Volunteering to join your child’s booster club is a wonderful benefit not only to your child, but also to all of the students involved in the club’s activities. You are giving of yourself to help others, and we salute you for doing so. Although the purpose of running a booster club is to support the sports team or music program to be successful, all of us volunteers hope that our time involved with the club will also be personally enjoyable. Booster clubs can be fun, and they’re a great way to support your students and make new friends. However, like any organization, sometimes the daily operations or coordination of events can be frustrating. That is understandable, and it is very common across all booster clubs, across all states. However, there are some things you can do to address these frustrations. Let’s look a little more closely at common booster club frustrations and how to solve them.
Multiple Fundraisers
Consider closely the number of fundraisers you hold per year. Holding more than a few fundraisers throughout the year can be frustrating for both parents and booster club officers. It’s a common mistake to think that more fundraisers equals more money. This is only true up to a point. At BoosterHub, we have found that the optimal number of formal fundraisers is two per school year. However, there are other ways to raise money in between those events, such as through concession stand sales, club store sales (T-shirts, hats, mugs), and ticket sales. Holding more than two fundraisers tends to discourage parent involvement, as they feel taken advantage of and may in fact volunteer and engage with the club less than what they would have done. Also, the ongoing workload of many different fundraisers can exhaust even the most enthusiastic committee chair. Keep in mind that each fundraiser has some component of volunteer hours required to make it happen. The best fundraiser to do is an online peer-to-peer fundraising such as the BoosterBucks fundraising platform integrated into BoosterHub. These types of fundraisers require very little to almost zero involvement from any of your volunteers, saving their volunteer hours for when they are needed in-person such as in the concession stand.
Not Understanding the Club’s Job
Sometimes booster clubs may overstep boundaries with coaches or their role regarding school-sponsored activities. Meeting with the school administrators and the team’s coach or sponsor can help ensure that the club provides support all around. Clear and precise communication ensures good working relationships. Many booster club problems arise from a lack of boundaries and communication. Become familiar with the club’s bylaws to learn what the role of the school personnel is and what the role of a board member is. Know who has authority to approve expenditures. Know what expenditures must be voted on. Know who has access to club funds and the club’s bank account.
Conflict Between Booster Club Members
Conflicts can arise when committee chairs or executive board members don’t completely understand their roles and responsibilities. Confusing policies or lack of best practices may put members at odds with one another, leading to fighting over responsibilities and duties. Putting clear operating policies in place can reduce frustrations. Strong leadership with defined roles can help mitigate conflict among members. It helps to spell out the roles and responsibilities of each board member prior to those members volunteering for the positions. You can forward this job description to volunteers prior to election of new board members so that that have time to read it and familiarize themselves with the role. Have your new board members meet with the outgoing board member to bring them up to speed on what is required and expected in the role.
Senior Parents Running the Club
Many senior parents may feel like they’ve gained, well, seniority after four years of participating in the booster club. While they may have the experience and may be friends with more of the students and parents, having senior parents hold all officer positions and committee chair roles may leave the club without experienced leadership once the new year rolls around. It is beneficial to have at least one board member be a parent of a freshman, sophomore, or junior. You want to build a healthy, diverse board that includes representative voices from more than one class, and that provides continuity from year to year so that all the knowledge of how to run the club’s events are not lost if the whole board retires at once.
Incorporate some younger students’ parents into some leadership roles, such as a vice president or committee co-chair, so that the following year’s booster club has some experienced leadership. Some club’s have shadow officers such as co-VP and co-Treasurer and co-President, so that the underclassmen parents can be involved closely enough to get a good feel for the position they will be in charge of the next year.
Only A Few Parents Doing All the Work
This is a common complaint in any group. It is a given of human nature that in a group of people, some will be more engaged than others, not only due to personality differences, but also due to unforeseen circumstances in the family or workplace that impacts the amount of time an individual is able to dedicate to the club. Make sure to offer volunteer opportunities at various times throughout the day, week, and year. Some parents might be able to volunteer at night online, but can’t do so during a daytime event. Likewise, some parents may be able to help on weekends, but not during the week. Spread out your opportunities so that those who can contribute are able to do so.
