Club structure/organization is unique to each club and can change throughout the years depending on club growth or general needs. Smaller clubs or clubs that are just starting may not need as many officers on the board as a larger club. To start a club, your college’s club or recreational sports department may require certain positions. Although teams might have a coach to oversee the team athletically, officers are responsible for all administrative ins and outs of running a collegiate sports program. It can be a lot of work, but it’s a really cool experience and one of the best ways to give back to the team you love!
Every officer is a role model and positive example for the team. No matter what position, they are someone that everyone sees and knows. They must be respectful and supportive of everyone on the team, and be able to put personal issues aside. Officers must be dedicated to their position and act in a professional manner always because they are the leaders of the team.
Election Process
• Elections typically occur at the team banquet before or after Nationals.
• Certain positions can allow any team member to run/be nominated, while some should require candidates to have been on the team for a certain amount of years or previous officer status.
Nominations
• The nomination process should start at least a month before Nationals or the end of the year to give members time to start thinking about if they'd like to run or about nominating someone else they think would be a great officer.
• Talk to current/past officers. They're the only ones who can really tell you what it's like and what it takes.
• The president will set deadlines for nominations and the date of the elections, as well as emcee the election process.
• Candidates are encouraged to make speeches at the banquet about why they are running/what they can bring to the board and team.
Voting
• Electronically via app, iClicker, email ect.
• Written
• Heads-down-thumbs up fashion
• If voting is done in person, make sure to have backup counters.
• Keep records of the voting outcome and counts in case of removal
Core Officer Positions
Common officer positions/duties *these are suggested positions—the roles listed can be moved around/shared amongst the board depending on its size.
President
• Previous officer board experience is recommended
• Responsible for the team and its actions at all times
• Oversees all other officers, delegates responsibilities, and understands/helps with what each officer is involved with/working on
• Serves as a resource/aid to other officers
• Serves as chief point of contact for the coach, responsible for hiring of coach
• Contacts other teams, puts together meet schedule
• Serves as main point of contact for the club sports department, including regular meetings with the club sports coordinators, club sports council, and club sports executive board (if necessary)
• Answers emails from team members, parents, and other teams
• Develops information packets, meeting agendas, and administers team interest meetings
• Plans, schedules, develops agendas for, and oversees regular coach/officer meetings
• Mediates conflicts that affect the team
• Creates and maintains team roster and email list
• Delegates or manages team Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Vice President
• Previous board experience or class standing (SO/JR/SR) recommended
• Assists the President in the any club activity
• Assumes the role of the president in the absence of the president
• Additional support for any board member
Finance/Treasurer
• Formulates/regulates team budget
• Projects necessary fundraising
• Determines dues amounts, deadlines, etc.
• Collects and verifies club sports account reports
• Collects and deposits checks and cash
Fundraising
• Plans all fundraising events
• Gets team excited about attending events
• Must be creative with ideas on how to fundraise
• Determines how much Nationals will cost
• Needs to be extremely organized, efficient, and motivated
• See Fundraising for more
Travel
• Makes hotel/van reservations for travel meets
• Must be comfortable talking to hotel/pool/car rental managers to make arrangements
• Prepare detailed itinerary and complete roster for all trips
• Plans training trip (if applicable)
• Obtains and regulates a team credit card
• Collects receipts from all travel meets (i.e. gas, hotel/car rentals, etc.) and is responsible for all reimbursements if necessary
• Must be very organized and very detail-oriented
• Works with club sports coordinators
Captains
• Decide how many captains (men’s/women’s, dive)
• Role model of the team, must respect and encourage all members of the team at all times
• Makes new swimmers/diver feel welcome
• Provide support for all members of the team when needed
• Leads cheers and motivates team
• Creates meet entry sheets, submits entries to meet host
• Answers emails from interested athletes and parents
Additional Officer Positions
Coach
• Teams can choose to hire a coach or not (if there is no coach, that role is taken on by one of the officers)
» See Hiring a Coach for more details
• Responsible for writing daily workouts and dryland practices.
Meet Coordinator
• Organizes meet sign-up
• Establishes a timeline for sign-ups
• Manages meet entries via Team/Meet Manager
• Posts meet results to team website
• Responsible for running the scoring table during any home meets
Secretary
• Responsible for record-keeping of all meetings (team or board)
• Manages the team roster, which includes adding new members at the beginning of the year and upkeep
• Can manage team emailing
Advisory Council
• Can be a club/rec sports supervisor that sits in on board meetings as needed
• Alumni could fill this position and be as involved as the current board needs
• Assists current board in any way
Social/Outreach/Recruitment
• Every position is responsible for encouraging new members, but this position will be dedicated to spreading the word about the team
• Manages and creates all social media posts
• Attends summer orientations to allow more exposure of the team
• Facilitates/coordinates all recruitment activities all year
Removing an Officer
• In the event an officer cannot meet the requirements of their elected position, the president must discuss what action is to be taken with the entire officer board after initial warnings and no improvement. The final decision should be decided upon by a unanimous vote of the board.
• After removal, several actions may be taken:
» The position will be absorbed by the president
» The runner-up will be appointed to the position
» Elections will reopen and others may run for the position