Donations (Dues) Policy
Letter from Sean Walsh, Club Treasurer
What we all call “dues”, our accounts call “donations”. That’s because, as a charity, we rely on these donations every week to help us survive. It takes every penny we receive to pay for our overheads – rent, running costs, league fees, pitch fees, referees’ fees, coaching qualifications, medals, trophies, awards dinner, bus subsidies, trip subsidies, festival expenses, printing and advertising, professional fees, phones, social media promotion costs, SMS costs – to name a few.
We also rely extensively on our volunteers, otherwise we could not run. But, make no mistake, your donations (dues) are very important to us and we spend every penny of them every year. Thank you for your support.
From the start of the 2017/18 season, we will collect your donations monthly, quarterly or annually in advance (your choice). You will be given a special sort code and account to make payment to and asked to quote your membership number on any payments made. You will be asked to pay on the 1st day of each month.
You may choose to pay by standing order (these are usually free to set up) or make the payment manually each month, quarter or season. I don’t mind – just as long as you pay the right amount on time.
If you can’t pay by funds transfer, by all means pay by cheque or cash. You may drop an envelope in to the Football Factory at the start of the month (or even better, before the end of the previous month!)
On the evening of the 1st of each month, I will produce a list of everyone who has not paid and circulate this to the coaches so that they know who to turn away from training. If you have not sent your payment, you will receive an SMS text telling you not to send your child to training as to do so will only embarrass them when they are turned away. Similarly, a player may not play a match on a Saturday if dues have not been paid.
A Coach may not train / play a player whose dues are unpaid.
I may also publish a list of unpaid dues and display this in the Football Factory and / or web site to make it easier for Coaches to know who to train and who not to. This will help us correct mistakes (parents who have paid can easily and quickly have this corrected). There is an easy way to ensure that your name is not on the list – pay your dues.
Of course, we are a compassionate Club. So if any of this represents a hardship or difficulty to you, come and talk to us.
There will be a slight increase in dues for the coming season. I’ll publish this to you soon. But we will continue to be one of the most competitive Clubs in the country (if not THE most competitive) when it comes to value for money.
Gift Aid
This season, we will ask everyone if they give permission for their donations to have Gift Aid applied to them. If you are a UK tax payer and you tick a box to give us permission, we can claim an additional 20% or so from the government on tax you pay during the year. You’re not going to get it – it’s going to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. Because we are a charity we can claim some of your tax back and use it to benefit your kids.
Donations must be made in a timely fashion.
There is no point in paying dues on the evening that a player is due to train or on the day that they are due to play. I’m a volunteer and I get to things as quickly as I can. But the likelihood of me checking the bank, registering your payment and informing a coach that you’ve paid all in one day is slim to non-existent. Pay at least 48 hours before you expect to send your child to training or a match otherwise, as far as the Club is concerned, you haven’t paid. The exception to this is the start of the month when I shall be checking for ALL incoming payments.
Please help me by doing your bit. Pay the right amount, on time. It’s the 5% of problem people who pay late or otherwise mess around with the system who make up 60% of my work. If I have persistent offenders, I will lobby the Executive Committee to have the player removed from the Club (sorry).
Thank You in advance for all your help. I really appreciate it.
Sean Walsh