Three meetings ago your board agreed to get quotes for the roof. The quotes still aren't in, nobody is sure who was asked, and the minutes just say "it was agreed to obtain quotes". No law requires you to keep an action log — but this is the problem it exists to solve.
An action log is a one-page table of everything the board has asked someone to do: what, who, by when, and whether it has happened. This guide explains what the rules actually say, gives you a free action log template you can copy today, and shows you how to run it so decisions stop vanishing between meetings.
What is a charity trustee action log?
An action log (some boards call it an action register, action tracker or actions schedule) is a running list of tasks the board has agreed, each with a named owner and a due date. It is not the same thing as your minutes.
Minutes are the formal record. CC48, the Charity Commission's guidance on charity meetings, calls them "the written legal record of what happened at your meeting". Once approved and signed by the chair, they are fixed — you do not go back and edit them.
The action log is the opposite: a working document that changes every week. The minutes record that a decision was made. The log makes sure somebody carries it out. NCVO puts it simply: "An action register is a useful tool to help track what actions have been assigned for each agenda item."
What the rules actually say
Be clear about what is law and what is good practice. Nothing in charity law requires an action log. The legal duties attach to minutes, and they vary by structure:
- Charitable companies must take minutes of trustee (director) meetings — section 248 of the Companies Act 2006.
- CIOs must take minutes of trustee meetings, and must also record decisions made outside meetings — regulation 37 of the Charitable Incorporated Organisations (General) Regulations 2012.
- Trusts and unincorporated associations should check their governing document, which sets out when and how minutes must be taken.
On actions, CC48 is a "should", not a "must". It says minutes do not need to be word-for-word, but should include information important to your charity — including "any actions that you should take to carry out your decisions". In Commission language, "should" means good practice the Commission expects, not a legal requirement.
So the honest position is this: recording actions is expected good practice, and a separate log is simply the tidiest way to do it. The Chartered Governance Institute's minute-taking guidance confirms the standard approach: many organisations "maintain a separate actions schedule for details, action owner, deadline, etc. along with status", presented to each meeting in the board pack. For what belongs in the minutes themselves, see what should charity minutes include.
How long to keep meeting records
Retention rules depend on your charity's legal structure. Here they are, one row at a time:
| Record | Who it applies to | How long | Rule and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trustee meeting minutes | Charitable companies | At least 10 years from the meeting | Must — Companies Act 2006, section 248 |
| Records of trustee decisions (including minutes) | CIOs | At least 6 years from the meeting or decision | Must — CIO (General) Regulations 2012, regulation 37 |
| Trustee meeting minutes | Trusts and unincorporated associations | At least 6 years | Should — CC48 (Commission good practice) |
| Accounting records | Non-company charities | At least 6 years from the end of the financial year | Must — Charities Act 2011, section 131 |
| Accounting records | Charitable companies | At least 3 years under company law — keeping 6 is standard practice | Must — Companies Act 2006, section 388 |
Electronic storage is fine, provided you can print a hard copy if asked. Your action log has no set retention period — it is a working tool, not a statutory record — but keeping old versions alongside the minutes costs nothing and shows follow-through.
Free action log template
Seven columns are all you need. This matches what governance bodies actually use: the Chartered Governance Institute's owner-deadline-status format, and NCVO's action register reviewed as a checklist at the next meeting.
| # | Meeting date & minute ref | Action | Owner | Due date | Status | Update |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
How to fill in each column:
- # — a running number. Never reuse a number, even after an action closes.
- Meeting date & minute ref — where the decision lives, so anyone can trace the action back to the signed minutes.
- Action — one task, in plain words.
- Owner — one named person.
- Due date — a real date. If no deadline was agreed, default to the next meeting.
- Status — pick from four: Open, In progress, Done, Dropped. That's enough.
- Update — one line from the owner on where things stand.
Copy the table into a Word document or a spreadsheet and it will serve a small board for years. It pairs naturally with our charity meeting minutes template — the minutes record the decision; the log chases it.
Worked example: one log across two meetings
Here is the log of a small village-hall charity after its March meeting:
| # | Meeting date & minute ref | Action | Owner | Due date | Status | Update |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 Mar 2026, min 4.2 | Obtain three quotes for roof repair | David P | 14 May 2026 | Open | — |
| 2 | 12 Mar 2026, min 5.1 | Circulate draft safeguarding policy for comment | Sarah K | 20 Apr 2026 | Open | — |
| 3 | 12 Mar 2026, min 6.3 | Update bank mandate to remove former treasurer | Margaret H | 14 May 2026 | Open | — |
And the same log as tabled at the May meeting:
| # | Meeting date & minute ref | Action | Owner | Due date | Status | Update |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 Mar 2026, min 4.2 | Obtain three quotes for roof repair | David P | 9 Jul 2026 | In progress | Two quotes received; third builder chased 2 May |
| 2 | 12 Mar 2026, min 5.1 | Circulate draft safeguarding policy for comment | Sarah K | 20 Apr 2026 | Done | Circulated 15 Apr; adoption on May agenda |
| 3 | 12 Mar 2026, min 6.3 | Update bank mandate to remove former treasurer | Margaret H | 14 May 2026 | In progress | Forms submitted; bank quotes 4-week processing |
Two minutes of reading tells the whole board exactly where things stand. Notice action 1: the due date moved, and the log says so openly. A re-dated action with a reason is accountability; a silently slipping action is how roofs stay leaky.
