Booster Club Officers

Chairperson? Officer? Here are booster club board member responsibilities.

Leadership Road SignIn this post, I take a look at the most basic and most specialized booster club officer positions. Maybe you are starting a booster club and you’re asking yourself “how many officers do I need?” Maybe you are joining a booster club, and you’re asking yourself “what do all of those titles mean?” Think of the booster club officer positions less as people and more as collections of responsibilities and skill-sets. They need to be applied to make the club work.

Almost all booster clubs have the following:

  • President: As the chief executive of the club, (s)he organizes the fulfillment of the mission, membership issues, and enforcement of the rules
  • Treasurer: Takes care of everything financial, from recording gains and losses to planning for new revenue streams
  • Secretary: Point of contact for all communications and records meeting minutes for the organization

Most booster clubs grow to a larger executive group:

  • Vice-President: An executive “floater” assists with the responsibilities of the President and other members as needed
  • Digital Chair: Deals with the nitty-gritty of technology stuff, from websites to digital documentation of events
  • Event Director: Organizes events such as fundraisers or award nights
  • Membership Chair: Coordinates membership drives, distributes membership benefits, maintains membership list
  • Administrative Liaison: This is usually a non-voting position and in place of a parent volunteer, this can be the school principal, band director, athletic director, or head coach

Depending on the club, roles can become very specialized:

I’ve seen or read about over 20 additional club positions that have grown out of the needs of individual booster clubs. What follows is my most exhaustive list, complete with overviews and links to more detailed descriptions.

To Organize the Club itself:
  • Volunteer Coordinator: Recruiting, scheduling, and following up with volunteers can be a full time job
  • Specialized secretaries:
    • Recording Secretary: Takes notes at meetings
    • Financial Secretary: Like a vice-treasurer
    • Correspondence Secretary: Communicates with the club membership
    • Communications Chair: Focuses on publicity and social media
    • Webmaster: Takes care of the website; often combined with Communications Chair position
  • Parliamentarian: Ensures that the by-laws are followed, records attendance of officers for election qualification purposes, keeps history of all club functions
  • Charter/Bylaws committee: Recommends changes to the booster club’s constitution and bylaws; often combined with Parliamentarian position
  • Election Chair: Oversees elections
  • Auditor: A semi-independent auditor protects the club from embezzlement, giving confidence to donors and volunteers.
  • Floaters: These veteran volunteers mostly provide advice
    • Past President
    • Member at Large
  • Second Vice-President: Perhaps the ultimate example of a position grown out of a large and highly specialized booster club, this example comes from the Buccaneer Band Booster Club of Clute, Texas
  • Points Secretary: Some clubs offset fees through “points” earned by volunteering. Someone has to keep track of each member’s points. This set of bylaws outlines a points system (pages 6-10)
Fundraising:
  • Fundraising Coordinator: Executes fundraising events and helps prioritize fundraising strategies
  • Grant Procurement Coordinator
  • Matching Gifts Coordinator: Oversees procurement and processing of employer matching funds
  • eScrip CoordinatorLearn more about escrip
  • SAT/ACT Test Coordinator: Oversees rental of schools spaces to private test companies
  • Bingo President
  • Bingo Treasurer
  • Food and Beverage Coordinator: Helps train volunteers, and maintain booster club fundraisers in accordance with local food and alcohol laws
  • Merchandising Coordinator: Oversees production and sales of apparel and other products, usually branded with school or team logos
Spending Related:
  • Travel Coordinator: Covers rideshares, gas reimbursements, etc.
  • Scholarship Committee: If individual members of a group are going to receive significant benefits, a separate committee (and fundraiser!) are better, in order to meet the legal requirements of 501(c)(3)s.
  • Grant Distribution Coordinator: Assists treasurer to distribute funds to individual activities.
  • Club Liaison: Keep clubs from banging down your door every meeting by giving them a specific channel of communication

Those organization responsibilities should help you get started forming the structure of your own booster club. See a booster club responsibility or position missing from this list? Please include it in your comments!

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