Avoiding Booster Club Member Burnout

A Booster Club’s main job is to support school activities, but how do you keep your members motivated and enthusiastic? Oftentimes, members will stay in a club for years as their students pass through a school, so a strong Booster Club has to both retain experienced members as well as continue recruitment to encourage new members.

Recruit

A big part of avoiding burnout is having enough people to run your programs. It’s a good idea to plan a big recruiting event near the beginning of the school year. Oftentimes, people will be glad to commit if they are asked. New recruits not only bring more help but fresh ideas and new energy to your Booster Club.

Make sure and communicate with your new members exactly what is expected of them. Many volunteers become frustrated because they don’t fully understand the level of commitment. Volunteer become burned out when they have too much to do or they are left standing around without enough to do.

Retain

Actively work on retaining the volunteers that you do have as their experience is very valuable to your program. There are more than a few ways to retain volunteers. One is through recognition. A quick shout out on social media for a job well done is always appreciated. “Thank You” cards are another nice gesture.

Create member positions, similar to a job description. It may take a little work but make sure that people are assigned to positions that speak to their strengths. People will feel more engaged if they feel like they are doing a good job. On the other hand, if someone has held their position for a number of years, try switching it up. New challenges are a great way to prevent burnout.

Rest

Have you ever considered why sports teams are so successful year after year? It’s because they have an off season. Make sure there is a clear start day and end date to your Booster Club membership and that those dates are clearly communicated.

A year-end party or celebration can be a great tactic for getting members to commit through the year. With a little creativity you can make this party as big or small as you would like, just make sure that it is fun and your members feel appreciated!

Say goodbye to burnout. With a little planning your Booster Club members will feel appreciated, engaged and productive.