Question 1

Is a credit card required for the 10-day trial?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A card is required to start the 10-day trial. Nothing is charged during the trial and you can cancel any time before it ends. We collect the card up front for two reasons: your board's minute book is a permanent record, so we won't let a trial lapse into an account we have to delete; and non-profit status is usually approved during the trial, which means the discount is already applied to your first invoice rather than refunded after it.

Question 2

How does the 40% non-profit discount work?

Accepted Answer

You subscribe at the ordinary price and submit your non-profit documentation from the Admin area. Once the claim is approved, a 40% discount is applied to the subscription itself, so every future invoice is discounted. If approval lands after a charge has already been taken, a credit is issued for the difference.

Question 3

What is the difference between the three plans?

Accepted Answer

Pro covers a single board: calendar, agendas, motions and votes, attendance, minutes approval and the sealed minute book. Plus adds committees and sub-boards. Umbrella adds additional organizations under one account, each with its own roster, branding and record.

Question 4

Can we pay annually?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Annual billing is two months free compared with paying monthly, and the non-profit discount applies to annual plans in exactly the same way.

Question 5

How do people sign in? Is there a password?

Accepted Answer

There are no passwords. Sign-in is a one-time code sent to the member's email address, and only addresses invited by an administrator can reach an organization.

Question 6

Can a member be on the roster without an email address?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Members without email are records-only: they appear on the roster, count for quorum and attendance, and can be recorded as making or seconding motions. An administrator maintains their record on their behalf.

Question 7

Who can invite people?

Accepted Answer

Only an administrator of the organization. The administrator enters the person's full name exactly as it should appear in the record, then sends the invitation to their email address.

Question 8

What can an ordinary board member see?

Accepted Answer

Members see their own portal: upcoming meetings, agendas, and the minutes their organization has approved. Administrative functions, billing and roster management are not visible to them.

Question 9

What happens when minutes are sealed?

Accepted Answer

Sealed minutes are immutable. They cannot be edited or deleted afterwards. If something needs to change, the board passes a motion to amend, and the amendment is recorded as its own entry in the minute book alongside the original.

Question 10

Does Secretarius record or transcribe our meetings?

Accepted Answer

No. Secretarius is a secretary's tool, not a transcription service. It records what governance requires: attendance, motions, seconds, votes, results, and the approved minutes. There is no audio capture.

Question 11

Is artificial intelligence used on our minutes?

Accepted Answer

Only if you ask for it, and only to polish wording. Drafting help is optional, an administrator controls whether it is available, and no AI step can alter an approved or sealed record.

Question 12

Can we use our own terminology?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every governance term is configurable per organization. A lodge, a religious order, a school district and a corporation can each use their own wording for the body, its officers, and its records.

Question 13

Can we upload our own logo and branding?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on every plan. Branding is not reserved for higher tiers.

Question 14

Does Secretarius send notice of our meetings?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Set a notice lead time in days and, if you want one, a reminder a set number of hours before the meeting. Notices carry the agenda as it stands, go to the body that is meeting, and are sent to each recipient only once. Every delivery is recorded so administrators can see exactly what went out.

Question 15

What happens to a motion that is laid on the table?

Accepted Answer

It stays outstanding for that body. When the next agenda for the same body is built, tabled motions and any prior minutes still awaiting approval are offered as unfinished business and can be placed on the agenda with a click, linked back to the meeting they came from.

Question 16

Can we track the tasks a meeting assigns?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Action items record a task, the member responsible and a due date, and can be tied to the agenda item or motion that produced them. Items stay open until closed, and open items from earlier meetings appear alongside the current meeting's list.

Question 17

Can we print minutes for signature?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Approved minutes, the agenda packet and the motion register each have a print view with your letterhead, page numbers and dated signature lines for the secretary and the chair. Choose Save as PDF in the print dialog if you want a file rather than paper.

Question 18

Is there a record of who changed what?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Consequential actions — minutes approved and sealed, motions recorded, roster changes, plan and non-profit decisions, exports and deletions — are written to an audit trail with the actor and the time, which administrators read on the Activity tab.

Question 19

Can we get our data out?

Accepted Answer

At any time. An administrator can export the entire organization — roster, calendar, agendas, motions, votes, minutes and documents — as structured JSON.

Question 20

What happens if we cancel?

Accepted Answer

You can export the full record before you go, and you can permanently delete the organization or the whole account with a typed confirmation. Deletion is permanent; there is no shadow copy.

Frequently asked questions