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Creating a Regular Meeting Schedule

Let’s be honest. Most people don’t like attening or running a booster club meeting. They are often stuffy, boring, and drag on way past the scheduled end time. In some cases, hardly any work gets done because side topics and conversations got started.

One of the best ways to keep your members regularly attending booster club meetings is actually to start and end on time. With busy schedules and lives, having your meetings start and end on time is a great way to keep the members actively showing up.

Running a booster club meeting can be both organized as well as fun.

It’s also important to schedule your meetings far enough apart that there is plenty of both old and new content to discuss.

Some things to consider with your booster club marketing are:

  • imageMembers forget what happened since the last meeting.
  • imageIt can cause a lull in communication, which could result in declining activity for the club.

The best way to schedule meetings is by making them a regular occurrence.

  • imageHolding your meetings on the same day every month or bi-monthly makes it easier for members to schedule.
  • imageChoosing a time of day that works for the members increases the attendance rates at the meetings.
  • imageMost booster clubs operate on a once a month meeting schedule and choose to add-in extra meetings as needed to cover special purposes.

Having a plan for the meetings help to keep them on track and the discussion flowing in a positive and on-task direction. Not only that, but it can also help to keep the meeting running on time.

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What To Include In Every Meeting's Agenda

Some things to include in your meeting are:

  • imageMinutes of the last meeting.
    • This helps to catch everybody up to date.
  • image Prioritized topics.
    • If you were running low on time, which topics absolutely must be covered?
  • image Events and results.
    • Have members report on events that happened since the last meeting.
    • Be sure to include good and bad focal points and the amount of money earned.
  • image Updates
    • If events are being planned, have the lead person for those events give a quick update on how things are coming along.
  • image Financial updates.
    • Have the booster club Treasurer give her financial reports.

Also, make sure that after compiling a list of topics and points of discussion that you arrange them into a sequence that makes sense. Using the same agenda outline makes it easier for capturing the minutes of the meeting.

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Capturing Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes are written a record of what happened at the previous meeting. If you want to run a booster club meeting, having good minutes taken can help the next meeting move along nicely and in an organized manner.

Effective meeting minutes include:

  • imageMembers that participated in the meeting.
  • imageThe agenda items that were covered
  • imageList of upcoming events, including where and when they are.
  • imageActions or tasks needed to be completed by members, and by whom.
  • imageThe significant points of discussion.
  • imageAny decisions that were made by the members or motions that failed.
  • imageRecord the financial numbers shared by the treasurer in regards to the group’s money.
  • imageIf there was a vote or ballot, what was it and what were the results?

Booster clubs follow the standard parliamentary procedure referred to as Robert’s Rules of Order to ensure that the votes are cast justly.

In 1876, Henry M Robert published a set of standard parliamentary procedure still used in meetings today. Having a majority of the group choose to accept or deny an idea helps to keep everyone on task and in agreeance. One of the best ways to do this is by following Robert’s Rules.

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Robert's Rules of Order

The most basic summary of how Robert’s Rules of Order works:

  • imageSomeone gets to say their idea (make a motion)
  • imageSomeone else has to agree with their idea (second the motion)
  • imageEveryone has a chance to give their opinion before there is a vote
  • imageIf more people vote yes to the idea, you can do it
  • imageIf more people vote no, you can’t.
  • imageYou also don’t have to vote, if you don’t want to.

How to follow Roberts Rules in your booster club meeting

To make a motion, you must be recognized by the President and be given the floor for discussion. This is usually done by raising a hand until called upon by name by the President as they’re running a booster club meeting. Then follow through with the procedure as outlined in your booster club Bylaws.

With these rules in place, orderly meetings can be run with fairness to all members in attendance.

Letting members know in advance about upcoming topics that they’ll be voting on is a good thing to include in pre-meeting communication because it gives them more time to decide on their ballot.

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Pre-Meeting And Post-Meeting Communication

Communication before and after meetings is a great way to stay connected with your members.

  • imageIt helps to prepare booster club members for the meeting before attending.
  • imageIt catches them up after a meeting- which is great if they were absent and unable to attend.

Before meeting communication

Communicating with your members before running a booster club meeting is incredibly useful for your group.

Several days before your meeting, have the agenda written out and send a copy to your members.

  • imageThis reminds them of the upcoming meeting.
  • imageIt also helped to keep everyone on track and focused on the group’s objectives.

What to include in your pre-meeting agenda announcement:

A booster club meeting plan should include the topic points for discussion and any calls to action that may be required. This helps to pique the interest of the members and get them in the door.

Things to include in your pre-meeting communication:

  • imageDate, time and location of the upcoming meeting
  • imageA quick overview of topics expected to be covered during the conference
  • imageIf something is requiring a vote, give details and inform them that they have to be present to have their voice heard and cast their ballot.
  • imageA short reminder about any events between the date of communication and the meeting (if there are any)
  • imageIf any deadlines are coming up (before or after the meeting), you can remind members about those as well.
  • imageIf anything needs to be brought to the meeting, now is the time to remind everyone.

