TEAM MANAGER S GUIDE TO FUNDRAISING NRFC Marketing and Fundraising Committee 2013
Table of Contents New Rochelle F.C. - Who we are Why do the NRFC Teams Need to Raise Funds? Team Fundraising Club Fundraising and Team Support How Can We Help You Help Your Team? TABLE OF CONTENTS
New Rochelle F.C. - Who We Are For almost 40 years, Youth Soccer of New Rochelle Inc. (YSNR) has offered the children of New Rochelle an opportunity to learn and play the game of soccer. The travel division, New Rochelle F.C. ( NRFC ), conducts a program for children selected to play on travel teams for ages U9 through U19. NEW ROCHELLE F.C. The NRFC Travel program consists of approximately 20-25 teams and over 400 travel players ranging in age from 8 to 18. We have a large program and support many players throughout our community. However, the cost of youth sports nationwide continues to increase. New Rochelle is a diverse community in terms of socioeconomic status and many of our players cannot afford the full cost of participation in the travel program. Our club supports many team activities but cannot completely support each team financially.
Why Do Teams Need to Raise Funds? It s pretty simple pursuing a youth athletic activity, such as soccer, has a cost. And, the cost of participation continues to go up. Supporting a vibrant youth soccer organization requires Equipment Field space Training Insurance Referees Tournament Fees Uniforms New Rochelle is a large and diverse city in Westchester County, we bring together an amazing mix of cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. NRFC is one of the largest youth travel soccer clubs in Westchester County. Our players participate in the U9-U18 age groups and for many, it is their key activity outside of school. WHY DO TEAMS NEED TO RAISE FUNDS? NRFC is a volunteer-run organization. We have a large organization that provides opportunities for so many youth players. NRFC cannot solely support each team. We do our very best with scholarships and give-backs to our teams from their participation in clubwide fundraising events. As a result, we split the financial responsibility between the club and our teams. Each team has financial responsibility for its own budget relating to those items that it needs to cover throughout our year-long season.
Why Do Teams Need to Raise Funds? Club Covered Expenses Player registration fees to NRFC and NRFC fundraising events cover certain necessary expenses in order for our teams to play each season. These expenses include League - WYSL registration fees Insurance Referees Field costs (a key component that increases year after year) Other club expenses, including scholarships NRFC operates on a budget based on the number of teams and players that are registered. Some of the cost items are fixed and some are variable as determined by the participation levels. Team Budget Expenses Each team develops its own team budget to pay for the following expenses- Professional training Tournaments Trips Team parties Other team expenses WHY DO TEAMS NEED TO RAISE FUNDS? Based on experience, team budgets can range from $5,000 to $15,000 (or more). Some of the older teams that are highly competitive and participate in higher-level tournaments may have to support an annual budget of $20,000 (or even more). Teams normally collect team dues in order to support the team budget. However, how teams collect funds for their budgets are completely at their discretion. We do, however, recommend that teams try and collect Fall and Spring dues in order to have sufficient funds for team activities. Suggested budget items can be found in the NRFC suggested budget for new teams. However, teams determine how to run their own affairs based on their specific needs and competitive/financial situation of their respective team. To state the obvious: The larger the budget, the better the ultimate program each team can pursue! With that said, each team has to be aware of its limitations (based on the expenses vs. funds available) and do what it can afford. Now, let s move on to how teams can raise funds and how NRFC can help
Team Fundraising There are many ways teams can fundraise throughout the year. This guide will discuss some of the most common ways NRFC teams get the funds they need to meet their budget expectations. NRFC expects that each of its teams will have an appropriate fundraising goal that is commensurate with the age group, level of competition, level of training and activities (e.g. tournaments, camps) and other team-specific expenses vs. what the team can reasonably expect to secure from its families based on the team dues (per player). NRFC teams are encouraged to get organized early in the Summer/Fall to determine their budget and fundraising goals in order to keep the team dues as low as possible and to ensure adequate funding for team activities. Team Dues TEAM FUNDRAISING All NRFC teams should assess team dues for each player on the team. The amount of team dues and when dues are paid are up to the individual teams. Many teams advise families of the total amount of team dues for the year before the Fall season begins and then collect half the dues from families in the Fall and Spring seasons. Successful team fundraising can provide for lower team dues and will ease the financial pressure on families. Individual teams must set dues according to their own budgets, as an example, dues can range from $350 for younger age groups to $1000 for older or more competitive teams. Teams that have players who cannot contribute entirely or partially to team dues should factors those costs into their budgets and fundraising. Those teams can also get in touch with a member of the executive or marketing and fundraising committee of the NRFC Board to discuss options for scholarships. Team Events Team events like bake sales, car washes, raffles, etc. are a great way for teams to raise funds. Many NRFC teams run bake sales on Saturdays during the recreational soccer programs of YSNR. Teams will often also conduct a raffle with a bake sale and/or do one separately. Individual teams can reach out to the NRFC Fields coordinator to get a date for a bake sale during the recreation program. Team managers organizing an event need to evaluate several key issues before you embark on an event. Player and family participation is important and you want to be sure everyone is engaged to help out. Evaluate the following What will it take to get to a successful conclusion? What are your financial goals? Who can/will do it and when? Are there enough families and players that have committed to helping out? Players often have the best success in getting participation (i.e. selling) during an event. Is the financial prize worth the effort? Do you have enough donated items and will you be able to sell them at prices that will meet your goals? Who is going to be the leader of the project, organizing and following-up? Can one or more parent volunteers take on organizing the project and move it forward? If you have clear answers to the above, the effort may be worth your time.
