WAG Another 501c3 question...

[Gymmommy71]

We don't have booster clubs here, so this is probably a dumb question, but if you are at a gym without a booster club, how do you get the parents to volunteer to work the meets?

Most gyms without booster clubs around me do not host meets - or if they do they are small and ran by the owner/employees w/ a few parents who are TRUE volunteers.

 

[bookworm]

We don't have booster clubs here, so this is probably a dumb question, but if you are at a gym without a booster club, how do you get the parents to volunteer to work the meets?

In the gyms we were in without a booster club, there were no hosted meets...we were told what we owed, we paid it (our fees overall were less than any I paid in a gym with boosters) , no drama...it was lovely. In the gym with a booster club, we had to work 7 meet sessions/meet AND had to pay to get into the session our own kid was competing in "because you aren't working" (uh really, I worked half the sessions of the whole meet..) so yeah, give me a booster clubless gym any day...

 

[skschlag]

Our booster club does not charge assessments. Ever. We do not pay anything INTO the club, except an annual $20 fee. I would look into that first. I think there are better options than 501c3 for this type of club. We also do not have to join, we do not have to work meets. Our booster club covers 5 different gyms, so it is run very differently.

 

[suebee]

DD is at a gym with a booster club but we are not members. Even though the booster club is a 501(c)(3), according to their written literature, they do not conform to the 501(c)(3) guidelines, which is part of why I do not want to be a member.

I pay assessments to the booster club for meet fees, coach fees, competition wear, etc. I think booster club members have their assessments offset by whatever they bring in with fundraising.

Our gym hosts more than 1 meet. I don't think booster club members are required to work any shifts, but I think they get some credit to their account or something if they do. Not exactly sure how that works, since I am not in the booster club.

I volunteer to work a shift or two at meets, even though I don't get anything from it, since I'm not in the booster club. So do many other parents. But the parents who work 3 full days at the meet are all in the booster club, because they get credits for working and have more incentive to work more. I think.

 

[wgagym]

I am an owner and I do not have a booster club. We just have it in our team handbook that the expectation is that every family volunteers to help with our meet in one way or another. The girls are required to help with the meet as a part of being on the team. We have no problem getting people to help because the expectation is clearly set that it is a part of being in the team program. When our meet runs well it benefits everyone and the parents get that!

 

[Muddlethru]

OP, I admire your desire to verify legality of what you are doing. It sounds like a ton of work. I don't understand why parents except this responsibility though. The gym owner should be doing this. Why is the owner not doing this or paying someone to do it? I personally know gym parents who were sued for there involvement and alleged mismanagement of the booster club. Meanwhile the gym owner, sat in the corner of his vacation home watching the leaves change color.

While you are willing to seek out an attorney for the booster club, you might want to find one for yourself also.

I'm so thankful we don't have a booster club and we have owners who understand the business is their responsibility.

It is illegal for gym owners to have any involvement with not for profit booster clubs (501c3). The booster club by definition is a parent's association to supplement expenses and non-profit booster clubs must adhere to strict guidelines set out by the IRS.

We don't have booster clubs here, so this is probably a dumb question, but if you are at a gym without a booster club, how do you get the parents to volunteer to work the meets?

The gym can make that a requirement and a provision in the team contract. That is perfectly legal.

 

[raenndrops]

I am an owner and I do not have a booster club. We just have it in our team handbook that the expectation is that every family volunteers to help with our meet in one way or another. The girls are required to help with the meet as a part of being on the team. We have no problem getting people to help because the expectation is clearly set that it is a part of being in the team program. When our meet runs well it benefits everyone and the parents get that!

That is how it is for us. It is in the handbook that families are required to work the meet. The gymnasts also have to work a session (or they will be scratched and work the session they were supposed to compete).
What the handbook doesn't say is that, for extenuating circumstances, there are ways around this. A sibling can work in the place of a gymnast or a parent (if the sibling is old enough). There are also "jobs" like bringing in beverages or helping with set-up the last practice before the meet.

We have never had to scratch a gymnast for not signing up to work, even when one had a cheer competition in the morning, her session 45 minutes after the cheer comp (it was around 30-40 minutes away), and a school dance in the evening. Her sister worked in her place.

 

[bookworm]

Believe me, we have all asked ourselves why in the world we take on this responsibility. When it comes down to it, it's just the situation we've been handed. Most of us feel without adding a long commute to other gyms, this is the only way to keep our girls competing.

We had a long commute to our last booster clubless gym (200 miles round trip for the last 6 years in the sport), and let me tell you it was well worth the time in the car to be away from a gym with a crazy booster club and exorbitant fees....

 

[Seeker]

We have been at gyms with both scenarios and haven't had that experience. The gym without a BC had much higher expenses overall. As far as the "crazy" that can happen, it can happen anywhere that you have a bunch of overzealous parents eager for their Suzy to begin kipping. By far, the most absolute crazy we experienced was at the non-booster club gym. Those people were ruthless to the point of it being slightly frightening.

In our experience, the gyms with the booster clubs did offer an offset to the expenses (booster club contributed to coaching fees, leo/warmup, etc). Sure, there is work involved, but it also offers you a certain amount of control and influence. Every gym is different and the needs/wants of every family vary. What's good for one may be horrible for another. Just find the right thing for your family and hope it doesn't change too much over the time you're there.

 

[gymnastmom05]

We had a long commute to our last booster clubless gym (200 miles round trip for the last 6 years in the sport), and let me tell you it was well worth the time in the car to be away from a gym with a crazy booster club and exorbitant fees....

I don't feel our Booster Club is that inconvenient. It's really not on the crazy end of the spectrum (and our fees are in line with most gyms in our area), we're just trying to get things right. For our family, this is as far as we are willing to go for this sport. Our DD loves it but I highly doubt she will continue on to college. I will donate an hour or so each week to Booster Club work and keep the balance within the entire family. It's already heavily shifted to DD's gymnastics schedule, I have other kids that need attention and I need to play taxi driver for them as well. And when it comes down to it, DD is safe and she LOVES her gym. If something were to change with those two factors, I would consider adding a commute but I don't find it necessary at this point.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

Technically, the owner can't control or even be a part of the Booster Club. We were told by our attorney that we had to ensure that it was the parents who ran the Booster Club.

In our gym the owner is a "silent" member of the booster club board, he sits in on the meetings but can't cast any votes. However, he is also a member of the booster club because his daughter is on team. So it's a very strange situation all around.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

And I have to say that I love having a booster club, it has saved the team parents so much money. And yes, there is a lot of work that goes into it (working meets, fundraisers, etc..) but I'm one of the odd ducks that absolutely loves doing stuff like this, I would work the meets for free if they asked!!