Booster Club question (long)

Do y'all have a booster club for your 4-H/FFA kids. Where we are, there are 2 groups. The "Young Farmers" (that's the dad's. Don't know why we need to be called that, as less than half of the dads are farmers), and the mom's club. We got a new ag teacher (young- 27 or 28 maybe, and alumni from this school system) a couple of years ago, and I was really hoping that we could just go together and have a full fledge booster club.
The president that is going out this year, is one of the last of the older guys that got it started many years ago. I mentioned to the ag teacher several times that we need to re-organize things, as far as that goes, to which he replied that: "I like things the way they are. When you get women involved, there gets to be too much bickering, and nothing gets done right". I couldn't believe my ears!!! Another thing is, the ag-teacher has control of the checkbook, and the account statements go directly to the school. At the last meeting, I asked the balance (thinking he would pull out the last statement, and give a precise amount....he didn't, just gave a round-about figure to me) needless to say, smoke was coming out of my ears, and the meeting was done for me, although I stayed until it was over.
We have alot of young, energetic, educated parents that would do almost anything to raise money for these kids. The followers that we have, will do just that. They'll follow the lead from the rest of us, and go out and raise money (at least I think they would).

So tell me, do you think that it is unreasonable for me to try and make things better? Should the ag teacher be invoved any more than advisory on what the funds go toward. I look forward to hearing your responses. Also, tell me what fundraisers have/have not worked for your bunch.

Thanks

WOW....I'm sorry to hear that you have such a mess on your hands! 

I just became too old to be in 4-H this year, but I was in it for the full 10 years.  Our 4-H club is actually called the Hoopeston Boosters.  It's completely separate from the school, and our ag teacher doesn't even come to the meetings.  Our meetings are ran by the officers (kids) who were elected to their positions.  I was president of ours for a couple years, and I really enjoyed it.  The leader of the club helped things along in meetings, but left most things to us.  The bank statements and checkbook are always in the posession of the Treasurer, NOT the club leader.  Part of the 4-H experience is learning responsibilities and taking care of business.  My family has always been very  involved with 4-H, and it makes me sad to hear that your ag teacher is really kind of running your potentially wonderful program into the ground. 

I would get together with the other "leader" type parents in your group and really get organized and present to the Ag teacher all the reforms that you have in mind.  If he isnt receptive to your requests, go to the school board.  I'm sure that plenty of us on here could help out with laying out how our clubs operate and show that it is better than how your current leader is running them. 

Our major fundraiser every year is to sell advertisement space for local companies in our fair book.  It's just been that way since I started 4-H, I'm sure there are better ideas out there than that.

Hope this wasn't just a bunch of rambling!

Justin

set up an account for money that the ag teacher doesn't have access to since you are a sepearate group?

it comes off as if you want the control of the ag teacher without the postion.

courseness with "traditional" roles in society should be changed, but i think that anyone who is cornerned might say things they regret.

if you want to know the balance, ask ahead of time.  i'm the president of a small water company, and i don't carry around the latest balance sheet with me and then, only at annual meetings.

what would your reaction be if someone just went up and down your ideas and said they needed to be reorganized?

it's not unreasonable for anyone to want things better, but just because they are your ideas doesn't make them better.

an old boss, a woman, once told me that 50% of one's ideas don't matter, 40% just outright suck and probably only 10% are any good.

i'm thinking there's more information here.

btw, the message does come off as bickering, regardless of the sex.

you left an impression.  it will be hard to undo that.  perhaps you could try a different approach.

noose provided for ease of use. 

My point is, times have changed over the last 20 or 30 years. When that organization was formed, several of the men were "farmers", and the wives stayed at home and took care of kids, cooking, cleaning, etc. The only time that my wife feels like someone from there wants her help, is when something needs to be cooked. I do have a problem with a group that raises money for all the kids, that doesn't keep the members abreast of financial balances. I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm being a crybaby, but this is something that I am passionate about, and want the community to be able to be involved in. It's kind of silly to tell your kids that they need to work together with their peers, when the moms and dads cannot.

Up here (IL), 4-h and FFA are different deals.  Most 4-h clubs as OFS pointed out, are organized by people from the county (or township).  I've never heard of 4-h and ffa being tied together. Both usually support themselves.

use us to make your list.

starting with the interval and supporting documents necessary for financial matters
list of expenditures, especially of donated money would be high on my list.

"Young Farmers" is a national organization which is in place in many schools and the ag teachers at those schools are the advisors for that group. This goes back many years as this was the organization that also helped with the adult ag education classes many schools offered at one time. At my school our Young Farmers/Young Farm Wives Chapter has it's own set of officers and myself and the other ag teacher are only advisors/facilitators for the group. They do maintain a scholarship fund for High School seniors which they raise the money for themselves.

We do not have an FFA Booster Club, we have the students raise the money to make the FFA Chapter their own. They have to learn the leadership and to sink or swim based on their own efforts. At a nearby school an FFA Booster Club was formed this year and there are 1 or 2 parents that want to run the show, but expect the FFA members (kids) to do all of the work. This is creating a lot of friction because only a few students will receive any benefit from this yet they want all to participate. In schools, a lot depends on how the school will allow such clubs. Some will allow them to be affiliated with the school some will only allow them to stand alone.

Any help is appreciated in these areas, but sometimes upsetting the apple cart will cause years of problems and headaches for the groups involved.

Just my two cents.
Dean

pjkjr4- If the deal is a Young Farmer/Young Wives deal...well then you can go ahead and form an independent 4-H club for the kids in the area on your own with help from other parents. I had never heard of the Young Farmer's deal, but I don't see why you couldn't make a 4-H specific club.  Get in tough with your county's extension office and talk with them about forming a club.  My dad, grandparents, and great grandparents were all leaders of my 4-H club, and I KNOW of lots of other 4-H families on there that would be more than happy to help out.

Knabe means well, he just likes to see both sides of the issue 

You're probably right. My wife and I will probably talk to the 4-H agent next week. The 4-H dads are just about the only ones that want to do anything extra, anyway. If we all get on the same page (whatever that page is), look out!!

Assuming that you are in the majority and you have the support of the other parents, I would start at the school board first. If that does not get the desired results you may consider forming a new group of "Ag Boosters". You would as a group have control of whatever funds that are available and how they are dispersed. The one thing I have learned in these types of situations is that if you take the financial support away from people they start to listen better. THIS WILL ONLY WORK if you are a part of the majority and not just part of the minority. As far as fund raising goes - I do several benefit auctions for various non profit groups each year. The items that are auctioned off at these functions are donated by local businesses and I donate my time, equipment and services. You will be amazed at what people will donate for a good cause and also what people will spend at an auction for the cause. The last small benefit auction I did was for a local fire dept - we only had three 6' tables of items to sell and we raised over $1600.00 in less than an hour. RW

simtal said:

Up here (IL), 4-h and FFA are different deals.  Most 4-h clubs as OFS pointed out, are organized by people from the county (or township).  I've never heard of 4-h and ffa being tied together. Both usually support themselves.

Click to expand...

Same here in ky.