Novato High School Sports Boosters Club 2010-2011
DID YOU KNOW?
- The cost of running the NHS Athletics Program is well over $400,000 a year!
- Due to past budget cuts the support provided by the school district is limited to providing facilities and paying head coaches.
- All other operating costs, including but not limited to, uniforms, athletic equipment, training equipment, transportation, first aid supplies, tournament fees, etc. are the direct responsibility of each individual sports program.
It is because of this that the role that NHS Sports Boosters plays at Novato High School is far different from most other “Booster” organizations. Without the support that you provide through your Novato High School Sports Boosters Membership, the Athletics Program would quite simply not exist.
Q. How does my Sports Boosters Membership support my student-athletes teams?
A. Your membership consists of two separate parts.
The first part is the “NHSSB Membership Fee”. These fees combined with our fundraising efforts have made it possible for Boosters to spend more than $100,000 on the following items:
- Coaches Wish List purchases, including equipment and facilities upgrades.
- Providing Liability Insurance for Team Fundraising Events which protects the parents and coaches.
- Maintaining our Non-Profit Corporation Status which makes it possible for donors to deduct NHS sports Boosters expenses on their tax returns if they are eligible.
- Banking and Accounting Services for All Teams.
- Contingency Funds for Unforeseeable expenditures.
The second part is a “Athletics Program Participation Donation”. 100% of this donation goes directly to the Sports Program(s) that you identify for the coaches to apply towards the teams budget.
Q. Who determines how money is spent within a certian sports program?
A. The Varsity Head coach authorizes all expenses paid from a sports programs account for all levels (Varsity, JV, and Frosh) with oversight by the Athletic Director and/or Vice Principal responsible for the athletics program.
Q. How is the amount requested for the “Athletics Program Participation Donation” determined?
A. We reviewed the historical expenses for running each program with the coaches and then tried to determine the minimum amount required to support each program. In most cases this includes the cost of replacing uniforms every few years so that team members help to cover this cost each year.
Q. Why does my student-athletes team hold additional fundraisers and/or ask for additional donations?
A. Remember that the “Athletics Program Participation Donation” is the minimum amount required to run your team. Some sports quite frankly cost more than others. In fact you’d be surprised at how much it costs to run some sports. Volleyball and Wrestling for example require participation in tournaments which cost about $400 on average to attend. These costs can quickly add up to well over $100 per athlete by themselves.
Q. Why is the “Athletics Program Participation Donation” higher for Football and Lacrosse?
A. These sports are by far the most expensive programs to run. The costs for Varsity Football are in excess of $500 per player! Fortunately they are able to offset these costs with fundraisers so we only ask for a $200 “Athletics Program Participation Donation”.
Q. My student-athlete has competed in youth sports for many years and their registration fees are considerably higher than the amount you are asking for - and they have have fewer practices and games. Why is the NHS Athletics Program cost so much less than those teams?
A. The Novato Unified School District subsidises the cost of running the athletics program by covering the costs of coaches and facilities.
Q. How can I help?
A. There are several ways to help. The most important of which is to join NHS Sports Boosters. In addition we are always in need of volunteers to help with a myriad of projects that come up on a regular basis.
Please feel free to contact us if you have additional questions or would like to inquire about volunteer opportunities by clicking one of the links below.
Thank you for your support!
