How to Run a Booster Club Election

Short answer: To run a booster club election, start with your bylaws: open offices, who counts as a voting member, and the election date. Set a membership cutoff, run nominations about a month ahead, and confirm every nominee agrees to serve. Hold the vote at the spring meeting, online, or both. Record the result in the minutes, then change bank signers and hand over records before the new school year.

Booster clubs turn over fast because families graduate out. This guide gives the parent running this year’s election a sequence to follow, from bylaws to the bank visit.

Booster Club Officer Roles and Terms

Most booster clubs elect a president, one or more vice presidents, a secretary, and a treasurer. Some add a president-elect or a fundraising chair. Parent Booster USA recommends an executive board of three to five people at minimum.

• President: runs meetings, works with the coach or director, and usually co-signs checks.
• Vice president: covers for the president and often owns events or volunteers.
• Secretary: keeps minutes, the member list, and the officer roster the school asks for.
• Treasurer: handles deposits, payments, the budget, and the year-end books.

Terms are usually one year. Parent Booster USA describes a common limit of two consecutive terms in the same position. The BoosterSpark bylaws template allows up to four. Your bylaws set the number, so check before you recruit a president for a fifth year.

Booster Club Bylaws Voting Rules to Check First

Booster club bylaws vary more than people expect. Read yours and write down these answers before you announce anything:

• Which offices are open this year and when the new term starts.
• Who is a voting member, and whether dues must be paid by a date.
• How nominations work: a nominating committee, floor nominations, or both.
• Whether the vote must happen at a meeting, by secret ballot, or allows electronic voting.
• Quorum for the election meeting and how a tie is broken.
• Any eligibility rules for president, such as prior board service.

Electronic voting is the item that trips clubs up. Parent Booster USA advises that bylaws include a provision for virtual elections, covering both nominations and voting. Some bylaws go the other way. The NORDC booster club bylaws require a secret ballot at the November meeting and prohibit absentee, proxy, and electronic votes (Sections 3.7 and 4.8.C). If yours are silent or say no, amend them first. Confirm with your bylaws and counsel when a result could be disputed.

Who Can Vote in a Parent Booster Club Election

Voting rights usually depend on paid membership, and parents or guardians make up most of the list. A few real examples:

• The BoosterSpark template welcomes parents, coaches, alumni, and community members, but only board members and anyone who bought a membership can vote.
• The Prior Lake High School Cheerleading Booster Club bylaws open membership to parents or legal guardians of athletes and the coaching staff (Section 2.01).
• The NORDC bylaws give one vote to each member in good standing aged 18 or older (Section 2.4).

Publish a membership cutoff date with the election notice. Anyone who pays after it waits until next year unless your bylaws say otherwise. Then settle the family question. If a family membership carries one vote, list one voter per membership. If both parents vote, list each parent with their own email. Have a second officer check the list against dues records before the vote.

Booster Club Election Timeline Around the School Year

Most clubs elect in spring so new officers can plan summer camps, uniforms, and fall fundraising. NBCTC guidelines advise electing a few months before year end so officers are in place for the next season. The BoosterSpark template starts nominations in March and elects at the April meeting. Prior Lake takes nominations in June and starts terms on July 1.

Fall elections exist too. One Oklahoma CareerTech sample bylaws elects at the first meeting after school starts in August, which brings in new families. Here is a spring schedule for a July 1 term start. Shift the dates to match your bylaws.

How Booster Club Officer Nominations Work

The BoosterSpark template uses a nominating committee of the current president and at least one other officer, plus nominations from the floor. Parent Booster USA adds that members can submit names electronically and that only people who consent to serve are eligible.

Use a short nomination form and ask for:

• Candidate name and office sought.
• Nominator and seconder, if your bylaws require them.
• The candidate’s written consent to serve.
• A statement of 75 words or fewer, plus a photo if you want one.

Expect at least one office with no candidate, often treasurer. Start recruiting for it in February. Our nominating committee guide covers how to keep the slate fair when the same families keep volunteering.

Booster Club Election Voting Options

Many clubs elect by members present at the spring meeting. That is simple, but it leaves out the parents at practice, at work, or at a younger child’s game. If your bylaws allow it, an online ballot reaches every paid member.

• Meeting vote: show of hands or paper ballot. Use paper if your bylaws require a secret ballot, and have two people count.
• Online vote: each member gets a single-use link by email or text and votes from a phone. Keep it open for about a week before or through the meeting.
• Hybrid: online voting plus paper ballots at the meeting, tracked together so no one votes twice.

With ElectionChamp, each voter gets a unique single-use 16-character key, ballots are anonymous, and results appear the moment voting closes. Printed keys cover parents at the meeting without email. A booster club with 150 voting members pays $10 for the election, and clubs with 20 or fewer voters pay nothing. See how schools use online voting for schools, and if your school also runs a parent-teacher group, read our guide to PTO and PTA elections.

After the Vote: Officer Transition and Bank Signatories

The election is not done until the money is in the new officers’ hands. Most of the booster guidelines we reviewed require two signatures on checks. The Oklahoma sample bylaws want two signers without a family or business conflict. Pearsall ISD’s guidelines bar district employees from signing for programs they sponsor, so the coach or band director should not be a signer.

1. Record the election result in the meeting minutes, including the names of the new officers.
2. Authorize the new signers in the minutes, as your bylaws require. The Burbank USD Booster Financial Procedures Handbook requires new signers to be read into general meeting minutes.
3. Visit the bank together. Bring the minutes, add the new signers, and confirm the old ones are removed.
4. Check for debit cards and online access tied to departing officers, and close or reassign them.
5. Send the new officer roster and signer list to the principal or athletic director. Broward County Public Schools requires a current list of officers and authorized signers.
6. Review the outgoing treasurer’s books first. NBCTC says the audit and records transfer should be complete before existing officers step down.
7. Hand over the bylaws, minutes, EIN letter, tax filings, vendor contacts, and logins.

Start the bank paperwork the week after the vote. Ask your bank whether each signer must come in person, because summer schedules make that slow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can vote in a booster club election?

Your bylaws decide. In most clubs, voting members are parents or guardians who paid dues by a cutoff date, plus board members. Some clubs also give coaches or community members a vote. Publish the cutoff date with the election notice.

Can booster club elections be held online?

Yes, if your bylaws allow electronic voting. Some bylaws require a meeting vote or ban electronic votes, so amend them first if needed. Confirm with your bylaws and counsel when a result could be disputed.

When should a booster club hold officer elections?

Most clubs elect in spring, often in April or May, so new officers take office before the next season. Some elect in August or the fall to include new families. Follow the date in your bylaws.

Do you need to change bank signers after a booster club election?

Yes. Record the new officers and authorized signers in the minutes, then visit the bank to add new signers and remove departing ones. Many booster club guidelines require two signatures on checks.

Planning your next vote? Read about online voting for schools and nominations, or see pricing: free up to 20 voters, $10 up to 200, then $0.05 per voter.