How to Start and Run a Booster Club: The Complete Guide
A booster club is a parent-run nonprofit that raises money and organizes volunteers for a school program: a band, a football team, a drama department, a robotics club. Most are small, most are run by people who have never run a nonprofit before, and most hand the books to a new board every year or two. This guide exists so that each new board does not have to rediscover the rules.
Everything here is free. Each section is written for a volunteer officer who has inherited a role and needs to know what to do, in what order, and what happens if it is not done. Every page ends with a checklist that can be printed and worked through.
Where to start
- Starting a new club9 pages · Start, Bylaws, your state
- New president7 pages · Governance, Meetings, Taxes
- New treasurer8 pages · Finance, Taxes
Other roles: raffle, membership, secretary
- Raffle chair: Are raffles legal
- Membership chair: Membership drive
- Secretary: Taking minutes
The guide
Setting up
- Start9 pagesHow to start a booster club in seven steps: school approval, bylaws, incorporation, EIN, bank account, 501(c)(3) status, and state filings, with a timeline.
- Bylaws8 pagesWhat booster club bylaws are, how they differ from articles of incorporation, who adopts and approves them, and how a board keeps them current and followed.
- States52 pagesState-by-state guide to booster club filing requirements: incorporation, state tax exemption, sales tax, charitable registration, and raffle law for all 50 states and DC.
Running the club
- Governance13 pagesHow booster club governance works: who decides what, the fiduciary duties officers owe, the policies the IRS asks about, and a year-round oversight calendar.
- Meetings11 pagesHow a booster club runs board and membership meetings under Robert's Rules of Order, including the small-board rules, agendas, quorum, motions, and minutes.
- Finance14 pagesHow booster club finances work: the treasurer's year month by month, the eight controls that prevent theft, who owns each task, and every finance guide.
Staying legal
- Taxes14 pagesWhat a 501(c)(3) booster club owes and files each year: the Form 990 series, unrelated business tax, 1099s, donor receipts, sales tax, and a filing calendar.
- Raffles9 pagesHow booster club raffles work legally: state gaming law decides whether a club may hold one, and federal tax law sets the W-2G, withholding, and 990 rules.
Raising money and reaching parents
- Fundraising13 pagesWhat a 501(c)(3) booster club may and may not do to raise money, how the fundraising year is structured, who on the board owns each part, and where to start.
- Fundraising Ideas1 pageFundraising ideas for school booster clubs, organized by effort, timing, and return, with what each one takes to run, what it earns, and the rules that apply.
- Marketing13 pagesHow a booster club markets itself to parents: why most clubs struggle, who owns communications, and a year-round plan with ready-to-use templates.
How This Guide Is Organized
Every topic page follows the same pattern: what the rule is, why it exists, how to comply, the mistakes clubs commonly make, a checklist, and links to related pages. Pages that state a fee, deadline, threshold, or form cite the government source they were checked against and show the date they were last updated.
State pages share one structure so that an officer who moves, or who compares notes with a club in another state, can find the same information in the same place.
What BoosterClub.org Is Not
BoosterClub.org is an information resource. It is not a law firm, an accounting firm, or a government agency, and it is not affiliated with the IRS, any state, or any school district. Each booster club is its own legal entity. It holds its own 501(c)(3) determination, keeps its own books, and is responsible for its own filings. Nothing on this site changes that, and nothing here substitutes for advice from a qualified professional who knows the club’s situation.
How to Start and Run a Booster Club: The Complete Guide
https://boosterclub.org/
Checklist
A quick orientation for any officer new to the role.
Disclaimer: This site is general information for volunteer-run booster clubs. It is not legal, tax, or accounting advice, and BoosterClub.org is not a law firm, accounting firm, or government agency. Rules change and vary by state and district. Confirm current requirements with the IRS, the relevant state agency, the school district, and a qualified professional before acting. If a fact on this site is out of date, we want to know.