Two examples of things that may need to be brought to the meeting:

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    Fundraising updates

    • If there are members that were supposed to contact local businesses for fundraisers, they’ll need to bring notes on how the calls went to the meeting for discussion.
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    Refreshments

    • If your meeting has a designated refreshment bringer or is taking turns with the task, using the pre-meeting communication as a before meeting “thank you” can be a polite reminder for the task.

Post-meeting communication

Take note when running a booster club meeting, that having a few members missing from meetings can be a regular thing thanks to conflicting schedules.

One of the best ways to keep these MIA members in the loop is by distributing post-meeting communication to everyone whether they attended the meeting or not.

Not only that, but towards the end of a meeting, attention spans begin to wander. Within a few hours, people can easily forget what happened during the meeting.

Sending out post-meeting communication can serve as an excellent refresher for everybody and help to put plans in motion.
In your after meeting communication, you should make sure that your communication contains:

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    The date, time, and location of this past meeting

    • Including the time the meeting was called to a close.
  • imageA list of the members that attended.
  • imageDistribution of the minutes taken from that meeting.
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    Key points discussed and any decisions that were made.

    • Including the outcome of any votes.
  • imageThe date, time, and location of the next meeting so that members can mark their calendars.
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    Upcoming events

    • If there are any upcoming events, include them and any other follow-up actions needing to be taken.
  • It is also essential to include the name of the recorder for the minutes.

After running a booster club meeting, it’s important to send a copy of the minutes to all members. Most suggestions state that sending them out within 48 hours post-meeting is ideal.

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Holding Your First Meeting

Every group needs a first meeting; this is usually when nonprofits approve the standard items of business necessary for starting. Due to there not being any minutes or any scheduled events at this point, first meetings are also usually a meet and greet.

Things to discuss during a first meeting:

  • imageGet to know your booster club members.
    • Having everyone introduce themselves helps to break the ice and to create some friendships.
  • imageIf anyone is interested in leadership roles.
    • Ask if anyone is willing to take on duties for the group and then appoint the necessary roles.
  • imageIf anyone wants to take on a lesser task.
    • Some members may want to be helpful by being a refreshment bringer or be a member of the phone tree.
  • imageThe group goals and objectives
    • Make sure everyone knows the goals of the group; you’re there to make money for your school.
    • Collaborate and share ideas to help point them towards the goals and objectives of your club.
    • Brainstorming fundraiser ideas could help to get the ball rolling and momentum building.

Somebody must be taking minutes during this meeting so that they can be read and discussed at the next meeting and in the post-meeting communication.

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Two Things You Should Do After Your Meeting

Archive meeting documents
When a meeting has finished, it is essential to store the meeting documents together in one organized location such as a labeled folder in a file box.

These include:

  • imageMinutes
    • Including a copy of the minutes from the previous meeting (the ones that were read at this meeting) as well as a copy of the minutes taken from this meeting once it was concluded.
  • imageAgenda
    • Having an agenda with all of the discussion points on it helps to act as another record of what happened during the meeting.
  • imageTreasurer’s report
    • Keeping a copy of the treasurer’s report with the minutes is a great way to stay organized. While the treasurer is in charge of her documents, having this spare is great for emergencies.
  • imageOther relevant documents
    • If any other documents could help to provide a record of what happened during the meeting. This could include new member applications received or read as well as a receipt of the membership fee having been paid (or a copy).

Keeping an accurate record makes it much easier to be checked through when questions or emergencies arise.

  • imageHaving copies of your financial records can help during tax time.
  • imageIf one copy is destroyed or lost, there is a spare.
  • imageCan help to double-check finances if an audit shows inexact numbers.
  • imageIt can also help allow for fewer arguments from members about what did or did not happen.

Another thing to do after a meeting is check-in on members

  • imageNot everybody is a self-starter, and some need a nudge.
    • When there are people in charge of specific tasks, the President must give a gentle push to help move things along.

This is also great for finding out a current status report on the project, and if there are any issues, you now have time to find a solution before the next meeting.

Sometimes, a job can come with too many responsibilities for a single person to handle. In these cases, handing off leadership can really help. Delegation is a great asset to booster club membership because it not only helps to release stress on some members, but it also gives non-board member booster club volunteers a chance to participate at a higher level.

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Reminders For Successfully Meeting With Your Booster Club

  • imagePrepare the meeting agenda in advance.
    • Gather all of the important documents or communication needed to be covered.
    • Write out a schedule of the meetings processions from start to finish.
    • Include a spot to discuss new business and a chance for members to give their reports.
  • imageMake sure your meeting is mission-focused.
    • A good way to stay organized when running a booster club meeting is setting time limits for everything on the agenda. This helps so that nothing drags on too long, people won’t get off-topic, and you can stay focused.

After successfully completing a few meetings with your booster club, you will develop a good schedule, agenda, and minutes outline as well as a good rhythm for keeping everything moving and organized.