Meetings · Step 10 of 10

Handling Difficult Booster Club Meetings: The President's Tools

Updated Oct 8, 2026

A difficult booster club meeting is one where disagreement turns into disruption: a parent who will not yield the floor, a personal attack on a volunteer, a faction using procedure to force an outcome, or a dispute about something the club does not control. 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) gives the president a set of tools for these situations, and most of them work best when used early and calmly.

The president, as chair, is responsible for order. Every member shares responsibility for decorum, and any member can raise a point of order when the rules are broken, including by the chair.

Why Booster Club Meetings Get Difficult

Booster club conflict has predictable sources. Money for children is personal. Programs within the same club compete for the same funds. Parents bring frustrations about coaches and playing time to the only meeting they can attend. And long-serving volunteers can look like an insider clique to newer parents, who in turn can look like a takeover.

Most difficult meetings are prevented, not managed. Posted minutes, open budgets, written policies, and advance agendas prevent many of them.

Before a Meeting Likely to Be Difficult

  1. Talk to the people involved beforehand. A parent who has been heard privately is less likely to need to be heard loudly.
  2. Get the facts on paper. If the dispute is about money, the treasurer brings the numbers in writing.
  3. Put the contentious item early, when people are fresh, and set a time for it on the agenda.
  4. Have a written motion ready, so the discussion has something specific to decide.
  5. Decide who chairs. If the president has a personal stake in the issue, the vice president chairs that item.
  6. Review the rules. The president reviews the motions chart and the bylaws provisions in play. For a major dispute, some clubs ask a professional parliamentarian to advise the chair.

Rules of Decorum

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’s rules of decorum apply in every meeting, formal or informal, and the chair enforces them.

  • Members speak only when recognized by the chair.
  • Remarks are addressed to the chair, not to other members.
  • Debate is about the merits of the 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, never the motives or character of a member.
  • Members refer to officers by title and avoid using other members’ names where possible.
  • Remarks stay on the pending question.
  • No member interrupts another who has the floor, except for the few motions that allow it, such as a point of order.

Debate limits are a tool too. In a general membership meeting, RONR limits each member to two speeches per question per day, each up to 10 minutes, and no member speaks a second time while someone who has not spoken wants to. On a small board there is no limit on speeches, but the board can still limit or close debate by a two-thirds vote. A standing rule can set shorter limits, such as three minutes per guest comment.

The President’s Tools, From Mildest to Strongest

Situation Tool What the chair says
Remarks drift off the motion Rule the remarks not germane “The member’s remarks must relate to the motion on the purchase of the freezer.”
A member speaks without recognition Enforce recognition “Mr. Davis, the chair has recognized Ms. Patel. The chair will call on Mr. Davis next.”
A personal attack Call the member to order “The member is out of order. Debate must address the motion, not the motives of the treasurer.”
A member keeps interrupting Formal warning “The chair has asked the member twice to wait to be recognized. If it happens again, the chair will ask the meeting to act.”
A member keeps disrupting after warning Name the offender and let the meeting decide The chair states what the member did. The meeting may, by vote, require the member to leave for the rest of the meeting.
A non-member disrupts Ask the guest to leave Non-members attend at the meeting’s permission. The chair may ask a disruptive guest to leave.
Tempers are too high to continue Recess “The meeting will take a ten-minute recess.” (By unanimous consent or majority vote)
A genuine emergency or threat Recess or adjourn immediately In an emergency, the chair may declare a recess or adjournment without a vote. Call school security or police if anyone is at risk.

The goal is to get back to business, not to win the argument. Use the mildest tool that works and address conduct, not the person.

