Last week, dozens of Chippewa High School’s band trophies and other awards were found in a trash dumpster behind the school. The discovery evoked memories and sentiment of current students, booster club parents, and alumni. School administration apologized, describing it “a big mistake by a single employee who has since been dealt with.”

Courtesy Katelyn Caldwell

This incident revealed and reinforced just how important extracurricular activities are to students and their families. One mother, whose son was killed while in high school, tearfully shared that, “band was so important to me and my family that I buried my son in a band uniform.”

Last week, I shared six proven ways to win in recruiting volunteer leaders. While these methods have proven to be incredibly effective, I’ve got to be fully transparent: there is no guarantee of success when recruiting volunteers. Occasionally, even the most intentional recruiting will not predict a person’s success in a leadership role.

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Once, when filling a critical leadership role, I applied all the best practices of recruiting, but it just didn’t work out. Here’s what happened.

The end of the school year is near, and many booster clubs are recruiting leaders for next year. The goal is to fill all leadership roles – officers and committee chairs – before the new year begins. Thriving booster clubs know that the smooth transition of leadership is vital in sustaining the club’s success. Let’s take a look at a few best practices in recruiting volunteer leaders.

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To recruit the right people into the right roles, you must first recognize their passion and their strengths. Then, assign them to roles where their passion intersects their strengths. I call this recruiting in the zone.