Parents Question for parents about fundraising

[Amusibus]

Hi. My daughter's "graduating" from developmental and moving to team this June, so all this fundraising stuff is new for me. We chose for her to enter the fewer hours excel- type program. However, our families commitment for volunteering and fundraising seems to be the same as everyone else. Is this normal? How much fundraising type stuff is required at your kid's gym? Just curious. It seems like an awful lot....

 

[gymmiemom]

Our gym keeps the two seperate. If you are in the excel program you pay for everything out of pocket, since they only compete in 1 or 2 meets a year and require very inexpensive leos and no travel at all. Our booster club is responsible for the JO program at the gym.

The booster club has an annual fee that all parents have to pay over the "off season." Usually from May-Nov. You have to make minimum monthly payments each month, if you don't/can't just pay it upfront. On top of that, our fundraising requires participation in all fundraisers. But that doesn't mean you have to attend every one. Just help in some way. It could be printing up fliers, making phone calls, providing a food item for concessions, whatever. They are pretty lax. It should also be noted that we don't fundraise constantly. Concessions 2 or 3 times a year, a raffle once a year, and an annual dance. And of course home meets. The only fundraiser where you are required to work a certain amount of hours is the home meets. There is 0 wiggle room on those ones. Our goal every year is to be able to pay for everything. Entrance fees, coaches expenses, and even plane tickets when we fly for the girls. It is very worth it.

 

[Quadqueen]

We don't have a booster club and we don't fundraise. We host a large invitational meet, and each family must volunteer several hours over the weekend, but that's it.

 

[gymmomtoo]

Our XCel team is not part of our booster club, because of the time commitment, meets costs and monthly fee cost is so much lower than the USAG 3-10 team--as you say, it wouldn't be fair to have them put in the same number of volunteer hours and get so much less back out of it.

 

[Amusibus]

We don't have a booster club and we don't fundraise. We host a large invitational meet, and each family must volunteer several hours over the weekend, but that's it.

JEALOUS!! Ours has a lot of fundraising, and frankly, I find it obnoxious. Just charge what you need to charge and be done with it!!

 

[motigymnasticsmom]

Our xcel and jo program run side by side, actually, we have more meets. We do some fundraising, but its not demanded of us. It is up to us to do individual fundraising.


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[GymBee97]

I always ask any time there is something to fundraise for if there is a "buy out" figure and just pay the money if I can. Then if DD wants to participate in things like candy bar sales etc she can but I don't have to worry about meeting a quota. I would want to know in your situation how much of the fundraising goes to the Excel program and how much to the JO program if only 10% goes to excel well I would only give them 10% effort.

 

[HoldThePhone]

Our Excel team does as many meets as the other levels, but fundraising requirements vary from level to level. You can pay the amount your level requires out of pocket, or fundraise to cover. Excel for us wears the same leos the other girls do, etc.

 

[Amusibus]

To get specific without revealing too much, one particular fundraiser going on now is to benefit families with a temporary financial need and gymnasts competing at the national level. This second part does not sit well with me, when I have specifically chosen a lower level of involvement and a big part of why is the finances. The buyout is 100$. Am I crazy or does my resistance to this seem justified? (not that it matters, nothing will change anyway).

 

[SignHere]

Amusibus, for your fundraiser right now, is it one of those ones where you have to go around selling things? Or is it you have to donate your time?

I'd be able to swallow donating my time and just keep telling myself it was for the gymnasts in temp financial need. For instance, one of our !evel 5 s , a lovely young girl, just quit because her dad lost his job. I'd love it if there was a fund to pay her gym fees for 6 months or so so she could continue the sport she loved during this difficult time. I don't expect the gym to subsidize it, since they have to pay coaches' salaries, rent, electricity, etc.

Now if I had to sell frozen pizza kits to my friends and co-workers, THAT would be a different story!

 

[Amusibus]

It's selling.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I feel for you - we don't have a big fundraising commitment over here, you input What you want, however school is forever doing a sponsored this or sponsored thast - drives me potty. Make a batch of cakes and send them to school with your child plus money to but them back with ! I hate sponsored things - I never have anyone I can ask except my sister and we have an understanding, she doesn't ask me and I don't ask her.

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[Seeker]

We're a cash type gym...no booster club, no fundraising. I'd like to pay less, but I don't have time to volunteer much and I hate selling things, so it is fine with me.

 

[SignHere]

It's selling.

UGH! If there is ANYThing I hate more than selling, I can't think of it!

I simply don't have anyone to sell that stuff to ... Plus I live in a rural area, so I don't have neighbors. My husband and I are not permitted to sell at work.

And $100 is a pretty big buy out. That's a lot of pizza kits!

 

[skschlag]

So glad our booster club doesn't sell anything! Bingo works well....

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[JoyAvenueMom]

anyone have experience with restaurant "dine in nights" for booster club fundraising?

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

anyone have experience with restaurant "dine in nights" for booster club fundraising?

We just did a dine in night at On the Border (tex mex) for school about 2 weeks ago. We received $280 which was 10% of the day's receipts where diner handed in a flyer.
We are doing one at McDonald's next week- 10% all sales between 5-7pm, no flyer needed.
It's easy money.

 

[gymmomtoo]

We just did a dine in night at On the Border (tex mex) for school about 2 weeks ago. We received $280 which was 10% of the day's receipts where diner handed in a flyer.
We are doing one at McDonald's next week- 10% all sales between 5-7pm, no flyer needed.
It's easy money.

What size base do you have--meaning how many team members? Just wondering if it is worth looking into for our team (which has about 60 girls, I think)

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

This was for our school so we sent flyers home to 600 students but we also posted on Facebook and emailed friends and family.

IMHO it's a freebie, they sent us a PDF flyer so we didn't even have to make copies if we didn't want to, just post or email. It can't hurt? Talk to your gym owner about distributing to all Rec class kids