This is my 7th year running our youth organization. Up to this point, it has been a 1-man show. We don't have a board or anything like that. I have run the organization out of my garage essentially.
It is a lot of work and I am ready to step back and let someone else take over. However, I don't want to walk away unless I have something in place to ensure the organization will exist without me.
What I am thinking about doing is forming some kind of youth football board made up of parents and community members. However, I don't know how to go about doing that. Do I need to get a lawyer to create some kind of non-profit corporation?
What does the "typical" youth football organization look like? We are a 5th-6th grade program. We average around 30 kids every year if that makes a difference.
Most youth sports organizations have a Board of about 12 people, although I've seen it vary from about 5 to about 18. Typically, the positions are:
President (hopefully self-explanatory)
Vice-President (hopefully self-explanatory)
Secretary - records meeting minutes, maintains the organizations records (bylaws, articles of incorporation, 501-C3 status, etc)
Treasurer (hopefully self-explanatory)
These first four positions are the Executive Board or Officers of the organization and they have certain rights/privileges that other Directors do not have - like signing documents on behalf of the organization, entering the organization into contracts or other legal agreements,etc.
Tackle Director/Athletic Director/Coaching Director - in charge of running the football portion of the program and in particular overseeing the coaches and making sure they're properly certified and following all rules and policies.
Cheer Director - oversees the Cheer Program.
Publicity - get the word out about the program and promote signups. Registration numbers are the primary metric for this position.
Fundraising - raise money for the organization.
Equipment Manager - oversee all equipment and uniform issues from inventorying current supplies to ordering new equipment to sourcing and ordering game uniforms. Also ordering and managing all coaching supplies and equipment.
Registrar/Players Agent/Certification Director - in charge of all player paperwork and making sure that all participants are properly certified.
Concessions Director/Auxiliary President - in charge of game day snack bar/concessions.
Education/Little Scholars/Academic Compliance Director - make sure all participants are academically eligible and promote top academic achievers for awards.
Other positions that I've seen on various Boards include:
Fields & Security - secure all facilities for practices and games and ensure that security is in place for games (either via volunteers or hiring third parties)
Webmaster (hopefully self-explanatory)
Media Director - responsible for ensuring that all games get recorded on video and providing promotional video and photos and audio to the Publicity Director and/or Webmaster to promote the program.
Merchandise Director - responsible for ordering and selling logo-imprinted sportswear and other items for the purpose of generating revenue for the program and creating branding in the community (typically under fundraising if not it's own position).
Special Events Coordinator - organizations and runs Picture Day, Closing Ceremonies (including ordering trophies), and any other special events.
There are others, but those are the most common. Hope that helps.
