Running the club

Meetings

Running Booster Club Meetings and Using Robert's Rules

Updated Oct 8, 20261 source

A booster club makes its decisions in meetings, and the rules for those meetings come from state law, the club’s bylaws, and a parliamentary authority, almost always Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (Robert’s Rules of OrderRobert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), the rulebook most booster club bylaws adopt for running meetings. It governs a club only if the bylaws adopt it, and state law and the bylaws come first.All terms). This section explains the practical version of those rules for a volunteer board of about a dozen people or fewer, plus the general membership meetings where parents elect officers and approve the budget.

The president runs the meeting, the secretary records it, and every board member shares responsibility for following the rules. A check written on the strength of a vote taken without a quorum, or on an email thread the bylaws never authorized, is a check the board never legally approved, and the officers who signed it carry the risk.

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Why a Booster Club Needs Rules of Order

Most booster club meetings run on goodwill. Rules of order matter on the night goodwill runs out: a tight budget, two teams competing for the same money, or a coach’s spouse on the board. A parliamentary authority does four things for a club:

  1. Lets the majority decide. A motion that gets more than half the votes cast is adopted, and the debate is over.
  2. Protects the minority. Every member gets the right to speak, to propose an amendment, and to have a vote counted.
  3. Protects absent members. Notice rules keep a small group from surprising everyone else with a major decision.
  4. Creates a record. Minutes show what the club decided and when, which is what the bank, the school district, the IRS, and next year’s board will rely on.

Where the Rules Come From

Several layers of rules govern a booster club meeting. A higher layer always overrides a lower one.

Layer What it controls Example
State nonprofit corporation law (if incorporated) Minimum quorums, director action without a meeting, member voting rights, proxies California lets a board act without a meeting only if every director consents in writing
Articles of incorporation Anything the state requires to be there Whether the club has voting members
Bylaws Officers, meeting schedule, quorum, who votes, whether electronic meetings are allowed “A quorum of the board is four directors”
Special rules of order and standing rules Procedures the club adopts for itself A three-minute limit on each speaker
Parliamentary authority (RONR) Everything not covered above How to amend a motion

Robert’s Rules of OrderRobert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), the rulebook most booster club bylaws adopt for running meetings. It governs a club only if the bylaws adopt it, and state law and the bylaws come first.All terms governs a club only if the bylaws adopt it. The sample bylaws in RONR use this language: “The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Society in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Society may adopt.” The current edition is the 12th, published in September 2020. State rules vary; see the club’s state page.

The Small-Board Version of Robert’s Rules

Most of Robert’s Rules of OrderRobert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), the rulebook most booster club bylaws adopt for running meetings. It governs a club only if the bylaws adopt it, and state law and the bylaws come first.All terms is written for large assemblies. For a board meeting with no more than about a dozen members present, RONR section 49:21 relaxes the rules:

  • Members raise a hand and stay seated instead of standing to speak.
  • MotionA formal proposal that the club take an action or a position. Under Robert’s Rules of Order, a motion is the only way a board or membership meeting makes a decision.All terms do not need a second.
  • There is no limit on how many times a member speaks on a question.
  • Informal discussion is allowed with no motion pending.
  • When a proposal is perfectly clear to everyone, the board can vote without a formal motion.
  • The president, as chair, may speak in debate and vote on every question.

A club that adopts RONR already has these rules. Details are on Robert’s Rules of Order for Booster Clubs.

Two Kinds of Meetings

Board meetings are where the officers and directors manage the club month to month. General membership meetings are where the voting members elect officers, adopt the budget, and amend the bylaws. The small-board rules apply only to the board. A general membership meeting follows the regular rules, even when attendance is light.

Pages in this section

  1. 1.
    Robert's Rules basicsThe practical minimum of Robert's Rules for a booster club board: small-board rules, how a motion becomes a decision, unanimous consent, and the chair's role.
  2. 2.
    Meeting agendaHow to build a booster club meeting agenda using the Robert's Rules order of business, with notice, timing, a consent agenda, and a fill-in template.
  3. 3.
    QuorumWhat a quorum is for booster club board and membership meetings, where the number comes from, how to count it, and what to do when too few members attend.
  4. 4.
    MotionsHow motions work in a booster club meeting under Robert's Rules: making, amending, postponing, tabling, and rescinding, with a chart of the motions clubs use.
  5. 5.
    VotingHow voting works in booster club meetings: majority vs two-thirds, ties, abstentions, voting methods, and when proxy, absentee, and email votes are valid.
  6. 6.
    Taking minutesHow a booster club secretary takes meeting minutes: what Robert's Rules says goes in and stays out, a fill-in template, sample wording, approval, and retention.
  7. 7.
    ElectionsHow a booster club runs officer elections under Robert's Rules: nominating committee, notice, floor nominations, ballots, majority, ties, and taking office.
  8. 8.
    Board vs general meetingsHow booster club board meetings and general membership meetings differ: who votes, what each decides, quorum, notice, who attends, and executive session.
  9. 9.
    Virtual and hybrid meetingsWhen a booster club may hold virtual or hybrid meetings, what the bylaws and state law must allow, sample bylaws language, and how to run votes online.
  10. 10.
    Difficult meetingsHow a booster club president handles difficult meetings: preventing conflict, enforcing decorum, answering parliamentary tricks, and ruling on points of order.
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Common Mistakes

  • Bylaws that never adopt a parliamentary authority. Founders copy a template and drop the clause. With no authority adopted, every procedural dispute becomes an argument with no referee.
  • Bylaws that cite “Robert’s Rules of Order” without “Newly Revised.” Older public-domain editions circulate under that name, and the wording invites a fight over which version applies.
  • Treating the small-board rules as permission to skip votes. Informal discussion is allowed, but every decision still needs a vote or unanimous consent recorded in the minutes.
  • Running the general membership meeting like a board meeting. The relaxed rules belong to the board. A contested membership vote run informally invites a challenge.
  • Deciding by group text. Unless the bylaws and state law allow it, a decision made outside a meeting is not an act of the board until a later meeting ratifies it.

Running Booster Club Meetings and Using Robert's Rules

https://boosterclub.org/meetings/

Checklist

  • Secretary

Related pages

Sources

  1. California Legislative Information (external site)leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml

Updated October 8, 2026

Disclaimer: This page 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 page is out of date, we want to know.

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