If you have a child involved in school extra-curricular activities, chances are you have run across a Booster Club or two. Depending on your involvement you may be asking yourself – what exactly do booster clubs do? The basic definition for booster clubs is an organization that is formed with the goal of supporting a specific department or cause, such as a sports or drama program in a school. What a booster club does, in some ways, depends on the program being supported, but generally, booster clubs strive to organize fundraising and volunteer their time in an effort to enhance the performance of their activity or extra-curricular program. Providing enthusiastic emotional support for a team or program is another purpose of a booster club, mimicking the encouragement of a parent but on a wider scale. Below, we’ve described a number of ways of how booster clubs help schools, illustrating what booster clubs do for specific programs commonly found in a learning environment!
FUNCTIONS OF ACADEMIC BOOSTER CLUBS
Usually, an academic booster club is made up of parents, students, and faculty who are dedicated to enhancing the educational environment of a school. The main mission of an academic booster club is to support and recognize the character and outstanding academic achievements of students and teachers, organizing things like awards ceremonies and putting together grants as a form of positive reinforcement for students going above and beyond. This kind of recognition promotes continued student dedication to academic excellence while also encouraging teachers to remain committed to their duties as educators.
Academic booster clubs are a primary piece of how booster clubs help schools, in addition to booster clubs for other programs like sports, band and art. Academic booster clubs should have an investment in the future of their participants and volunteers, helping parents and students alike get important information from colleges and universities. Also, academic booster clubs, to expand on the idea of positive reinforcement, have the opportunity to create and sponsor academic recognition programs which support students at all grades and course levels for their achievements in class. Teachers, within the program, would nominate students for a variety of reasons—from being attentive and helpful to participating regularly in class. Programs such as these would allow students to feel equally appreciated, highlighting their academic strengths instead of their weaknesses.
FUNCTIONS OF BAND AND MUSIC BOOSTER CLUBS
Band and music booster clubs act primarily as advocates for everything related to band, orchestra and a variety of other music programs in university, high school, and middle school settings. What a booster club does for programs like these is cooperate with the school administration and band/music directors in support of improving music education. Band booster clubs strive to foster close working relationships between students, parents, the school faculty, general community, and, of course, the band/music directors. Band and music booster clubs also play and integral part in raising funds in order to provide financial support for the band and various other music programs of a school, managing the standard budget and everything else that is raised by donations to the organization.
A booster club of this nature should also strive to provide encouragement, guidance, emotional support, and opportunities for positive interaction among parents, teachers, and administrators. For many students, the music programs maintained at school are an enormous part of how they enjoy their education. Their participation in band and other music programs can be the catalyst for the development of lifelong friendships formed through the music family created in school.
FUNCTIONS OF ARTS BOOSTER CLUBS
The purpose of booster clubs focused on supporting fine arts departments (normally visual and performing arts) is primarily to increase and improve the opportunities within the program. For the benefit of students, their families, and the community, a booster club that supports every branch of the visual and performing arts from vocal, to drama, to media and to fine arts in an academic environment would do wonders for kids looking to develop their creative passions. By providing encouragement and financial support, the booster club will be able to stimulate greater interest and appreciation for the fine and performing arts.
The primary purpose of booster clubs, especially those focused on supporting the arts, is to increase parental participation in each individual program, provide support during performances, and to organize fundraising opportunities for projects and trips. To define exactly how booster clubs help schools, you look at the actions of the clubs themselves. A fine arts booster club aims to always improve the opportunities for its students and provide and environment in which the students can grow and develop their own creative skill.
FUNCTIONS OF ATHLETIC BOOSTER CLUBS
Athletic booster clubs have the general function of assisting, promoting, and supporting all athletic programs that are active at the middle school, high school, or university level. Primarily, athletic booster clubs are to assist with fundraising opportunities, to help manage donations and other funds, promote the attendance and spirit at athletic events, and to encourage the involvement of parents and students during athletic department activities. An athletic booster club should also promote students to be mindful of the balance between academics and athletics. The major goal of an athletic booster club is to provide funding to support quality, interscholastic athletic programs while also providing athletic scholarships for students. Additionally, athletic booster clubs have the responsibility of encouraging participation in sporting events within the student body and community as a whole.
In the end, there are an endless variety of programs a booster club can choose to support. Each booster club fulfills a number of different tasks, taking on a wide number of responsibilities from providing financial assistance to emotional support for those participating in the activity. These functions make booster clubs a necessary and valued resource for any school, activity or program.
