Spring can mean a lot of things. If you’re a parent or a teacher spring can mean spring break – a relaxing week to regroup and prepare for the next months to come. Upcoming officer transitions, new hats galore. That fundraiser you have always wanted to plan, a 990 you just can't wait to file. If you aren’t so lucky, spring break can mean a week with kids home from school while you still have to work, volunteer duties on your mind, and spring sports practices to drive kids to and from…spring isn’t always sunshine and daisies.

The light at the end of the tunnel:

Spring also means the end of the school year is drawing near. For booster clubs and their volunteer leaders, this often means officer transitions, changing responsibilities, and often some of the club's longest-standing – most experienced volunteers leaving. For school booster club volunteers, the end of the school year and the officer transitions it brings can be just as stressful as it is relieving. 

The end of an officer’s term with a booster club can mean lots of different things. Closing out the school year’s activities with the school liaison, auditing annual financial records, and making sure someone is replacing them next year. Sometimes, less often a priority is ensuring the new officers have completed their officer transitions and are fully trained in all the awesome things the booster club did in the year prior. 

Transitions are crucial!

Like with anything new it takes careful training and thoughtful instructions to learn how to operate a school booster club. Heck, you are reading this blog from Parent Booster USA… we only exist to try and make this stuff easy!

Don’t leave your successors in the lurch! When it comes time to leave the organization, think about how hard it was to learn everything you needed to know to run the club. Use your departure as an opportunity to teach your successor everything they need to know, and your booster club will be better off than before you joined it! 

How do we transition?

We are glad you asked! There are 5 steps you can take at the end of your fiscal year to make sure you are setting up your organization and your successors for success.

1) Conduct an annual financial review

2) Gather your organization’s financial documents, records, and passwords

3) Schedule a face-to-face meeting with the outgoing and incoming officers

4) Update PBUSA, your school, and your bank with new contact information

5) Pass on helpful information such as calendars, publicity, vendors used, and feedback

For more information on each of these steps, check out PBUSA’s Smooth Transitions Five Tips for Changing Booster Club Officers! The Smooth Transitions series on PBUSA’s also includes a checklist and helpful guide for organizing your records. 

Walk out that door!

Whether you are moving up to the next school level with your kids, are becoming an empty nester, or just need to walk away from some responsibilities knowing you left your organization in better shape than you got it feels good! The best way to make sure you don’t find out the booster club you worked so hard to grow and help thrive closed down is to set your successors up for success. So walk out the door with confidence booster boss. You earned it!