Fundraisers

[softballfan27]

Can anyone tell me the point of fundraisers. We had a team fundraiser which I know raised a pretty good chunk of change. It sure as hell did not reduce any of my fees whatsoever. I paid our team fees + another $400 for a our team fundraiser . Now we have another fundraiser for the organization. What is this money for?
The money our own team has is way more than enough to get us thru season. We received our tournament schedule which is a cost of less than 4k. Indoor fees approx 2K. NO WINTER TOURNAMENTS!! Unis will most likely be less than 2K. I would ask for a refund, but won't get one. I don't mink paying money, but i want to know what it is being used for. I asked the coach and the coach said it was none of my business. I would of asked for a refund, but the organization has a no refund policy. BS.
Again i don't understand fundraisers. I believe If you want your child to play ball pay yourself period. I hate asking other people to support my son or daughters sports. If you can't afford to pay than don't play or have your own private fundraiser for your kid.

 

[Dawgsdad]

Your coach should be more than willing to provide an updated team account as well as providing each family their individual account balances. I provide a general idea of costs and they are broken down, at tryouts. I just gave our mid year update last weekend at practice. If they refuse, smells fishy. Transparency is key in this business!

 

[softballfan27]

I certainly applaud you of how you handle your teams finances. I wish every team would give updated finances like yours. I feel it is the teams money and the team should know how it is being spent. When you have a coach who will not divulge this info to you the wheels in your head start to spin. It is not rocket science to add up tournaments, uni cost, facility cost, Insurance, fees for NSA and ASA and a few bucks for equipment. It does not add up whatsoever. I am figuring close to 4 to 5k going unaccounted. That is alot of money. I would like answers, but I don't want my daughter punished either.

 

[coachjwb]

All travel teams should be willing to share their finances ... how much was collected from fees and how much from fundraisers, and then exactly where every $ was spent and how much is in the bank.

 

[BulldawgsDirector]

Transparency is key. I can send a teams balance sheet from my phone immediately upon request. We send an update to coaches via email monthly or upon request.

However, I would definitely talk with your coach or director. Team expenses for the year can easily exceed $10K per team.

Side note: I didn’t realize NSA was still in Ohio.

 

[softballfan27]

yes i understand fees can exceed 10k, but we have collected over 15k
again it does not add up. The coach is just a joke period. I guess I may have to call the treasurer of the organization or director.

 

[OhPhat]

Totally agree transparency is key. Our team manages our individual funds versus our organization and one of the assistants has this responsibility. A financial statement is issued monthly or if there has not been any changes from previous month then we advise there was not any change. We also have committed to producing a financial statement within 48 hours if requested by a parent (has never occurred).

Our player fees basically cover the minimum desired tournaments, uniforms and player bags etc. As for fundraising, we have done some along with some minor sponsorships. These funds are team funds that will be used to cover additional tournaments above the minimum, friendlies and if possible a team meal/event.

 

[Utility21]

Can anyone tell me the point of fundraisers. We had a team fundraiser which I know raised a pretty good chunk of change. It sure as hell did not reduce any of my fees whatsoever. I paid our team fees + another $400 for a our team fundraiser . Now we have another fundraiser for the organization. What is this money for?
The money our own team has is way more than enough to get us thru season. We received our tournament schedule which is a cost of less than 4k. Indoor fees approx 2K. NO WINTER TOURNAMENTS!! Unis will most likely be less than 2K. I would ask for a refund, but won't get one. I don't mink paying money, but i want to know what it is being used for. I asked the coach and the coach said it was none of my business. I would of asked for a refund, but the organization has a no refund policy. BS.
Again i don't understand fundraisers. I believe If you want your child to play ball pay yourself period. I hate asking other people to support my son or daughters sports. If you can't afford to pay than don't play or have your own private fundraiser for your kid.

We played for an organization a couple years ago and had similar experience. The coaches left for another organization and over half the team did not follow. This was after winning 2 National Qualifiers and Stingrays. Our parents were later told by the head of the organization that the coaches fees and partial fee for one of the coaches long time friend was waived. Some organizations do this along with paying hotel fees for coaches. I have no problem with that as long as there is honest communication and transparency with team funds. If it is set up as non-profit, they need to disclose where the money is going. It is just sad that the girls can't just go and play the game they love.

 

[softballfan27]

it is a non-profit. So if I ask they must tell me or give transactions how the money that was used?

 

[WSHEELY]

This is exactly why our team doesn't elect to take part in fundraisers. Everything is broken down for the parents from cost of tournaments to paying sanctioning fees to spirit wear. Everything is broken down and divided by number of players. Then parents don't have to worry about hidden fees, comped fees for coaches dd's, or if they are paying for coaches hotel rooms (which I do not agree with). And by creating payment plans and allowing parents the option to split fees over a time period, it has worked out fantastically for our team! And as a side note, if a coach or treasurer gets upset because a parent is asking for the information, then they are probably hiding something or they are just plain bad bookkeepers. Haha.

 

[Captain_Thunder]

This is exactly why our team doesn't elect to take part in fundraisers. Everything is broken down for the parents from cost of tournaments to paying sanctioning fees to spirit wear. Everything is broken down and divided by number of players. Then parents don't have to worry about hidden fees, comped fees for coaches dd's, or if they are paying for coaches hotel rooms (which I do not agree with). And by creating payment plans and allowing parents the option to split fees over a time period, it has worked out fantastically for our team! And as a side note, if a coach or treasurer gets upset because a parent is asking for the information, then they are probably hiding something or they are just plain bad bookkeepers. Haha.

Do you have a non-parent coach? Wondering if you have someone willing to donate all their time to working with your daughters and if you think they should also pay for their own lodging for Tournaments?

 

[Xrayaries]

I ran several youth teams try telling parents of a youth football team that fees are going up 150$ because of new helmet and shoulder pads restrictions. Fundraisers are a huge help when it comes to purchasing equipment. Buying 2 pitching machines and 200 balls will certainly get you to that 5k mark. Toss in some bownets, weighted balls, no fly balls, equipment bags, toilet paper, paper towels. It can all add up quickly. There are no shortages of expenses when it comes to sports of any kind. I don't think I have heard of any coach saying your fees were none of your business it sounds a bit one sided. You seem to have judged the coach already and maybe he feels that from you communicating with him. Start from scratch and don't start any conversation with a frown or anger. You will immediately put the other party into defence mode. This story is not complete so I hate to be biased one way or the other without both sides. Good luck to you.