By David Hoch

David Hoch, EdD, CMAA, is the Athletic Director at Loch Raven High School in Baltimore County, Md. He is a past President of the Maryland State Athletic Directors' Association and a frequent contributor to Athletic Management. He can be reached at: dhoch@bcps.org.

As budgets for educational athletics get squeezed tighter and tighter, there is little doubt that booster clubs will become more and more important. The dollars they do or do not bring in will impact our everyday operations.

If you're lucky, you have a fantastic booster club in place that follows your lead and can raise money for your every whim. If you're not so lucky, you may have a booster club that is antagonistic, misguided, and constantly problematic. I've been an athletic director in both scenarios, and the latter is not a lot of fun.

But in this climate, you can't just sit back and hope it changes. You need to strategize ways to revamp a problematic booster club. With a good plan and effective communication, it can happen.

GETTING IN SYNC
When a booster club is raising more headaches than money, the heart of the problem often lies in its leadership. All it takes to cause problems is a few outspoken board members who have their own agendas.

In my case, I walked into a situation where the booster club culture was fairly entrenched. At the club's first meeting of the school year, I decided to address the members by outlining responsibilities, their roles, and what my level of involvement would be. When I started talking about how they were a support group that needed to work within the framework of the athletic department, I was interrupted by the president and vice president.

They both emphatically stated that I reported to them. My role was to help them when needed--and they would tell me when I was needed. I was certainly taken aback, but maintained my composure.

Shortly thereafter, a few boosters demanded that more boys' lacrosse games be scheduled in our stadium. I explained that this would cause over-use of the turf, necessitating costly repair and that there were also Title IX considerations. Setting up and playing a contest in the stadium would also mean having to displace our track and field team. One misguided dad proclaimed, "I don't care about track, let them run around the fields."

When two coaches were late returning their write-ups for the booster club's Awards Banquet program, boosters told me to penalize the two coaches. When a new coach who was doing a good job finished the season with a losing record, a few boosters came up with their own plan to hire a different coach.

As the new athletic director at the school, I needed to walk a fine line of not giving in to their misguided requests, while still maintaining a working relationship with this key group. I did this by sticking to my principles when making important decisions, but also honoring their requests when possible.

At the same time, it was important to work on regaining control of the booster club. My initial goal was for me and the group to be in sync. It's not possible to change a culture overnight, but if they could understand my objectives and role, and if we could put some sound policies in place, it seemed we could turn it around.

The process would also take some patience on my part. Fortunately, athletes graduate and take with them their booster club parents. I put a lot of my energy into communicating with younger athletes' parents, waited for the old guard's kids to graduate, and slowly brought about a new way for the boosters to do business.

A LITTLE EDUCATION
Most boosters don't want to make the athletic director's life miserable. They just don't understand what we do and how our programs run. I found it worked well to slowly educate the booster club about athletic department operations. As I began my second year at the school, I asked to speak for five to 10 minutes at each meeting, to explain some aspect of the department's operations.

In my first talk, I provided club members with a quick overview of what I do and what a typical day is like. Most parents only see me during contests, when I'm standing at the ticket booth or along the sideline of a game, and they do not know about the thousands of details that pass through the athletic department every day. I explained to them what is involved in checking all of our athletes' eligibility, processing vouchers for game officials, setting up the stadium, and making sure that we are in compliance with state and county rules and policies.

A lot of parents have misconceptions about the way a game schedule is created--they think we start with a blank slate and schedule whoever we want--so I carefully described this process next. I talked about how our league schedules are set by the central office and the variables involved in scheduling our three to four nonleague contests.

The source of funding for the athletic department was another topic. I explained that we are funded by budgeted monies allocated by our principal, gate income, and fundraising efforts. I then clarified that anything purchased with those fundraised dollars becomes the property of the school. A booster club cannot attach strings or conditions to these purchases. If they purchase a golf cart for the school, for example, they cannot dictate how it is used.