Team Fundraising Team Donations and Sponsorships There are many ways to conduct successful fundraising campaigns that are tailored to needs of your teams. Donations and sponsorships will almost always be driven by the personal/business connections of the team parents as well as the efforts of individual players. Team Donations Teams can seek donations from individuals and families to help the team support its budget. Individual team families may choose to support the teams budget through a separate non-dues donation. Before accepting a donation, however, team managers should discuss the donation with the NRFC treasurer in order to ensure that the donation is appropriate. Certain types of donations may not be considered as being made for charitable purposes and may not be eligible for tax deductions in accordance with applicable law. TEAM FUNDRAISING Team Sponsors Teams can also seek specific sponsors for the team. Sponsors are donors that expect some amount of recognition in return, such as logo placement on team clothing, etc. Oftentimes, individual teams are more successful than the club with sponsors because they are seeking smaller amounts that would still make a significant difference to the team s finances. Teams can seek out sponsors from local businesses, e.g. real estate agents, financial advisory firms, insurance brokers, restaurants, etc. The sponsorship experience can be very personal since the sponsor is looking to identify with the specific team and its players. Pay close attention to the cost of items that are procured with sponsorship dollars to ensure that meaningful contributions are made to the team s finances after the costs of the logo gear is factored in. Before accepting a sponsorship, however, team managers should discuss the opportunity with the NRFC treasurer in order to ensure that it is appropriate. Certain types of donations may not be considered as being made for charitable purposes and may not be eligible for tax deductions in accordance with applicable law. Additionally, teams must comply with club and league rules relating to uniforms and related items. For example, teams MAY put logos on training gear, they MAY NOT put sponsorship logos on uniforms when playing for the WYSL. Corporate Philanthropic Giving Many large employers have corporate giving programs that may outright provide donations or may match an individual employee s donations. Parents of players should be encouraged to seek out and apply for philanthropic giving programs. Team managers should collect information about corporate giving programs and discuss the opportunity with the NRFC treasurer in order to ensure that it is appropriate. Certain types of donations may not be considered as being made for charitable purposes and may not be eligible for tax deductions in accordance with applicable law. Additionally, certain corporate programs may prohibit donations to sports organizations or have other requirements that may prevent participation or simply need to be adhered to.
Club Fundraising and Team Support NRFC Club Fundraising Helps Your Teams and Requires Your Support Throughout the year, NRFC holds many different fundraising events designed to support our club. All of these events are also designed to provide support in some way to our individual teams. Important club-based fundraising events/activities, include: Gallin Golf Outing (October/Fall event) Pasta Night with Silent Auction (Winter/Spring event) Tournaments Raffles Upper 90 Club Memberships All NRFC teams are expected to volunteer and contribute to these events and programs. Financial participation from these individual events and programs for teams depends in large part on the teams individual contributions to the events or programs. These events and can only be organized and managed by a significant number of NRFC volunteers and do require participation/contribution by many to make them a success. So, please volunteer and/or ask your families to volunteer! As an example, the expectations and roles for our teams for the Golf Outing and Pasta Night are well-documented in separate communications from the club but here is a brief summary: Gallin Golf Outing Provides an opportunity to raise funds for the club by identifying/securing contributors who would like to play golf (foursomes, etc.) or commit to contribute even though they do not play Provides an opportunity to find sponsors for special aspects of the event: such as hole-sponsors, event cosponsors, etc. Teams should get organized, seek/identify contributors and solicit participation/contribution based on the above Pasta Night with Silent Auction Provides an opportunity to raise funds for the club by securing items of value/interest that are auctioned off at the time of this club-wide, fun event Teams contribution can be in the form of parents attending the event and to bid for the items to be auctioned Teams should encourage attendance of NRFC families, friends and acquaintances and seek contributors CLUB FUNDRAISING AND TEAM SUPPORT NRFC always needs volunteers to help us organize, manage and make our events a success! As a club, we do everything we can to recognize the participation of volunteers from our teams with financial assistance when possible. Tournaments NRFC arranges and is involved in organizing soccer tournaments in which our teams may participate. These are meaningful revenue generators for NRFC and we expect to do more in the future. However, tournaments require many volunteers. You will be called upon to secure volunteers from your team to assist with the tournaments activities and allow the club to make our tournament events successful. Other Fundraising Methods and Tools There are many other methods and tools to raise funds for our club. The methods described in this publication are the most common that our teams engage in and ones that we have found to be successful. However, if you believe that you have a great idea, please let us know. Also, be prepared to volunteer to help us pursue or execute the idea to a successful conclusion. E-mail your ideas to us at fundraising.nrfc@gmail.com
How Can We Help You Help Your Team? All teams need to engage in fundraising. The task can be daunting and without the proper resources, such as family and player participation, it can be even more difficult. Fundraising can be a completely new experience for our new and younger teams. Fundraising can be a new experience for new team managers. Start in the Fall, plan out your financial needs via a budget. Work with your coaches to understand the unique needs of your team. Get parent and player buy-in to your budget and financial goals. Members of the Marketing and Fundraising Committee of the NRFC Board and the NRFC leadership, in general, are always available to you. Contact us at fundraising.nrfc@gmail.com HOW CAN WE HELP YOU HELP YOUR TEAM?