Parents Team growth and fees

[Gym_momof2]

We have a great booster club (501c3). Our biggest fundraiser is a meet, which has raised enough in years past to cover coaches expenses for the entire year (parents only paid meet entries). Our team has doubled in size the last 2 years, but the meet profit has stayed the same. We are left with splitting the estimated coaches fees among gymnasts (compulsories, optionals, and Xcel). Would love input on how other gyms split fees among different levels/programs; if you could include actual amounts (or an estimate), that would be great! I think we are on par with what other gyms charge, but expecting some questions since the price will go up significantly this year. We do collect in advance, usually payments July-November. Thanks!

 

[MILgymFAM]

The only booster that I was a part of personally (as in helped out and not just my DD attended the gym), required one year on team to benefit from the booster, but required volunteering and such from the time you joined. Given that, maybe you could keep things the same the first year and give a big heads up about the coming changes for the following year? Outside of that, each booster gym we’ve been a part of split the money evenly across all eligible gymnasts. Sometimes that was everyone, but once we were at a gym that excluded T&T and XCEL from the booster club altogether.

 

[Gym_momof2]

Thanks for the reply! I wish we could keep it the same this year, but the coaches fees will be significantly more. We are mainly trying to figure out how other gyms split the cost fairly (a level 2 and level 10 paying the exact same seems unfair). Then add in regionals for xcel (which we underbudgeted this season!)... ‍

The only booster that I was a part of personally (as in helped out and not just my DD attended the gym), required one year on team to benefit from the booster, but required volunteering and such from the time you joined. Given that, maybe you could keep things the same the first year and give a big heads up about the coming changes for the following year? Outside of that, each booster gym we’ve been a part of split the money evenly across all eligible gymnasts. Sometimes that was everyone, but once we were at a gym that excluded T&T and XCEL from the booster club altogether.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Thanks for the reply! I wish we could keep it the same this year, but the coaches fees will be significantly more. We are mainly trying to figure out how other gyms split the cost fairly (a level 2 and level 10 paying the exact same seems unfair). Then add in regionals for xcel (which we underbudgeted this season!)... ‍

Typically there has been a compulsory fee and an optional fee, with the optional fee being higher. States/regionals/nationals have always been charged separately for every gym we’ve been to.

 

[raenndrops]

Thanks for the reply! I wish we could keep it the same this year, but the coaches fees will be significantly more. We are mainly trying to figure out how other gyms split the cost fairly (a level 2 and level 10 paying the exact same seems unfair). Then add in regionals for xcel (which we underbudgeted this season!)... ‍

Coaches fees idea for each meet:
Estimate: Per diem + travel (mileage, flight if needed, hotel if needed).
Estimate: # of coaches and # of sessions for each. Use the session fee for each coach (may be different for different coaches) to calculate the estimated total cost of coaches fees.
Add these 2 numbers.
Divide by either all the gymnasts in the levels attending the meet OR just the gymnasts attending (Xcel Regionals and other Post-season meets for Upper Level Optionals). Then add in the cost of each meet. For each level that makes up a "team," remember to add in that fee, divided by the number of girls in the level.

Do this for each meet. Then make a chart for each Level. IT should list the meet, the estimated Coaches fees (including the session fees and travel, etc), and the cost of meet registration (with portion of team fee added in).
You could even say that this does NOT include Post-season meets and that those will be additional.

By having the chart, if a girl joins the team late, but will still compete in some of the meets, you can just have her pay the amounts for the meets starting with her first meet... as long as she doesnt make it so there will be another level with a full "team" or need another coach in a session, or need to add an additional session, then you will have a little extra to help cover underestimates.

As the meets happen, make sure you get the "real numbers" and keep track of the "under / over" for each one. At the end of the season, if you have overcharged, make sure to credit them the extra money. If you undercharged, remember that for next season and estimate higher for the particular meets that exceeded your estimates if you are going back.

 

[Gym_momof2]

This is great, thank you!

