Meriden School District Booster Bylaws

Thank you for considering a booster club. Please note, prior to starting a booster club you must file for your own tax id for the club. Also, prior to the start of your sports season bylaws and a list of booster officers will need to be submitted to the athletic office. Please read below the responsibilities of a booster club.

Download Bylaws and Withdrawal & Deposit Forms

Purpose:

The Booster Club is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote positive athletic programs, increase community support, recognize the achievements of the team as well as the individual athlete, and to assist the athletic department, coaches, and administrative staff.

Membership:

Any parent of a student at school, any alumnus / or any supportive adult can be a “member” of this organization. “Members” are non-voting class of participants.
Parents membership and the involvement is the key to a successful athletic booster club. We encourage the parents of every student athlete to become a member.
This involvement consists of both volunteers and the financial support required to foster the development of our student athletes and to maintain a high quality athletic program.
Employees of the Meriden BOE can be a part of the Booster Club. It is a volunteer position and it should not interfere with their daily responsibilities at work. However, employees should not handle any transactions or sign any contracts.

School Liaisons:

The High School Principal and Athletic Director act as liaisons between the Meriden Athletic Boosters and various school organizations to include, but not limited to, facilities, custodian services, and the Board of Education.

Executive Committee:

The Executive Committee shall be made up of the Officers: Head Coach, President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary (Any exception to this must be submitted in writing to the Athletic Director for approval)
Each booster club will submit a list of officers to the Athletic Office by the first day of practice for their sport.
Election of Officers: shall be held at a scheduled meeting, at which time the slate will be presented and any nominations from the floor will be entertained.
Nominations of Officers: The outgoing president shall appoint a nomination committee made up of at least three booster members who are not on the executive committee.
Filling of vacancies: All vacancies created by death, resignation, or other reasons shall be filled by the president subject to approval by the executive committee.
At the discretion of the Executive Committee, an executive session can be called at any time.

Duties of Officers:

Head Coach – Coordinates the entire athletic program. Works closely with officers to plan booster club activities and programs. Major input in developing the yearly budget.
President – The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Booster Club , and shall:
1. Preside at all meetings of the Booster Club.
2. Have general charge and supervision of the affairs of the Booster Club.
3. Present a report on the state and condition of the affairs of the Booster Club at each meeting.
4. See that the books, reports, statements and certificates required by statute are properly kept, made and filed according to law; and
5. Enforce these By-Laws and see that all orders and resolutions of the Booster Club are carried into effect.
6. Collaboratively work with the head coach to make sure the vision of the head coach is being carried out.
7. Establish at his/her discretion any committee that he/she deems necessary to conduct business for the boosters. (ex: fundraiser committee, Thursday night family meals committee, banquet committee)
8. The President shall have sole authority to sign any and all contracts on behalf of the boosters.
Vice-President – The Vice-President, in the absence or inability to act of the President, shall have all the duties and may exercise all the powers of the President, subject to the control of the Booster Club. The Vice-President shall have such powers and perform such other duties as, from time to time, may be assigned by the Booster Club, the President, or these By-Laws.
Treasurer – The Treasurer shall have charge and custody of, and be responsible for all the funds and securities of the Booster Club; and shall:
1. Keep a full and accurate account of the assets, liabilities, receipts and disbursements, and other transactions of the Booster Club in books belonging to be made.
2. Cause regular audits or such books to be made.
3. Disburse the funds of the Booster Club as may be ordered by the Booster Club, taking proper vouchers for such disbursements;
4. Render to the President and the Booster Club, at regular meetings or whatever they may require, a statement of all transactions as Treasurer and an account of the financial condition of the Booster Club;
5. And in general, perform all the duties incident to the office of Treasurer and such other duties as may, from time to time, be assigned by the Executive Committee or by the President.
6. A listing of all revenue and expenditures over the course of the season and submitted to the athletic office at the conclusion of the season.
Assistant Treasurer – The Assistant Treasurer, in the absence or inability of the Treasurer to act, shall have all the duties and may exercise all the powers of the Treasurer, subject to the control of the Booster Club. The Assistant Treasurer shall have such powers and perform such other duties as, from time to time, may be assigned by the Booster Club, the Treasurer, or these By-Laws.
Secretary – The Secretary shall act as secretary of all meetings of the Booster Club and keep minutes of such minutes in appropriate minute books, and shall:
1. Give and serve all notices or meetings pursuant to these By-Laws.
2. Be the custodian of the records and seal of the Booster Club and affix the seal or cause it to be affixed to all documents, the execution of which, on behalf of the Booster Club under its seal, shall have been specifically or generally authorized by the Booster Club.
3. Have charge of the books, records, and papers of the Booster Club, and see that the reports, statements, and other documents required by law are properly kept on file.
4. Reply to all correspondence to the Booster Club as directed by the President or the Executive Committee.
5. In general, perform all duties incident to the office of Secretary and such other duties as may, from time to time, be assigned by the Booster Club or by the President.

Terms of Membership

Except for the head coach each member of the Executive Committee will serve a 1 year term on the Booster Club.

Voting

Shall be conducted by roll call. The roll call is comprised of members of the Executive Committee that are in attendance.
That vote is determined by 51% of that group’s constituency that is present and voting.
Each member of the Executive Committee has one vote that may be cast as an officer. No person may cast more than one vote on a motion. Except in a tie the head coach will break a tie with an additional vote. If the coach is not present then the President will break the tie with the extra vote.
A tabling motion, having been seconded and voted upon by the membership shall be discussed at the next meeting.

