When creating a booster club, it is important to keep in mind that your booster club management team will affect how well you will be able to manage your booster club. If your booster club is disorganized and the members do not have clear understandings of their roles, getting important tasks done in a timely manner will be a constant uphill battle. Booster clubs must determine which individuals will complete which tasks and should make sure to create detailed bylaws that clearly express the purpose of each officer position. Provided below are some tips for how you can organize your booster club to optimize your booster club organization management.
Booster Club Management Officer Positions
Booster club management structures are typically based of a system in which certain members are assigned certain responsibilities as officers within the club. The State Champs website provides a list of some common types of booster club officers and their responsibilities:
Booster Club Management Team: President
- Club leadership, mission development, administrative liaison, executive (rule enforcing) officer
- Typically acts as liaison between the club and the school administration
Booster Club Management Team: Vice President (VP)
- Organizes the leaders of various committees, and helps to make the behind-the-scenes needs happen
- Takes over interim duties of the President if the President is unavailable
Booster Club Management Team: Treasurer
- Handles financial transactions, booster club bank account, works to obtain 501(c)(3) status with the IRS
Booster Club Management Team: Secretary
- Records meeting minutes, sends out regular communications, compiles member contact information
Booster Club Management Team: Membership/Recruitment Officer
(optional if your club is big enough)
- A membership or recruitment officer hosts regular social events and membership drives to attract potential volunteers and permanent members.
Booster Club Management Team: Communication Officer
(optional if your club is big enough)
- Separate from the secretary, having a dedicated communications officer means putting a stronger emphasis on marketing for events, fundraisers, recruitment, as well as maintaining a presence on social media
Booster Club Management Team: Administrative Liaison
(optional if your club is big enough)
- This is a dedicated officer whose role includes direct contact and work with the school administration (principal, board, athletic director). This officer is seen more commonly in larger booster clubs where a President may have a significantly larger work load
Booster Club Management Team: Fundraiser/Grant Writer
(optional if your club is big enough)
- While the Treasurer may handle finances, fundraising as a goal throughout the year is best handled by an officer who can dedicate their time specifically to event planning, recruiting volunteers, and marketing
The officer positions that a booster club must include in their organization are not set in stone, since different booster club management structures may be needed for booster clubs with differing functions and characteristics. After all, different booster clubs such as music booster clubs and sports booster clubs do not always conduct the same activities. Given that different booster clubs have different needs, some of the officer roles listed above may not be needed in your particular kind of booster club.
For example, perhaps your booster club is small, does not work with a school, and does not need a booster club member to fill the role of administrative liaison. On the other hand, your booster club may need to create an officer position that is not included in the list above. Regardless of what roles you decide to include in your booster clubs and which roles you determine to be unnecessary, it is crucial that everyone in the booster club understands their role in the booster club with some degree of clarity.
While booster clubs may need different booster club management structures, they all need some sort of plan in place for booster club organization management. Without having protocols in place to help you manage your booster club, mistakes will be made and miscommunication can occur. The determination of booster club management structures should take place when booster clubs are formed, not at a later date. Even if you are new to the booster club scene and are unsure about how best to organize and manage your booster club, you should not put off making decisions regarding officer positions. If it turns out that the initial structure of the booster club could be improved, it is always possible to alter the structure later on. Whatever the case, your booster club will need some form of coherent structure as it is being formed, or you will have a very hard time getting your booster club up and running successfully.
Bylaws Regarding Booster Club Officers
Your booster club bylaws should play a significant part in guiding your booster club towards adequate booster club organization management. Bylaws typically address important matters regarding booster club officers, such procedures for electing officers and details about the duties of each officer. The John Carroll Catholic High School Athletic Booster Club provides a good example of how one might go about writing bylaws that address booster club structure:
Section 3. 2nd Vice President
- A) The 2nd Vice President (2nd VP) shall be nominated from among the sitting Booster Board.
- B) The 2nd VP shall be elected by majority vote using a ballot system.
- C) The 2nd VP shall be the Chairman of the Membership Committee.
- D) The 2nd VP shall organize and keep up to date the Policies and Procedures Manual for the Membership Program.
When creating bylaws, it is important to make sure that they are concisely written. This is also true in the case of bylaws about booster club officer election procedures and their duties. If the rules that dictate the roles of booster club members are straight forward and easy to understand, booster club organization management will be a much easier task.
When studying all the options for different booster club management structures and the bylaws that will need to be written to clearly define the role of each officer, compare the various ideas for officer roles to the tasks that will need to be completed regularly in your own booster club. What duties need to be fulfilled in your booster club and which ones do not? Discuss the different options with your fellow booster club members and decide which booster club management structure is best for your booster club.