It was also important to educate them on Title IX compliance, and that it applies to booster funding as much as any other funding. For example, if they want to build new dugouts for the baseball team, we will also need to upgrade the softball facility for the girls. If they want to host a pregame meal for the football team, they will need to do the same for the field hockey or volleyball team.

The above discussions brought us to the crux of the matter: What is the role of the athletic director in regard to the booster organization? The best booster clubs see the athletic director as the liaison between the school and the club. This means the athletic director has the responsibility to ensure the booster club is following all school and legal policies in its efforts and is working in sync with the mission of the athletic program.

It also means the athletic director should advise and provide guidance, but not do everything for the booster club. Our boosters used to often call me with a demand at the very last minute. I explained to them that because my day is already so full, it's very hard for me to assist the boosters without advance notice.

Also, while sitting in on their monthly meetings or during one-on-one conversations, I always listened intently for areas of confusion concerning anything involved with our athletic program--and I continue to do so today. It's important to look for items that need to be explained more completely to ensure a better understanding and working relationship.

POLICIES IN PLACE
If you can get your boosters to understand the complexities of running an athletic department, you can then convince them of the necessity of adding more structure to their organization. This can be in the form of a well-written constitution and operating procedures. A document that spells everything out and provides a road map for all decisions is an essential component of an effective club.

If your booster club already has some type of manual, dust it off and read it over. If there is no existing constitution, ask other athletic directors in your league if you can look at theirs. You can also find a sample booster club constitution through the NIAAA's Leadership Training Course 502.

With a generic document to start from, you can adopt it to your own particular school. It is important that you work with members of the booster club to define what exactly goes into your constitution. Without their buy-in, you set yourself up for the same problems all over again.

Here are the items that should be included in the document:

Mission: Work with the club to help it define its purpose. Typically, it should exist to support all teams and the entire athletic program. It is a service organization that raises additional funds and, in our case, helps to improve school spirit and promote sportsmanship.

Your document should also state that the booster club does not set or influence the direction of the athletic department. The club should not be involved in the hiring or firing of coaches or making any policies for the athletic department. Make clear that this is the responsibility of the athletic director, who reports to either the principal or superintendent.

Electing Officers: The procedure for the election of officers and the length of their terms should be established. Without written guidelines, it is too easy for an individual with a strong personality or agenda to take over. Even if there is only one candidate, an established election needs to be held. It is also important to include a system to replace officers who leave prior to the completion of their terms.

Spending Money: The parameters of how money raised by the club is spent need to be set. Commonly, an athletic director will prepare a "wish list" for the booster club, prioritizing what is most needed. In our setting, we steer away from buying items for individual teams and concentrate on larger capital items that will benefit all or many teams.

Keep in mind that booster clubs like to purchase things that will last for a few years and remain visible. They want their efforts to be seen and appreciated. Never underestimate the value of, "We bought that!" It is much easier to get volunteers when they can actually see their results.

Avoiding Embezzlement: Unfortunately, impropriety in handling booster club money has been reported with increasing frequency around the country. Often, only one individual collects and deposits the money from fundraising efforts, which makes it very easy for that person to pocket some of it. To avoid embezzlement, consider the following policies:

• At least two individuals should count monies raised and sign every deposit slip.
• All booster club money should be deposited in a school account (unless the club is an incorporated organization).
• Copies of all deposits should be kept on file as well as all requests for withdrawals.
• No checks should be written without having an invoice from a vendor or individual requesting reimbursement.
• All expenditures over $50 or $100 need to first be approved by the club's board of directors or by a vote of the membership.
• An annual audit should be conducted.

After constructing this constitution, it's important to revisit it every year. At the first meeting of the year, time must be spent reviewing the document so everyone understands how the organization should function.

POLITICS & COMMUNICATION
When trying to tame a wayward booster club, how you conduct yourself is just as important as what you do. Throughout the entire process of upgrading an entrenched booster club, try to remain polite, positive, and professional. There may be times when you want to tell them very bluntly they are wrong (and that they are also obnoxious), but hold your tongue and be as patient as you can be.