Organizational Responsibilities of the Booster Club:

Booster Clubs need to apply for 501(c) 3 status with the IRS. This allows for donors to make tax deductible donations.
Scheduled meetings should take place throughout the calendar year . Meetings should be more frequent when the sport is in season.
If MHS facilities will be utilized for the meeting please call the Athletic Director to block a time and meeting area at the school.
All booster club initiatives should be discussed and prioritized in coordination with the MHS coaching staff.
All of the minutes, financial reports and documents that pertain to the booster club must be filed and shared if requested upon.
Initiatives include, but are not limited to, fundraisers, banquets, camps, Senior Nights, apparel, equipment, etc.

Additional responsibilities of the Booster Club (Coordination of Events)

Meet the team

Reserve facility, communicate date and time with coaching staff, players, and parents

Senior Night

Reserve facilities, if needed
Prepare pregame activities in coordination with the head coach
Event should not exceed 10 minutes

Banquet

Reserve facility (If an outside venue is desired then the cost is not to exceed $20 per person all inclusive. Any banquet that exceeds $20 per person needs to be approved by the school administration.)
Verify with coaching staff about the date, time, and cost

Fundraising:

(Please see below the district’s policy regarding accounting process)

To assist the school in remaining Title IX compliant, program enhancements must be applied equally to both boys and girls teams within a given sport, i.e. boys' soccer and girls' soccer. Therefore, working with the coaching staff, written objectives should be established prior to the season regarding desired expenditures and submitted to the athletic office for review and approval.
Fundraising is an opportunity to generate revenue for the Booster Club as a group, not individuals. Therefore, revenues should be recorded in a group account where all members or students have the same opportunity to benefit equally from the revenues.
One member or student should not receive a larger benefit from fundraising than another. In addition, if a member or student chooses not to participate in the fundraiser, that person still receives an equal benefit from the revenues generated.
Paperwork Process
Request for a fundraiser should be submitted well in advance of the event to the Assistant Principal who oversees athletics.
Fundraising Report Form should be submitted to the Athletic Office within ten (10) days following the activity. Operating a fundraiser without approval may lead to forfeiture of funds
Fundraising activities are to be optional for both students and parents with no repercussions for those choosing not to participate.
Fundraising activities are not to be used to subsidize any coaching salaries without prior BOE approval.
No sponsorship signage of any kind of outside companies are allowed to be displayed at any Maloney sporting events per the Meriden School District.

Booster Clubs are allowed to use funds for the following:

End-of-year banquet
Senior gifts
Meals or snacks during and after games or practices
Team sportswear with school administration approval of design
Donation to Meriden School District to support the associated activity
Items over $500 will need school administration approval
Specialized equipment the district will not supply / camps
Scholarships (donations only to established scholarship programs)
Pay a coaching stipend (by check) to a volunteer on the coaching staff.

Meriden Booster Clubs SHOULD NOT:

Openly discuss or perform a performance review of the head coach or coaching staff.
Review the performance of a coach by the booster club; staff evaluations are solely the responsibility of the school district.
Review the performance of a coach funded by the booster club(If BOE Approved Funding for coach); staff evaluations are solely the responsibility of the school district.
Openly discuss playing time issues.
Ransom funding of the program in order to control the hiring or firing of the head coach or staff member.
Offer up a petition by booster club members to hire/fire a coach.
Plan, organize, or attempt to implement an off-season training program without direction or consent from the head coach/AD/principal.
Discuss as official business any item that does not meet the definition and function of a booster club.
Recruit or encourage athletes from another school to transfer to Maloney or Platt
No gift cards or cash gift
No gifts to individual students (Exceptions: team gifts, team sportswear, senior gifts, individual awards/trophies/plaques, or commemorative items for state recognized achievement)
No monetary gifts to paid or volunteer coaches

Suspected Fraud / Irregularities

Suspected violation of guidelines, fraud, or misappropriation of funds must be reported to the parent organization, campus principal or designee, and District administration.

Liability Insurance Protection

The District strongly encourages organizations to obtain adequate insurance protection for liability and financial fraudulence but does not require it. Organizations should have various safeguards set up to protect the officers, membership, and funds that are raised. The district cannot provide insurance coverage for organizations.

RULES FOR DISSOLUTION

To dissolve an organization, a resolution shall be adopted by the organization (or the executive board if the organization is inactive) stating that the question of such a dissolution be submitted to a vote at a special meeting of the members having voting rights. At least 30 days prior to the meeting, written or printed notice shall be given to each member entitled to vote stating that the purpose of such a meeting is to consider the advisability of dissolving the organization. The organization must determine the distribution and usage of treasury monies and other assets before dissolution. In order to comply with Internal Revenue Service guidelines, care should be taken to ensure that excess funds are distributed within the framework of the organization’s original purpose – i.e. soccer booster funds would remain with the soccer program at that particular campus. Any other distribution of funds could void the organization’s tax exempt status and force it into a fully taxable situation.
Please note the Meriden School District has the right to dissolve the booster club if the rules and protocol are not being followed. Along with any wrongdoing that has been done to any student / athlete or staff member. In that case all funds in the account will be transferred into a school based account for this particular sport.
The Board of Ed. / School Administration has the right to review the bylaws and make changes as needed for the best interest of the current MPS students
The Principal / Athletic Director shall receive a copy of the year’s financial report after completion of the season/banquet.
The Principal / Athletic Director can invite the Office of Financial Management to review the financial status of a booster club when necessary.