If you want to start a booster club for cheerleaders, you are probably already familiar with your school’s challenges. Consider these when planning to start a booster club. Do your cheerleaders have enough funding? Are they part of an established sports program? Is there a group in place that’s already working on these things? Your answers will determine how involved your booster club needs to be and what type of support it should offer.
Table of Contents
1. Choose cheerleading coaches who will help you.
When choosing cheerleading coaches to help you with your booster club, choose people who are organized and have good communication skills. They will be able to help you get the booster club off the ground and keep it running smoothly once it’s up and running.
They should be willing to help you plan fundraising and social events for the cheerleaders; they may even be able to provide some ideas of their own!
2. Choose a booster club name.
The first step to starting a booster club is to choose a name. You want to make sure that the name is easy to remember and spell, so be sure you’re not using any long words or uncommon acronyms. Be sure that the name is also appropriate for your community—you don’t want it to be offensive or inappropriate in any way!
3. Create requirements for joining the club.
Before you get started on the actual recruiting for your club, it’s essential to set some standards for what kind of girl you want to be a part of it. Most importantly, she must be a cheerleader and currently enrolled at the school. She should also have good grades, be in good standing with the school, and be a good citizen who contributes positively to her community.
4. Set up your organizational structure.
The organizational structure of your club should reflect its goals and the responsibilities of its leadership. It should also be flexible, so it can adapt to changing circumstances.
The most common way to organize a booster club is as an incorporated nonprofit organization with a board of directors and officers. This means that you have created bylaws that outline how you operate, who runs the club on a day-to-day basis, how they’re chosen, and their duties.
5. Designate officers and appoint committee chairs.
The next order of business is to appoint officers and committee chairs. Officers are the leaders of your booster club, so they will be in charge of planning and overseeing its activities. They can be appointed by the club president or those who join the booster club. The best candidates for officer positions are people who are passionate about cheerleading, have a strong work ethic, and have proven themselves capable with past duties within the organization. Committee chairs should also be appointed by the president or elected by those who join the organization.
6. Get community support for your booster club.
Get support from local businesses. Encourage local business owners to sponsor your booster club with donations of money or products. For example, you could ask them to donate some free food to be served at the practice facility before competitions or games.
Get support from the local government. Ask if any grants are available for new organizations like yours that promote youth engagement in the community and encourage physical activity, healthful eating habits, and leadership skills among young people in your city (or county).
Get support from local media outlets. Send press releases about your Booster Club’s plans for upcoming events (meetings, fundraisers) so they can write stories about it.
Get support from school administrators who are interested in promoting healthy lifestyles among students within their district. This might include athletic directors or principals and teachers who teach physical education classes, which often involve cheerleading activities like dance moves taught during PE class so get everyone involved!
7. Allow members to serve on committees.
You’ll need to get the word out if you’re looking to start a booster club. But what’s the best way to do that?
If your cheerleaders have been on campus for a while, they probably have some idea of who is interested in their program. You may be able to reach out directly or organize an informational meeting about starting a booster club.
8. Come up with fundraising ideas for your booster club.
You can start by brainstorming some things that could work at your school. Here are some ideas:
- Bake sale or car wash—try to tie it in with something related to cheerleading (maybe do a bake sale after a tournament)
- Car wash—you could also do this at the local car dealership or gas station, which may be more convenient than doing it on campus.
- Fundraiser Night at the ice cream parlor/local pizza shop—speak to other cheerleaders and find out what places they like spending their money on after games/tournaments, then try soliciting donations from those businesses. If you’re raising money for uniforms or anything else specific, mention this when approaching businesses!
Conclusion
Being part of a booster club is a great way to support your local cheerleading team. You can also make new friends, try new activities and give back to your community.
