands.
2. Choose For, Against or Abstain for each director.
3. Select Save votes.

Directors who voted in the app keep their own vote.

Send a circular resolution

Use a circular to put a decision to the space between meetings.

1. Go to Decisions in your space and select New circular.
2. Enter a Title, for example "Approve revised investment policy".
3. Under Motion, set out what the space is being asked to vote on.
4. Choose a Threshold: Simple majority, Two-thirds supermajority or Unanimous. This is the portion of space members who must vote in favour for the motion to pass.
5. Optionally set a Voting deadline (optional).
6. Select Save draft to keep working on it, or Send now to send it to every member of the space.

A sent circular is emailed to the space straight away. If you set a deadline, directors who haven't voted get one reminder beforehand, and the circular closes on its own at the deadline.

Vote on a circular

1. Open the circular from the Circulars tab on Decisions, from your dashboard, or from the email.
2. Choose For, Against or Abstain.

You can change your vote until voting closes. Circulars waiting on your vote also appear on your dashboard, and you can vote on them from the mobile app.

Manage a circular

Only the circular's creator or a space admin can edit, send, close or cancel it.

• Edit draft changes the title, motion, threshold or deadline before it is sent.
• Close now ends voting early. The current tally is locked in and the result is emailed to the space.
• Cancel circular stops voting. The space is told no decision was reached.

Closed circulars show Passed or Did not pass.

Review past decisions

The Decisions page has a Meeting decisions tab and a Circulars tab. Each lists Open items first, then Past ones with their result. Select an item to see its papers and tally.

Some organisations also have an organisation-wide, numbered Decision register. This feature is turned on per organisation. If you don't see it, contact Future Boards support. See Registers.