How to run the log in your meetings
The log only works if it moves through a fixed routine. Five steps:
- Capture actions live. As each decision is made, the minute-taker adds the action, owner and date to the log there and then — not from memory a week later.
- Circulate within days. Send each owner their actions within a few days of the meeting, while memories are fresh.
- Collect updates before papers go out. The secretary asks owners for a one-line update, then puts the refreshed log in the board pack. The version trustees read at the meeting is already current.
- Review under matters arising. Near the start of the meeting, the chair walks the log top to bottom: Done items acknowledged, In progress items get a sentence, Open items past their date get a decision — new date, new owner, or Dropped. Build it into your agenda as a standing item; our guide to running a charity board meeting shows where it fits.
- Clear the Done rows. Once a Done item has been seen at one meeting, move it to an archive tab or strike it through. The live log should always fit on one page.
The chair owns the rhythm; the secretary owns the document. If chasing feels awkward, remember the review is of the log, not the person — more on that in how to chair a charity meeting.
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Five action log mistakes
These are faults in how the log itself is written — different from a broken meeting routine, and just as fatal.
- No named owner. "All trustees" or "the committee" means nobody. Helpers can help, but one person answers for each action.
- "Ongoing" used as a status. Ongoing is where actions go to die. If an action is genuinely continuous — "monitor reserves" — it isn't an action; it belongs on the agenda as a standing item, not on the log.
- Operational clutter. The Chartered Governance Institute recommends a materiality test when minuting actions: board-level actions only. The same test keeps the log useful — buying the tea bags is not a board action, and a log with forty rows of admin buries the three rows that matter.
- The log trapped inside the minutes. You cannot update an approved minute — so a log that lives only there dies at signing. Keep it as a separate document that references the minutes.
- Vague wording. "Look into insurance" can never be marked Done, because nobody can say what done looks like. Write actions so completion is a fact, not an opinion: "Obtain renewal quote from current insurer and one alternative."
How an action log supports your trustee duties
An action log is nowhere required — but it quietly evidences duties that are. CC3, the Commission's guidance on trustee duties, says trustees must be able to "demonstrate that your charity is complying with the law, well run and effective", and that "part of your role is to hold people (including staff, volunteers and fellow trustees) to account". A dated, owned, statused log is that duty in table form.
CC3 also reminds you that trustees "always remain collectively responsible for all decisions that are made and actions that are taken with their authority". The log is how the whole board keeps sight of work it delegated to one person.
The Charity Governance Code — the sector's voluntary good-practice code, refreshed in November 2025 — makes the link explicit. Under its decision-making principle, a well-governed board is one that "can monitor and oversee the implementation of its decisions", and it lists "board minutes that capture the rationale for decisions and actions" as evidence of good governance. An action log is the simplest way a three-person board hits that standard.
Frequently asked questions
Is a charity board legally required to keep an action log? No. The legal duties attach to minutes, not action logs — section 248 of the Companies Act 2006 for charitable companies, regulation 37 of the CIO General Regulations 2012 for CIOs. CC48 says minutes should include "any actions that you should take to carry out your decisions"; a log is simply the easiest way to honour that good practice.
What is the difference between an action log and minutes? Minutes are the fixed legal record of the meeting; the log is a living document updated between meetings. One records the decision, the other chases it.
How long must we keep trustee meeting records? Charitable companies: minutes at least 10 years (must). CIOs: at least 6 years (must). Trusts and unincorporated associations: at least 6 years (Commission good practice — should). Accounting records: 6 years for non-company charities (must); 3 years for charitable companies under company law, though keeping 6 is standard practice. See the table above for sources.
Who should keep the action log up to date? The secretary or minute-taker maintains it; the chair reviews it at each meeting; owners send updates before papers go out.
What should each entry in an action log contain? The action in plain words, one named owner, a due date, a status and a short update — the Chartered Governance Institute's owner-deadline-status format.
When in the meeting should we review the action log? Near the start of each meeting, under matters arising, with the updated log in the board pack.
Should every task the charity does go on the board's action log? No — board-level actions only. The Chartered Governance Institute's materiality test for minuting actions applies just as well to the log; operational work is overseen through reports.
Does an action log help with our trustee duties? Yes. It evidences CC3's accountability and care-and-skill duties, and the 2025 Charity Governance Code's expectation that boards monitor the implementation of their decisions.
This guide covers England and Wales; charity law in Scotland (OSCR) and Northern Ireland (CCNI) differs, so check your own regulator's guidance if you are registered there.
If your board keeps losing actions between meetings, the fix is a one-page log run through a fixed routine. Pair it with our charity meeting minutes template and what should charity minutes include for the formal record, and build the review into your trustee meeting agenda template as a standing item. Browse the full guides library, or try it with your board.