Common Parliamentary Tricks and the Answers

What happens The rule What the chair does
A member shouts “Question” or “Call the question” to stop debate Ending debate takes a motion for the previous question and a two-thirds vote, or unanimous consent Treats it as a motion if properly made, or asks whether there is objection to ending debate
A member moves to “table” a motion to kill it Laying on the table to kill a motion is out of order, because only a two-thirds vote can suppress debate Rules the motion out of order, or treats it as a motion to postpone
A “friendly amendment” changes the motion’s meaning Once stated, the motion belongs to the meeting. Any amendment needs a vote or unanimous consent Takes the amendment as any other amendment
A new item is raised at a special meeting Only business stated in the call may be taken up Rules it out of order and suggests notice for the next meeting
A group joins as members at the door to swing a vote The bylaws decide who may vote Applies the bylaws. A club can prevent this by setting a membership cutoff date before each meeting in the bylaws
Members walk out to break the quorum Once the absence of a quorum is noted, business stops Confirms the count. Any vote after the quorum is lost is invalid
A member presents proxies Proxies are not allowed unless the bylaws or applicable law provide for them Declines to count them unless the bylaws authorize them
A “vote of no confidence” in an officer RONR does not define one, and such a motion removes no one Treats it as an ordinary main motion with no effect on office. Removal follows the bylaws
Repeated motions to adjourn or frivolous points of order Motions made to obstruct business are dilatory and out of order Rules them out of order and moves on
Last month’s decision brought back every month Rescinding needs two-thirds, a majority with notice, or a majority of the entire membership Explains the requirement and accepts notice for the next meeting

Points of Order and Appeals

A point of order is how a member asks the chair to enforce a rule. The member says, “Point of order,” and states the problem. The chair rules on it, and may ask the member who raised it, or a parliamentarian, for input before ruling. Points of order must be raised promptly, when the breach happens. A late objection usually comes too late, except for violations that continue, such as action that conflicts with the bylaws or with state law.

An appeal is how members check the chair. A member who disagrees with a ruling says, “I appeal from the decision of the chair.” It needs a second. The chair states the ruling and the reasons, the meeting may debate briefly, and the meeting votes on whether to sustain the chair. A majority vote or a tie sustains the ruling.

A president who loses an appeal has not lost authority; the meeting has decided, and the chair moves on. A president who refuses appeals or ignores points of order turns a procedural dispute into a dispute about the president.

Matters the Booster Club Cannot Decide

Some of the hardest moments come from issues the club has no authority over: playing time, team selection, coaching decisions, student discipline, and the hiring or firing of school staff. Those belong to the school and district. The chair should say so plainly, rule 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 on those subjects out of order as outside the club’s purpose, and direct the parent to the athletic director, principal, or the district’s complaint process. The boundary is explained on Working With the School and District.

Allegations of theft or misuse of funds are also not for open debate. The president moves the matter to executive session or to a small group of board members, preserves the records, and follows the steps on Preventing Embezzlement in Booster Clubs.

After a Difficult Meeting

  1. Record the decisions in neutral language. Minutes record what was done, not who was rude.
  2. Follow up privately with the people involved within a few days.
  3. Write a short factual note of any serious incident (date, what happened, who was present) and keep it with the board’s records.
  4. Consider whether a policy, standing rule, or bylaws amendment would prevent a repeat.

Common Mistakes

  • Waiting too long to call a member to order. The first personal remark goes unaddressed, and by the fifth the meeting is out of control.
  • The president arguing instead of chairing. The chair loses the neutrality needed to enforce the rules on everyone.
  • Debating coaching decisions. The club has no authority over them, and the debate damages the club’s relationship with the school.
  • Ignoring a point of order from a critic. The member has a right to a ruling, and an unanswered point of order becomes the next complaint.
  • Accepting a procedural trick because no one knew the rule. A two-thirds protection quietly becomes a majority shortcut.

Handling Difficult Booster Club Meetings: The President's Tools

https://boosterclub.org/meetings/difficult-meetings/

Checklist

Before the meeting

  • President

During the meeting

  • President

After the meeting

  • Secretary
  • President

Related pages

Sources

Updated October 8, 2026

Booster Club

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