Money

I would

I would gladly pay $75 in a sport for my kid to play rather than have to go out in the community and ask for donations time after time. Try it sometime. You'll see.

 

questions

coach27, with your dugout club, are you limited to a certain # of fundraisers? in our county, they put some rules in place that restricts each sports team to a maximum # of fundraisers. I think it's 2 per year. don't know why this was inplimented. also having the dugout club, does this keep you from requesting funds from the overall athletics boosters club? (assuming your school has an overall club that takes all sports into consideration).
and last question, how does your school pay for new uniforms?

 

Football has generally carried the torch for sports that don't generate much revenue. What I have noticed is a general decline in football attendance, except for a few select schools that dominate year in and out, over the past 10 years or so. At our school only football, basketball, volleyball, and baseball can cover their costs. So who pays to play? All, or the sports that can't cover their costs?

 

See NCHSAA Endowment fund below

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association Endowment
"Providing for the future of high school athletics."

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association Endowment
"Providing for the future of high school athletics."


In 1991, after several years of discussion and brainstorming, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association kicked off a multi-million dollar campaign to establish a fund that resulted in the NCHSAA Endowment Fund. This effort was spear-headed by Charlie Adams, executive director of the NCHSAA, with the support of school personnel statewide.

Purpose: The purpose of the NCHSAA Endowment Fund is three-fold:
• To preserve and create opportunities for over 150,000 student-athletes involved in NCHSAA programs;
• To provide a vehicle for North Carolinians to become involved actively in supporting wholesome programs that instill lifelong values in our young citizens;
• To insure that the Association can continue to provide quality programs and services to its membership, including Olympic (non-revenue) sports, classified championships, and special programs without implementing participation fees (a.k.a. Pay-to-Play).

What is the NCHSAA Endowment Fund?
The fund exists through tax-free contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations, and endowment games. Once the NCHSAA receives contributions, they are safely and wisely invested and donations received from businesses, individuals, and foundations are restricted for investment purposes only and cannot be used. However, the interest generated from these moneys can be used to fund program needs within the NCHSAA. In addition, since 2000/01, all member schools have received annual reimbursement funds from the Endowment Fund based on the percentage their respective schools paid for catastrophic insurance of the total premium payment for all member schools. In these five (5) years, a total of $470,000 has been sent back directly to the member schools.

 

Football does carry the largest gates and in most cases are split with the visting team after expenses are taken out. I also see the smaller and smaller crowds. I think that school systems will be rethinking the size of the school number of games and distance. It will be in the next few years. Maybe when they realign the school again. You will see more JV and Varsisty playing at the same verue same day. And a reduction in games. This should also happen for all sports besides football due to crowd and team size.

 

I will ask the AD this one. I know of no funds that come into the athletic program, toher that the gates and donations. A least I have never seen it. I know we put ads in the sports program and hang banners from Wendy's and Pepsi and we have not seen a dime. It is may understanding that is (WSFCS) There is not money give to athletic programs. As a past booster president we assisted the sports programs in many ways. We cannot even get the school system to purchase or assist in purchasing bleachers for the track/practice field or softball field. The thing about the track/practice field is that this is use for PE classes and other school day activitys. We cannot hold track events on site due to this. Lost $$$.

 

We are not limited

in the amount of fundraisers we can do. But we usually do around three a year. Since we started the Dugout Club we quit asking the Athletic Booster Club for anything. It allows them to give to golf tennis track volleyball wrestling etc the teams that do not bring any money. By not having to give anything to baseball they have a little extra to give to these sports. We still encourage our parents and players to help with the Athletic Booster Clubs fundraisers because we only feel that is fair. The fact is the Athletic Booster Club was limited in their ability to really helpus out. I hated going to the Booster Club with my hand out asking for a hand out. I felt it was much better to get agressive and raise our own money and then we didnt have to wait and see what they were going to give us and what they were and were not going to approve. Our last fundraiser was we got a business to donate 500.00 for a sign for advertisement. We got the sign company to donate the making of the signs so we put up one of their signs. In my opinion what you get is a coach coming to a Booster club meeting asking for money and what has he done to help himself out? Has he tried to raise any of the money? Has he attended any of the booster club meetings? Has he gotten his players to help at booster club fundraisers? Has he tried to get his parents involved? At some point and time you have to get out there and get the ball rolling. There are plenty of parents that will help if you take the time to ask them. The only thing we say is "What goes on with the Dugout Club has nothing to do with what goes on between the white lines".

Every four years we get new uniforms. The varsity uniforms are handed down to the JV. The uniforms are paid for by the County throught their athletic budget. You can imagine what kind of uniforms and hats etc we would get if we did not raise some money to go along with what we get from the county. And the JV uniforms are four years old when they get them. And they are eight years old by the time they are turned around again. We just started buying new JV every four years through the Dugout Club and do not hand down the Varsity uniforms. Hopefully they are worn out by four years if not we have not been playing very hard!

 

"Pay to Play"?? I don't agree with this approach. I have seen many talented players not getting to play because they can't pay. Also, when you pay to play, are you playing to win? Are the coaches feeling obligated to play players that would not normally play? I have witnessed many USSSA baseball teams of all ages who are backed by organizations that have parents paying a lot of money for kids to play, take lessons, etc.. and the teams are suffering because the coaches feel obligated to play players because they "pay to play." Do we really want this in high school sports?

 

This just in: Gas may get to $3.95 plus a gallon by August. At this rate the only people that can pay to play will be the gas gaints. I'm sure everyone's raise this year will reflect this rise.

 

agree

C-27: I like your philosophy on this fundraising topic, and especially the part about "what goes on with the dugout club has nothing to do with what goes on between the white lines'. That should be understood up front.
Very good.