At our gym we have a large team parent program, with each team having a team mom or dad assigned to it. Their roles include being the team administrator, communicator, event planner, etc. The gym has somebody who communicates weekly to all of the team parents through a weekly newsletter and then we communicate with our families and update our team Facebook group. We also collect any waivers needed, do the uniform sizing, hand out practice wear, send out the info regarding competition details, report times and locations, buy the Christmas and year end gifts for the coaches and CIT's, and anything else the coaches tell us to send out (i.e. parent meeting, change in times, videos that we were posted to Facebook but families don't have FB so we email it out). As for events, we're expected to plan 3 events every season: a summer party of our choosing, a Christmas party, and a year end party.
We also receive a social budget that covers those incidental costs and are responsible for tracking the receipts and adding them into a spreadsheet to keep track. We try to eliminate the need to ask parents for additional money for events, special gifts, etc and the social budget comes out of the fees that we pay. I also use those funds when I surprise the team with popsicles after practice in the summer, or give them a little swag item for their 1st comp or Nationals. So we need responsible team parents who can be trusted with the money and also be transparent with it.
Essentially our team parents are the main go-to person on the team and that leaves the coaches to focus on the coaching. If you have a concern on the team there's a hierarchy to escalate it. First you go to the team parent, then it goes to the coach, and then it goes to the owner. It's been very effective for us.
With that said, I agree with the above comment. It needs to be a role for a parent who wants to do it for the greater good and not self advancement. It's a position that can attract crazy parents and you'll need to weed through them to find the solid parents you can count on.
We don't have a parent committee but we do have a group of volunteers that cover the front desk and pro shop, and also help out at events. Then when we have big events we put a call out to those volunteers and our team parents and people just step up to help. We also invite parents who aren't involved and it's a good way to recruit volunteers.
I've done the role for 4 seasons now and started when CP was a Tiny. Back then I was doing a lot of team building things (i.e. ice cream parties, team party planning, hired a lifeguard for a summer pool party, tea parties at the gym in the family room, craft time after practice, etc). I was also the designated team photographer. I also walked the new families through the cheer season and answered tons of questions, did lots of hair and makeup, organized a rotating snack schedule for competition days (those tiny's got mighty hangry after an early report time and convention centre and arena food is just plain gross!!!).
During the mini and youth years my role has been more so team support and communicator (I use MailChimp to send out my team emails and make it a weekly newsletter with everything they need to know for that week and what's coming up), event planner (I'm a master at the pot luck and booking team reservations for lunches and dinners), makeup artist and hair styler. I'm also the team travel agent and help families with travel planning for comp's and tend to book extra hotel rooms at great rates and share the deals. It's definitely evolved over the years. After 5 seasons you get to know the families and welcome a few new faces every season. I'm also not the only person who does all of this. I've been blessed with families who also like to help out and we do this together. Scary to think I just do this as a volunteer as I also have a full time career and 2 kids who are both in competitive sports.
