Serving as a club sponsor or adviser can be very rewarding. Not only do students love getting to know you outside the classroom, you see a different side to them, as well. I've sponsored Key Club, Junior Advisory Board, Ocean Bowl Team and Freshmen class. If you don't have time to sponsor a group, do make sure you attend your students' games, plays, concerts, dances and competitions when possible. Sometimes they will specifically invite you to attend - make a special effort to go in that case!
Informing Members
Whether your club is long-standing & large, or new & small, you need ways to keep members updated & to let the world know who you are.
- Create a free email address for the club. Make the password easy, so you can have your student officers manage it. I like Gmail for the extras it provides, like GoogleForms, but use whatever you are most familiar with.
- Build a visually-interesting website. I've used Weebly for all of mine, since it's free. You can see a Key Club example (although I no longer sponsor it) and PFHS Ocean Bowl. Once you do the basic setup with an email address, you can give it to your officers to manage however they like.
- With your new email, create an account with Remind. Students use text MUCH more than email anymore! Some schools are even moving to this or Twitter for announcements.
- Ask your students what they use most: Instagram, Twitter, whatever. Then set up club accounts. Make sure you have the passwords! Although they'll do much of the communication work, you need to monitor for appropriate activity. Save pictures later for advertising. Honestly, since you usually have to control the money, instead of a Treasurer, elect a Social Media Officer instead.
- Whenever running an event, SignUpGenius is a great help for organizing volunteers & arranging for people to bring necessary items. It's free, and eliminates the need for paper signups. You can do either, but I found that a text/email blast with a link to our SignUp worked beautifully. Pick from their list of options or make your own.
Fundraising
Just about every club needs money at some point. Here are some tips...
- Get your school's tax exempt ID number! You'll need it whenever ordering anything (like t-shirts) or purchasing items at the grocery store. Your bookkeeper won't reimburse you for tax, so make sure you always have it with you when shopping. I used it often enough I typed it up with the school name/address/phone number and laminated it as a business card!
- Work with local businesses. Restaurant nights are popular & easy - no setup for you. Just lots of advertising. If you are running an event, ask local companies if they'll sponsor something in exchange for a table where they can share their wares or an advert on your flyer. They may also be willing to donate items for raffles.
- There's always the old stand-by, selling stuff. You get flyers in your inbox, probably, and will get more as soon as you use anything. Instead of recreating the wheel, though, ask your bookkeeper who the acknowledged vendors are. Many districts won't allow payments to companies they haven't checked out already.
- Keep records of EVERYTHING. Make a Microsoft Excel file right now & start recording all incoming/outgoing money. The bookkeeper gets audited every year. If you cause him/her trouble with that audit, they're going after you next! I didn't even bother with a student treasurer on most of my clubs - many school regs require that YOU deal with all money, so there's nothing for a student to do. Club membership money went to me, I paid for things, I signed orders...
- Consider a PayPal account if your club charges dues & your bookkeeper allows it. Cash & checks are too easily misplaced. Cash, specifically, is a headache, because there is no way to tell where it came from. Also, if it's lost, it's gone. It's fine when you have a cash box to keep an eye on, like at an event or sale, but not when students are dropping off dues to your mailbox.
Event Ideas
Whether it's a fun run, blood drive, or community party, most groups want to plan some sort of event during the course of the year. These are some we've done & enjoyed.
- Trunk or Treat: An annual favorite at our school! We take over the school parking lot around Halloween & clubs or individuals decorate their cars. The neighborhood is invited to come trick-or-treat from car to car, getting candy & playing games. We also run a cakewalk in the center, with donated cupcakes. (Cupcakes are a far more appropriate size than full cakes. Plus, a dozen cupcakes means a dozen winners! Don't allow nuts, though, for allergy reasons.) Here's an example of a Trunk or Treat and instructions on how to run one.
- Blood drive: Arrange it with the Red Cross or your local blood service (in northern Virginia, we use INOVA blood services, as they supply all the local hospitals). You'll need lots of volunteers - signing up donors during lunch, advertising, setting up the room, running errands, escorting recent donors to the bathroom (yes, that's a job), talking to donors while they are giving blood, cleaning up after, and working the recovery area. Just be sure to get parents to run the recovery area - moms are excellent at feeding donors & making sure no one faints. Ask your Parent-Teacher-Student Organization if they have a volunteer coordinator you can work with.
- Fun Run: It can be around the block, along a marked forest trail, or on the school track. Just get some corporate sponsors for water/snacks along the route and t-shirts. Check with the local police department before interfering with any roads, though. Also, keep in mind safety. This may be treated like a field trip, where you have to check for hazards and get the route approved by the district BEFORE you get started. Perhaps check with your cross-country coach about it.
- Tournament: Could be dodgeball, video games, ultimate frisbee or whatever the popular sport is! Useful as a fundraising event if you have individuals/teams pay to register. Do it at the school so you don't have to rent a place. Make sure you read your school rules before starting - many districts don't allow certain sports, including dodgeball, for safety reasons. Have volunteers work as referees/judges. Ask local businesses to donate prizes.
- Powder Puff game: For this event, girls play flag football & boys are the cheerleaders. Our school runs it as Juniors vs Seniors. It's the biggest fundraiser for prom (besides tickets)! Former football coaches help the girls, while the dance team helps the boys. Get sponsors, sell tickets, advertise to the neighborhood, have raffles, sell food... Ask your community service club to volunteer by cleaning up the stadium after. Your groundskeeper will thank you!
- Senior Citizen Prom: Have a party at a local retirement community! Students can bring food and make some punch, while volunteers play games, perform comedy or music, offer manicures, or just hang out with the senior citizens. Entertainment can be your choir, small student bands, comedy improv troupe, charades...
- Coffee & Donuts: On exam days, sell coffee (you'll need to borrow a giant percolator - your cafeteria may have one) and donuts or other goodies (purchased from a local store) in the hallway. You'll need styrofoam cups, stirrers, creamer, sugar & sugar substitute. Not coffee fans? Make cocoa (from a powdered mix) or hot cider (with apple juice & some spices) in the percolator instead. Cider needs nothing extra, but add a fun twist to cocoa by offering different flavors of marshmallows. We found cinnamon, peppermint & chocolate varieties around the winter holidays!
- Letter or Card-Writing Party: Any time of year, get the group together with construction paper, glue, scissors, markers & crayons to make thank-you cards for the staff, letters for soldiers abroad, or to whomever you feel needs a pick-me-up. Your club will love making them & delivering them. We would get a list of all the secretaries, staff, custodians, cafeteria staff & assistants throughout the building, so the cards could be more personalized.