Coaches fees idea for each meet:
Estimate: Per diem + travel (mileage, flight if needed, hotel if needed).
Estimate: # of coaches and # of sessions for each. Use the session fee for each coach (may be different for different coaches) to calculate the estimated total cost of coaches fees.
Add these 2 numbers.
Divide by either all the gymnasts in the levels attending the meet OR just the gymnasts attending (Xcel Regionals and other Post-season meets for Upper Level Optionals). Then add in the cost of each meet. For each level that makes up a "team," remember to add in that fee, divided by the number of girls in the level.

Do this for each meet. Then make a chart for each Level. IT should list the meet, the estimated Coaches fees (including the session fees and travel, etc), and the cost of meet registration (with portion of team fee added in).
You could even say that this does NOT include Post-season meets and that those will be additional.

By having the chart, if a girl joins the team late, but will still compete in some of the meets, you can just have her pay the amounts for the meets starting with her first meet... as long as she doesnt make it so there will be another level with a full "team" or need another coach in a session, or need to add an additional session, then you will have a little extra to help cover underestimates.

As the meets happen, make sure you get the "real numbers" and keep track of the "under / over" for each one. At the end of the season, if you have overcharged, make sure to credit them the extra money. If you undercharged, remember that for next season and estimate higher for the particular meets that exceeded your estimates if you are going back.

 

[gymgal]

Thanks for the reply! I wish we could keep it the same this year, but the coaches fees will be significantly more. We are mainly trying to figure out how other gyms split the cost fairly (a level 2 and level 10 paying the exact same seems unfair). Then add in regionals for xcel (which we underbudgeted this season!)... ‍

Can you add some other fundraising to get you to the number you need? Corporate sponsors, selling items, etc?

The easiest thing to do would be to find another expense that the BC CAN pay for in full and then have the parents take care of the coaching fees independently. Maybe the meet fees would be less expensive? If you needed to, you could state in the bylaws that the BC covers only regular season meet fees. Or you could pay for apparel costs?

If you really want to keep paying coaches fees, then the best way probably would be to change the bylaws to state that the BC will contribute a total of $x amount, divided evenly among all the gymnasts. (you can set it in the bylaws as a percentage of the BC funds as well, so you don't have to keep changing it year to year). And then each individual gymnast is responsible for paying the rest of that fee. That way the higher levels will pay more due to higher travel expenses. You could also set aside additional funds for regionals above a certain level and nationals, if you want to help that. However, as you know, the BC cannot "force" the parents to contribute any money so in order to make sure all the fees get paid by the gymnast, it would be best that the gym collect those fees (since they can enforce the rule that the fees must be paid in order to be on team/compete) and then the BC gives the remaining contribution.

 

[Gym_momof2]

We do lots of other fundraisers and paid for state with funds raised throughout the year. The meet we host has always been used for the next year’s coaches fees. Everything related to competitions is funneled through the booster club. The gym only takes tuition payments. And unfortunately, the different programs are on different years for apparel (one got new leos this year that are kept for 2 years, the other program is getting new leos next season). Growing pains! Good, but so much to figure out!

Can you add some other fundraising to get you to the number you need? Corporate sponsors, selling items, etc?

The easiest thing to do would be to find another expense that the BC CAN pay for in full and then have the parents take care of the coaching fees independently. Maybe the meet fees would be less expensive? If you needed to, you could state in the bylaws that the BC covers only regular season meet fees. Or you could pay for apparel costs?

If you really want to keep paying coaches fees, then the best way probably would be to change the bylaws to state that the BC will contribute a total of $x amount, divided evenly among all the gymnasts. (you can set it in the bylaws as a percentage of the BC funds as well, so you don't have to keep changing it year to year). And then each individual gymnast is responsible for paying the rest of that fee. That way the higher levels will pay more due to higher travel expenses. You could also set aside additional funds for regionals above a certain level and nationals, if you want to help that. However, as you know, the BC cannot "force" the parents to contribute any money so in order to make sure all the fees get paid by the gymnast, it would be best that the gym collect those fees (since they can enforce the rule that the fees must be paid in order to be on team/compete) and then the BC gives the remaining contribution.