Hi Everyone-

Below is some clarification about fundraising and some general guidelines for both teams as you move forward with your fundraising efforts for next season. I apologize for not thinking to put this in the team packets that were handed out last week. We clearly left some holes given the several e-mails I have received. Hope this helps open the lines of communication.

First, I would like to address the issue of Golden State being a non-profit because this alone seems to create a lot of confusion. Golden State Gymnastics, Inc., is organized as a private non-profit corporation whose purpose is to provide gymnastics education and amateur athletic opportunities. Additionally, the gym is tax exempt (which is different than being non-profit) by the IRS under code 501(c)(3). Simply, this means that any profits, whether generated through donations, fundraising, or business revenue go back to support the program and cannot "inure to the benefit of any private individual or business." This also means that, in general, the gym does not pay taxes. Being organized as a non-profit does not mean that the gym cannot make a profit. In fact, in order to improve and grow, we must make a profit! It just means that any "extra," when there is any, stays with the gym and is not paid out to an owner or shareholders.

Non-profits are not required to participate in fundraising; although, they may.

As a matter of policy, Golden State Gymnastics, Inc. does NOT rely on traditional fundraising money to operate. At a point in time, it was decided that for the benefit of the students, families, and coaches, and for the ultimate sustainability of the program, it was better to operate in a traditional business model. It actually allows more students to participate in gymnastics by doing it this way. Ultimately, this is the very reason that most other gyms are for-profit. Having said that, it is true that the gym sometimes will apply for specific grants or host special events such as meets or the Flip Fest to benefit the program. These activities are not to be confused with the team fundraising efforts that are described below. If any of you are interested in more information, the internet is a wealth of information about non-profits.

As you all know, participating in competitive gymnastics is very expensive. It is our desire to make it more affordable by allowing parents to have the opportunity to offset the cost of competing; however, participating in fundraising is not mandatory. It is very similar (but not exactly the same) to the the goal of booster clubs in high school that are organized to support a particular sport.

The gym and the staff do not plan, direct, or organize team fundraisers. Organizing fundraisers for the benefit of team is a completely voluntary activity on the part of the parents. As plainly as can be said, it is important to understand that it is not the staff's and the gym's responsibilty to plan, organize, conduct or even participate in fundraisers that are organized to benefit team. Staff job responsibilites do not include raising funds to help the parents afford competitive gymnastics. It is distracting from their other work and inhibits their ability to do the work of pursuing the gym's mission, which is supposed to be focused on all the students. Long-term, successful fundraising requires a completely different skill set, focus and motivation than coaching gymnastics.

Having said that, we actually have a lot of great people who work here at GSG and they are happy to help out with various events, activities and fundraisers, when it does not interfere with their regular work responsibilities. Please understand that when paid staff members who are not also team parents choose to do anything to facilitate the success of a team fundraiser, they are acting as volunteers...as much as if they chose to volunteer at the local soup kitchen. Our team and non-team staff members are some of your kids' biggest fans and they are often excited and interested in participating in team events. In a team fundraiser, everyone is working together for the benefit of the team kids; however, it is ultimately the team parents who derive a financial benefit, and not the gym or the staff. Therefore, the burden to conduct the team fundraisers lies with the parents. It is important to understand the boundaries, and that goes both ways. If staff and/or coaches choose to attend team fundraisers and they are not either volunteering or invited guests, then they should be buying tickets, or paying to have their car washed, etc.

It is the gym's intention to encourage and cooperate with team fundraisers, taking the following guidelines into consideration:

1. All fundraising proceeds must be shared equally among all team members (USAG, IGC, or both, if it is a joint fundraiser) regardless of who participates in specific fundraisers and the amount of time spent. Additionally, no specific donation may follow any individual gymnast.

2. Types of fundraisers (meets are a completely separate category which will be discussed at another time) and dates must be approved by Camille, who will supply any of the necessary non-profit documents or signatures that may be required.

3. After a fundraiser has been approved, parents may reasonably use gym resources such as the photocopier, fax, office supplies, concession supplies, parking lot, etc., as long as there is communication with office staff about convenient times, and as long as the area and supplies being used are returned to the way they were found. Always ask permission before entering the office. Consider how you would feel if someone used your office and your things without permission.

4. It is permissible to promote team fundraisers to the other gym families by posting and/or leaving information and/or flyers in the lobby. We cannot, however, give out personal information such as phone numbers or e-mails. On rare occassions, flyers can be given out to individual class students by the instructors, but it is on a case-by-case basis and is dependent on the other happenings in the gym and is discouraged. The biggest problem with this request is that it subtly shifts the burden of the perceived success of the fundraiser to the gym and the staff, and it inevitably comes back as criticism on the coaches and staff if the fundraiser is not as successful as anticipated. This policy serves as a protection for the staff and maintains their focus on their classes and GSG's mission, and not on team fundraising.

5. Team parent volunteers operate under the gym's liablity insurance and must adhere to any specific limitations and requirements.

6. It is suggested that each fundraiser have a designated Coordinator and a separate designated Treasurer. All funds that are collected should be given to Camille to be deposited in the appropriate team account.

I apologize for this being so long, but these are issues that come up repeatedly so I wanted to address them once and for all. For those of you who have sent me e-mails in the last few days, this is not directed at anyone personally. I was just reminded again that we have new faces and a lot of this information has been shared only casually or informally. As we all know, it complicates communication when everyone is making assumptions... So, instead of writing 5 e-mails or repeating myself once again, I blogged!

The guidelines are open to discussion, revision and addition. Please feel free to respond with any comments and/or suggestions.

Gymnastically yours,

Camille