Having said that, I can't see why the entire board would get involved in every application
I think the board, or at least a committee of the board, needs to rubber stamp each application. I would imagine the membership secretary would attach a list of applications to the agenda, along with recommendations and the rest of the board would take a quick look and say "no objection" and then get on with the rest of the meeting. It's a formality that needs to be done, though, I think.