How to Manage Booster Club Fees While Balancing Student Participation

Introduction

If your booster club management team is looking for a consistent way to raise funds and provide for your organization’s needs, then you may want to consider implementing club fees. Booster club fees are a great way to implement a steady and beneficial revenue source that can be both a huge obstacle, and without careful consideration and watchfulness, a pitfall for booster club fundraising as well. It is vital to know the proper way to implement and manage booster club fees.

What Are Booster Club Fees?

Booster club fees are a method of booster club financing where in order to join the booster club, people have to pay a membership fee set by the booster club for the clubs operations and other financial needs. So not only are booster club fees for the club itself but they may also be set to pay for needs for teams, clubs, and other student organizations. For example, if the outdoor track facility needs to be repaired and cost a lot, then a booster club may implement a fee that helps to pay for this.

Booster club fees are set based on the need of the club. So this is based upon how much the club may need to operate, how much is needed to conduct fundraisers and other events, etc. Going back to the example above with the track, this may be a larger fee set because of the huge need of repairing an outdoor facility.

Why Use Fee’s to Fundraise?

With so many creative options and outlets to perform fundraisers, many will wonder why use fees to raise funds for a club rather than just fundraise the traditional way. While traditional fundraising is a great tool to consider for booster club management, booster club fee’s serve as a great tool as well with its own advantages.

Benefits of Membership Fees :

1. Fees provide booster clubs with a steady income
2. Fees allow clubs to calculate and plan based on a set amount that club knows it will receive

Using fees to fundraise for a club is a great idea that presents many benefits as well some risk. You must be extremely careful regarding how you manage booster club fees.

How To Manage Booster Club Fees

Once a booster clubs requires fees, it can be a slippery slope regarding stipulations and new rules that come as a result. As a booster club, you will need to take the time to evaluate and review how you will manage booster club fees for both internal and external parties around your organization.

Booster club participation fees are vital for your clubs success and they must be monitored closely for the following reasons:

• They can be a cornerstone of club funding
• Implemented incorrectly they can be illegal
• If fees are too high they can be a barrier to people joining

Your club should have a system in place for how you will charge fees, while also having a system in place for keeping your club practices fair for all people. Booster club fees should be collected without discriminating or excluding others from the club.

Work with People

As a booster club collects fees, it must not limit the less fortunate who may have trouble paying the club fees. One of the primary objectives of clubs in addition to raising funds, is to increase participation. A club should not have to choose between members who can and cannot pay.

A great idea to manage booster club fees for the less fortunate is to implement a method or program in place to help parents/families that may not be able to afford the club fee.

As a club, there is much flexibility and opportunity to work with volunteers and parents so that they may participate as well as pay fees if the fees are a burden on them. A couple of options that your club can implement to help out these people are:

• Have other volunteer/families sponsor those who cannot fully pay: Maybe a family who has extra funds to spare covers half of the club fee for another less fortunate family, leaving the family who is not doing well financially to pay only half of the total fee.
• Trading volunteer hours for payment : Set a volunteering goal for members to meet if they cannot cover the financial cost. For example, your club can set a requirement of 60 hours of labor annually in exchange for the $200 (or however much) membership fee.
• Payment plans over time: Split the club fee into installments that members can pay in smaller amounts over time. This way your club still receives the full total membership fee, while the less fortunate have a break by paying small amounts step by step.

Avoiding Pay to Play

One of the biggest pitfalls that clubs fall into when using fees for booster club financials is implementing pay to play.

Booster club pay to play is defined as: the imposing of charges or fees to students/parents by school-allied organizations for equipment, team uniforms, musical instruments or other items or supplies that are required to be used by the student in order to participate in a school activity (i.e. sports teams, cheerleading, etc.).

Pay to play is when booster clubs charge mandatory fees to students to participate in clubs, extracurricular activities, athletic teams, and school sponsored events. These costs for students are imposed on their parents requiring them to pay fees or dues for their child to be on an athletic team or a part of a club. This is NOT the proper way to manage booster club fees.

Booster clubs should not be set up to incentivizes or require higher payments for more student activity. This systems only favors the parents or children who are financially better off than others. Club, and organizations should remain open and available to all students regardless of what their parents contributed.

Balance Your Club’s Fees and Fairness

Implementing fees is a great way for booster clubs to raise consistent funds. However this method will require proper discretion and attention for your club as you manage booster club fees. But with the right plan, steps, and cooperation with others, your club can have both consistent booster club financing and fairness together.

Are you looking for ways to better manage your booster club?

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