Slightly OT: High School Booster Club Members

[Fryowa]

For those of you who are members or officers of a high school booster club...

1) What size school is your club attached to?

2) Does your club require a donation for anyone who wants to be an official member, or do you allow people to be members if they donate their time for things such as concessions, taking the door, helping work fundraisers, etc?

3) What (if any) benefits come with being a donor in your club (admission passes, concession discounts, other benefits)?

4) What levels do you divvy out perks ($25, $50, $100, $150, $250+ etc.)?

5) How are your officers chosen?

6) How many hours would you say you spend on booster-related activities per year?

7) How often do your officers rotate (every X years, as long as they want to serve, etc)?

8) How often do you meet and how well-attended are your meetings?

I've been a donor at my high school's booster club for 7 years this August (I'm 38), and my son will now be playing school sanctioned sports as an incoming 7th grader. All of the current officers but one are leaving this year, most are over 60, and I've been asked to step in. With lots of newer membership this year we have tossed some ideas around about changing things up to be a little more attractive to new people.

We currently meet once a month, and require donation for membership. We do however take any parent volunteers for concessions/fundraising, but they do not have any voting nor input into disbursement or club activities. Our individual, non-corporate donation levels go from $25 on up to $500+, starting at $50 you get a certain number of activity passes--at the $250 level all of your admission is free, at $500 you are free as well as your spouse and minor children. There are also discounts on school/club clothing after the $250 level. All of these conditions have been in effect as long as I've been a member, and I assume long before that.

If anyone has insight into things that have worked especially well for your club or things that have totally bombed, I'd be happy to hear experiences.

 

[Northside Hawk]

For those of you who are members or officers of a high school booster club...

1) What size school is your club attached to?

2) Does your club require a donation for anyone who wants to be an official member, or do you allow people to be members if they donate their time for things such as concessions, taking the door, helping work fundraisers, etc?

3) What (if any) benefits come with being a donor in your club (admission passes, concession discounts, other benefits)?

4) What levels do you divvy out perks ($25, $50, $100, $150, $250+ etc.)?

5) How are your officers chosen?

6) How many hours would you say you spend on booster-related activities per year?

7) How often do your officers rotate (every X years, as long as they want to serve, etc)?

8) How often do you meet and how well-attended are your meetings?

I've been a donor at my high school's booster club for 7 years this August (I'm 38), and my son will now be playing school sanctioned sports as an incoming 7th grader. All of the current officers but one are leaving this year, most are over 60, and I've been asked to step in. With lots of newer membership this year we have tossed some ideas around about changing things up to be a little more attractive to new people.

We currently meet once a month, and require donation for membership. We do however take any parent volunteers for concessions/fundraising, but they do not have any voting nor input into disbursement or club activities. Our individual, non-corporate donation levels go from $25 on up to $500+, starting at $50 you get a certain number of activity passes--at the $250 level all of your admission is free, at $500 you are free as well as your spouse and minor children. There are also discounts on school/club clothing after the $250 level. All of these conditions have been in effect as long as I've been a member, and I assume long before that.

If anyone has insight into things that have worked especially well for your club or things that have totally bombed, I'd be happy to hear experiences.

There is no magic formula for smoothly running a booster club. It takes selfless people willing to spend long hours doing thankless jobs.

You mentioned that you have club officer turnover coming. Start recruiting new members as soon as possible. If they can learn on the job from outgoing officers that's better yet. You want your new officers ready to go and make things roll smoothly when the 2020 school year begins.

Concession stands are gold mines if run properly. We have two local butchers providing meat, and by that I mean burgers, pork and chicken sandwiches in addition to hot dogs and brats. A local tavern owner provides pizza slices. We have volleyball parents working football games and vice versa. We assign parents one game per season to work concessions, which are supervised by captains assigned by the booster club. With two or three people manning the grills, two more manning the deep fryers for french fries and cheesy fries and four or five more taking customer orders and expediting them, many hands end up being light work.

Booster clubs are the lifeblood of any high school. Their services should definitely get more recognition and appreciation. If most of your outgoing officers are over 60, chances are their kids are no longer and high school and you need you get younger people in there who have fresher ideas and have their finger more on the pulse of day today high school life.

BTW our school regularly enrolls roughly 250 students. But revenue generated from the booster club has upgraded numerous athletic facilities the past decade at our school.

 

[HawkGold]

We have about 1000 students in the HS. I've been involved but not know. Booster clubs can be a big problem as far as pressure...bad and I guess good. Lot's of politics. Donations seem to influence playing time when position competition is close.

That said, the band boosters (we have an elite level marching band with up to 1/4 of the students involved) seems to be a lot better. They genuinely seem to support the program without undue influence. Then again, except for a few 9th graders, most everyone marches. The drum majors seem to be not influenced.

One of the club's president is under fire. The club changed to having to spend most of the money in the year raised. That means shortages at the beginning of the next year. The president paid for the expenses and was reimbursed as money came in. Now he is hated and gossip happens.

That said, what "appeared" to happen at Iowa with the punter/influencer, also "appears" to happen at HS. Sometimes it's bogus and sometimes maybe not.

 

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[99topdawg]

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[smitharooney]

Stay away from doing your own car wash. You don’t make much and the weather rarely cooperates. Our high school is large division with around 1300 students . Each sport has its own booster club . I’m part of the baseball one . Our biggest fundraisers is our golf outing in June where we charge about 60 a player on a four person best ball and a pot luck / bake sale at a basketball game . We get someone to donate meat . We put up a donation board at the baseball field . You give this much you hit a single , double ,triple ,homerun or grand slam . Single is 100, grand slam is 500 or more . It does well because people care about status and thumping their chest .

 

[smitharooney]

Also get control of your respective sport concession stand and run it yourselves and keep your money . That money is huge for your program

 

[hawkeyebob62]

As a long-time member if a service club, I have seen the spectrum from entrenched officers and leadership to quick-hit wunderkinders who have all the hot ideas for fundraisers. I also got semi-involved in my daughter's school activity support groups.

There are tried-and-true successes, but you also have to be willing to look at new ideas. That is often difficult when you have those entrenched souls.

I'm pretty sure you have the insight to know when to tread lightly and when to speak up/out. You will ALWAYS have the "star" parent, the "entitled" parent, etc. The subtle reminder that what you are doing is for the students, athletes, club/group members, etc., helps minimize confrontation.

Our club foundation received a ton of money due to eminent domain seizure. As a consequence, our club fundraising suffered for a while until everyone understood that a private is limited in how/where they can grant. We eventually came up with several good events that have really done well and benefited some really good local organizations.