Leading the Journey

An e‑newsletter on excellence in leadership

November 2026 | Volume 15, No. 4

Training Sponsors of Student Organizations

Consistent with the responsibility to provide effective student learning and appropriate supervision for all activities, principals must assign sponsorship roles to faculty and staff. When assigning sponsorships, keep the following in mind:

  • Consult the union Education Code for stated expectations on teacher loads.
  • Balance academic load and sponsorship responsibilities for individuals and across the faculty/staff.
  • Solicit interests and preferences of the faculty/staff in sponsorship assignments.
  • Consider student input before finalizing sponsorships.
  • Keep in mind that hourly staff may need to be compensated for their sponsoring time done outside of their regular assigned hours.

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This theme falls under “Sponsorships” on p. 56 of the Principal’s Handbook.

School Sponsorships: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Susan Becker Vice-Principal, Forest Lake Academy MS in School Administration & Leadership

Glen Baker Principal, Forest Lake Academy Ed.D. in School Administration & Leadership

School sponsorships are an important part of providing students with opportunities to build relationships with each other, develop leadership and interpersonal skills, and participate in meaningful extracurricular activities. Whether sponsoring a large trip, extracurricular club, athletic team, or music organization, faculty sponsors play a significant role in creating these experiences. Effectively assigning and determining sponsorships in a school setting is essential for effective school operation, but not without its challenges for a school administrator.

Characteristics of an effective teacher/staff sponsor include:

  • High Level of personal responsibility
  • Strong Organizational skills
  • Ability to collaborate effectively
  • Attention to detail
  • Knowledge of policy and procedures
  • Good common sense
  • Willingness to ask for guidance, help, or support

Successful sponsorships and effective sponsors do not happen by chance. They are the result of intentional and purposeful administrative planning, organization, support, and oversight; including attention given to managing logistics, finances, policy compliance, safety and liability, clear expectations for both students and sponsors, and ensuring faculty sponsors have had the training, mentoring and skills needed to be successful.

Alongside the logistical planning, establishing clear expectations for both students and sponsors is essential to any successful school-sponsored trip, program or activity. Students and families must be communicated with and provided written guidelines outlining behavioral expectations, dress code, technology use, participation requirements, etc., along with the consequences for failing to follow school policies and stated expectations. Each sponsor should have a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities including their duty to uphold school policies, student supervision guidelines, and how to respond should an issue arise. Regular meetings with the sponsor team can help minimize misunderstandings, allows time to ask and clarify questions, and increases consistency among all members of the sponsor team. When all parties understand their role and expectations and carry out their duties responsibly, the organization is in a better position to provide a safe, organized, and meaningful experience.

However, if any school administrator is honest with themselves, he or she quickly realizes that not all staff members have the same skill set, sense of responsibility, commitment to excellence, or level of trustworthiness when it comes to being assigned a sponsorship. Administrators quickly learn which staff members can be “trusted” to carry out their sponsorship duties in a responsible manner, and which require constant oversight, management, and monitoring.

Too often, the unfortunate consequence and reality of this situation is that the staff members who are competent, trustworthy, and responsible, get too many things put on their plate because school leadership knows they can be trusted to see the job through effectively. This can be unfair and can often lead to burnout. Meanwhile, staff members who are less effective and less responsible are often allowed to have poor performance, are assigned less, and therefore do not carry their fair share of the load because their track record of poor performance, lack of follow through or past problems and issues are things the school administrator does not want to have to manage.

Effective administrators must continually seek to counter this “natural” and unfair distribution of responsibilities. This can be done in several ways. Firstly, administrators can help address this problem by establishing a rotation of sponsors, pairing them with experienced and effective sponsor/leaders to develop their leadership and planning skills. Finding other ways to acknowledge the effort and commitment of those who are doing more than their fair share by compensating them with additional stipends or reduction of other assignments can also be beneficial.

Secondly, providing all staff with appropriate training, assistance, and support including a comprehensive handbook containing required forms, policies, procedures, and safety guidelines is essential, as is discussing and reviewing these policies and procedures collectively in staff meetings and in-services. It is also important to remember that these key conversations with sponsors must include other critical staff members such as the school business manager to make sure essential areas such as medical and liability insurance, process for signing out and managing cash, and proper safety guidelines are followed.

Thirdly, identifying an experienced staff member to serve as a resource and mentor can help guide less experienced sponsors through the planning process, share best practices, and address potential challenges. This approach not only improves the quality of school-sponsored groups but also builds leadership capacity in staff as they mentor their colleagues and help them grow.

Successful and equitable school sponsorships do not just naturally happen. They depend on thoughtful administrative planning and organization, clear expectations for both sponsors and students; and faculty members who have the capacity and commitment to lead effectively. Through intentional planning and accounting for the various factors mentioned, school administrators can strive to create a strong, sustainable system for assigning, training, and supporting school sponsors while also increasing the leadership capacity of their staff.

Susan.becker@forestlake.org

Glen.baker@forestlake.org

Selecting and Equipping Sponsors for Success

By Dewald Coetzer

Principal, Mt. Pisgah Academy

Class and organization sponsors play an important role in an Adventist academy’s life. Beyond organizing events, coordinating fundraisers, and supervising activities, sponsors have the opportunity to mentor students, build relationships, and model Christ-centered leadership. However, selecting the right sponsors and preparing them for their responsibilities requires intentional planning and ongoing support.

At Mount Pisgah Academy, our sponsorship selection process begins with considering how well faculty and staff members might work together. Since class sponsorships often involve multiple adults collaborating over four years, a strong working relationship can make a significant difference. Ideally, we pair individuals whose personalities, strengths, and approaches complement one another. However, like many smaller academies, we recognize that limited staffing sometimes makes ideal pairings difficult.

Another important consideration is workload. We strive to distribute sponsorship responsibilities equitably across our faculty and staff, recognizing that everyone already carries significant responsibilities. We also consider individual interests and strengths. For example, someone passionate about student leadership may be well suited to sponsoring Student Association, while a faculty member interested in academic excellence and service might enjoy sponsoring National Honor Society.

We have also established a practice of giving faculty and staff members a year off from class sponsorship after their class graduates. This provides a much-needed opportunity to recharge before beginning another four-year commitment.

One of the challenges we identified was ensuring that sponsors clearly understood their responsibilities. Too often, expectations were passed down informally, leaving new sponsors uncertain about important details. To address this, we recently developed a comprehensive sponsorship guide outlining responsibilities for each grade level.

This document serves as a four-year roadmap, identifying major events, fundraising expectations, financial goals, and specific responsibilities. It addresses practical questions, such as who orders flowers for graduation, which activities each class is responsible for organizing, and how much money should ideally be raised each year. By documenting these expectations, we hope to eliminate confusion, improve consistency, and help sponsors plan proactively rather than reactively.

For new faculty and staff, this guide has become an important part of our orientation process. It provides a clearer understanding of the commitment they are making and allows them to see how their responsibilities will develop over four years.

Moving forward, we see value in strengthening our in-service opportunities through annual sponsor orientation meetings, reviewing the guide together, discussing fundraising procedures, and pairing new sponsors with experienced colleagues who can offer practical advice.

Ultimately, effective sponsorship is about more than completing a checklist

When we thoughtfully select, equip, and support our sponsors, we create opportunities for meaningful relationships, student leadership development, and spiritual growth. Our goal is to help sponsors approach their responsibilities with confidence, knowing they are supported as they help shape the next generation of Adventist leaders.

Dewald.coetzer@pisgah.us