Booster Club Officers: Their Roles and Responsibilities

Introduction

When it comes to organizing booster clubs, small nonprofits and PTO’s, select your organization’s officers carefully as there is no magic formula that ensures success. However, strong leadership & management makes a huge impact on whether or not your booster club will successfully achieve its goals. Whether you are filling the organization’s Officer role of President, Secretary, or Treasurer, the level of commitment and care of selected candidates directly impacts the culture and progress of your booster club, small nonprofit or PTO. It is critically important that your booster club officers are individuals who will stand up for your organization in both the easy and the tough times, and not waver in their commitment.

Booster Club Officers Are Leaders That Determine Mediocrity vs Success

When seeking candidates to fill booster club officers positions, you should choose individuals with positive personalities and relevant experiences that will contribute to the organization’s growth and success. Individuals with a growth mindset and strategic thinking skills are ideal. You want leaders who self-evaluate and take the time to reflect and examine their work in order to support the organization’s sustained success. Your small nonprofits, PTO or booster club officers need to be inspiring and able to motivate volunteers in order to continually garner the support so necessary for any booster club’s success. The right people for your leadership team will foster every member’s engagement and motivate your students.

If your organization holds elections for booster club officers positions, post openings along with their corresponding responsibilities on your website and social media channels. Most booster clubs, small nonprofits and PTO’s have a detailed list of booster club officers positions and their responsibilities on their website. (Note, if your organization currently lacks a website, one of the advantages of Booostr is it includes a free online profile and/or a hosted website.)  This clarity allows members to manage their leadership and allows leaders to understand their specific responsibilities. Another example is Piedmont Hills High School’s booster club’s website. This organization posted a list of booster club officers positions and responsibilities, as well as the busiest time of year for each position. This information is quite important and can help individuals who choose to run for specific leadership roles to decide if they can realistically commit to the job. To help you begin selecting leadership roles and determining each position’s responsibilities and expectations, Booostr has compiled a list of common booster club leadership positions and their typical responsibilities.

Common Booster Club Officers Roles and Responsibilities

When forming your new nonprofit, there are a number of common small nonprofit, PTO or booster club officers roles that you should consider filling to help ensure the organization gets off to the right start.  These typical roles are normally key management positions that will help ensure your success.

Nonprofit, PTO or Booster Club President:

A small nonprofit, PTO or booster club president is the chief executive of the club and, in most cases, the individual with the most leadership experience and availability. She or he sets the foundation for your club’s mission, oversees its development, and is expected to attend every meeting, event, and function. This individual also deals with membership issues, appointment of other leadership positions, enforcement of rules, organization of booster club meetings, and the productivity of all operations. The organization president also acts as a liaison between the PTO or booster club and school administrators, or the small nonprofit and any of its major supporters. Your small nonprofit, PTO or booster club president should be an individual who is inviting and willing to listen to others to sustain success. It goes without says, that the candidate chosen as organization president should know how to make suggestions or express disapproval respectfully.

Nonprofit, PTO or Booster Club Vice President:

Not all small nonprofits, PTOs or booster clubs have a vice president. However, for larger organizations, presidents, secretaries, and treasurers may quickly become overwhelmed with all of the responsibilities of that larger organization. Having a second leader reduces the burden of work on all executive small nonprofit, PTO or booster club members. The vice president has a range of responsibilities. They are an executive “floater” and help with the responsibilities of other members as needed. The vice president is also known as the “back-up-president.” If the president is unavailable, they are expected to fulfil all of the expected duties of the president.

Nonprofit, PTO or Booster Club Secretary:

Your small nonprofit’s, PTO’s or booster club’s secretary is the individual who all club members will contact if they need to discuss an issue. The secretary is expected to record what was discussed during meetings and to keep a digital documentation of all events. This is also usually the individual who keeps the website and social media up to date for your small nonprofit, PTO or booster club. Your secretary’s main goal is managing information, communication, and publicity via the website, social media, and other outlets. Most secretaries also have a strong skill set in marketing, promotion, and fundraisers. Some larger non profits, PTOs and booster clubs might also appoint a “marketing secretary” who works with the board leadership to on marketing and promotion alone.

Nonprofit, PTO or Booster Club Treasurer:

Your small nonprofit’s, PTO’s or booster club’s treasurer deals with your organization’s finances. It is helpful if your treasurer is experienced with accounting and fundraising as they are also expected to create revenue streams and to keep a clean record of finances. Additionally, the treasurer is expected to release funds for individual activities and to award monetary scholarships, if available. When selecting a treasurer, you need to make sure they meet the legal requirements to handle financial transactions for a non-profit and to manage your small nonprofit’s, PTO’s or booster club’s bank account. Your small nonprofit, PTO or booster club treasurer can also double as the operations coordinator and be expected to organize and execute fundraising events and devise fundraising strategies. However, if your small nonprofit, PTO or booster club is on the larger side, and if organizing these events is too much for one or two individuals, you could create a separate officer position titled “Operations Coordinator, Events Coordinator or similar name.” The operations coordinator would work with the treasurer and  be expected to organize all events, including fundraisers, award nights, and any organization related trips. Finally, if your small nonprofit, PTO or booster club makes and sells products, your treasurer may also act as the merchandising coordinator and oversee all aspects of the organization’s  products and their sales. Again, as your small nonprofit, PTO or booster club scales up, you may need to create a separate “Merchandising Coordinator” (or similar name) officer role.

A Short Note About Teamwork

When the elections begin, keep in mind that no small nonprofit, PTO or booster club is successful if their leaders cannot work together. When your small nonprofit, PTO or booster club officers and general members have good rapport, the outcome is greater than the sum of all the individual efforts. As you assign small nonprofit, PTO or booster club officers positions, it is goes without saying that all potential volunteers need to have a good work ethic and demonstrate solid commitment while having the character and willingness to work with other people.

Begin your elections by posting booster club officers positions and their roles on your website, social media, and other outlets. Then decide how you would like to elect officials–would you like each candidate to make a speech, write an essay about their qualifications, send in their resume, or something entirely different? Regardless of the election method, if you look out for those striving and inspiring individuals, your small nonprofit, PTO or booster club management team will have no problems fostering that close-knit community that these types of organizations are known for, while also being productive. Happy electing!

 

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