It's also important to develop trust with reasonable key members by listening to them and helping them. Take the time to show them your work ethic and that you are dedicated to doing what is best for their kids. That helps them have respect for you when you begin educating them on the athletic department and how to upgrade the club.

Figuring out how to build consensus is another essential step. Before introducing a new idea, feel out some club members and listen respectfully to their feedback. Not until you convince key parents about an initiative should you bring the idea up at a meeting.

Now that the booster club and I are on the same page, I still monitor it closely. I know that all it takes is one strong but misguided parent to push things off track. Making the booster club the best it can be is an ongoing effort, but one that will always be necessary to help our teams.

More information on avoiding booster club embezzlement is at: www.AthleticManagement.com. Type the words, "Watching Every Penny" into the search engine.

Sidebar: BEYOND BOOSTERS
Upgrading your booster club is a key element of getting your athletic department moving in the right direction. But sometimes, even a successful booster club cannot bring in all the money needed for larger projects.

That was the scenario at Cloverleaf High School in Lodi, Ohio, which had not upgraded its athletic facilities since the school was built in 1960. The solution? A local resident started a new fundraising group called the Cloverleaf Athletic Facilities Association.

The non-profit group's sole goal is to fundraise for athletic facilities projects on Cloverleaf's campus. "Our boosters raise enough money to take care of the day-to-day needs of the athletic program, which of course is a huge help, but was nowhere near enough to solve our serious facilities issues," says Craig Walkup, RAA, the community member who initiated the Cloverleaf Athletic Facilities Association in 2003 and became Athletic Director at the school in 2006.

Two years after its first meeting, the Association had built a 9,000-square foot building, which houses a boys' locker room, coaches' offices, team meeting room, weightroom, sports medicine amenities, and storage areas. Upgrades to the soccer and football stadium, including the installation of a synthetic turf surface, play clocks, and a veterans' memorial honoring Cloverleaf alumni who fought in Vietnam, were completed last year. Cloverleaf also recently opened a new tennis complex and is currently working on installing a practice soccer field and a new softball facility as well as a girls' locker room.

The Facilities Association does not conduct traditional fundraisers, but instead solicits monetary donations from local residents and businesses, as well as in-kind donations of goods and services from area construction companies. So what is Walkup's secret to getting people to open their wallets? He has several successful strategies.

"For one, I try to be specific about my fundraising," he says. "Instead of saying I'm looking for money to upgrade our facilities, I break a big project down into smaller ones and fundraise each piece of it. That way, donors feel ownership when they see the improvement they've contributed to.

"I also get hard estimates for exactly how much each project will cost ahead of time," Walkup continues. "With the play clocks, I targeted our local hospital for the funds, but I didn't just go to the hospital and ask for a donation. I went into that meeting knowing the clocks would cost $6,000 to purchase and install, and was able to say, 'This is the specific amount we need you to donate.'"

Asking community members to donate their services or provide discounts is Walkup's other secret to success. He secured a substantial discount on the synthetic turf field by having it installed by a company that an alum worked for. He went to area veterans' associations when securing funds for the stadium memorial. And he hired the parent of a softball player to do the excavating for the softball complex at a discounted rate.

Finally, credibility was also very important. "It took about two years to get that first building off the ground but once it opened, we started getting more buy-in from people," Walkup says. "We're showing community members that we've done what we said we would."

The pride from the new facilities has translated to more success on the fields and courts. "We hadn't won a conference championship here since 2000, and when I came in, morale was very low," Walkup says. "These kids didn't think they could win or beat any of the good teams. But we won three conference championships this year, had numerous conference runner-up finishes, and the football team had two of its 13 winning seasons in the past three years.

"To see where we were and where we are now is like night and day," he continues. "It's amazing what has happened here."

--Abigail Funk