How does the Centurion Foundation help fund my child’s sport / club / music program?
What is a Booster Club?
Who are our current member groups?
What responsibilities are required of parent booster volunteers?
How far in advance should fundraising request forms be submitted for approval?
What is the purpose of ‘Limited Liability Insurance for booster events?
How are Centurion Foundation funds managed?
Does the Centurion Foundation accept donations via PayPal and Square?
Does the Centurion Foundation accept matching funds?
What are the tax advantages of donating to the Centurion Foundation?
Does the Centurion Foundation provide ‘Donor Acknowledgement’ letters?
What is the Centurion Foundation’s refund policy?
What does The Centurion Foundation do?
The Centurion Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation that raises funds for the Centurion Foundation general account. The Foundation uses these funds to
- offer non-profit status and limited liability insurance for all sports and clubs operating on UCHS campus
- offer grants to groups that operate under the Centurion Foundation umbrella,
- offer scholarships to students, specifically the Coach Al Wilson Award, and two Centurion Awards
- offer sports / club related programs on topics such as athletic scholarships, NCAA eligibility, concussions, nutrition, and suicide prevention.
The Centurion Foundation is the primary organization that enables parent boosters, alumni, and community organizations the means to help support UCHS’s athletic and club groups. It fills a vital niche that complements that of ASB (for students), EdUCate (for teachers), and the PTSA (parents that support the school).
How does the Centurion Foundation help fund my child’s sport / club / music program?
In a given school year, the majority of athletic teams and clubs at UCHS are typically funded via two “buckets” of money:
The first bucket typically consists of annual funding provided by the district and/or school. While annual budget allocations may vary by sport/club, these funds are typically budgeted and used to pay for coaching stipends, uniforms, equipment, gear, facility rental fees (if applicable), referees, tournament fees, awards, team dinners/banquets, and other essentials.
The second bucket is where CF comes in. Generally speaking, prior to the beginning of a respective team or club’s season, it is prudent for coaches and parent boosters to meet and assess how much money from the first bucket will cover the season’s planned expenses. Based on this assessment, booster fundraising goals can then be established to help raise any additional monies that may be needed to support the respective team’s financial needs for the year, maintain the minimum account balance ($500) required for active CF clubs, as well as to build and maintain financial reserves to help support the beginning of the following season. In short, the annual booster fundraising goal for each team is really driven by the total dollars that will be needed on top of what is funded by the school district. Thus, it’s important for the parent boosters to have finance-related discussions with the coaches to help manage budgets and determine the level of fundraising needed.
What is a Booster Club?
The purpose of a Booster Club is to promote athletics and clubs at University City High School (UCHS). This includes fundraising, promotion, and general support.
Fundraising. This includes obtaining sponsors, soliciting donations and grants, participating in local revenue generating functions, sales of spirit wear and managing the income and expenses of the fund- raising activity.
Promotion. This includes supporting school spirit, advertisement, website updates, good sportsmanship and inclusive attendance at events.
Inclusiveness. Every activity should be available to every participant regardless of their ability or willingness to fundraise or donate.
If your group would like to become a Member of the Centurion Foundation, please see Booster Club requirements in the current Policies and Procedures Handbook.
Who are our current member groups?
Academic LeagueAl Wilson Scholarship
ArtsTech
Baseball
Boys Basketball
Boys Freshman Basketball
Boys Beach Volleyball
Boys Golf
Boys Lacrosse Boys Soccer
Boys Tennis
Boys Volleyball
Boys Waterpolo
Casa de Luz
Cheer Club
Cross Country
Dance Team
Field Hockey
Football
Girls Basketball
Girls Beach Volleyball
Girls Golf
Girls Lacrosse
Girls Soccer
Girls Tennis
Girls Volleyball
Girls Waterpolo
Homecoming Game
Journalism
JROTC
Lacrosse
Music & Band
P.E. ACCOUNT
Robotics Team
Softball
Swim and Dive Team
Track and Field
UC Pals
UCHS Class of 2017
UCHS Hall of Fame
Wrestling
What responsibilities are required of parent booster volunteers?
Following are general responsibilities for parent booster volunteers. Of course, the scope of individual responsibilities may vary depending on each sport/club’s needs and the number of parents that volunteer to help each season.
Parent Booster Responsibilities:
- Work with the coaching staff to help communicate team-related activities (e.g. practice & game schedules, team banquet/dinner details) and booster events (fundraising events & activities) to athletes and parents on a regular basis.
- Manage, coordinate and facilitate fundraising activities (with coach input and approval), as well as obtain advance approval from UCHS administration. Managing these activities includes the responsibility of collecting monies/donations from parents, donors and/or partnering organizations (e.g. such as a fundraiser held with Rubio’s or Jamba Juice), depositing funds received into CF’s checking account (Chase bank) and submitting the required paperwork (deposit form and receipts) to ensure the funds are directed to the respective team/club, as well as submitting expense reimbursement requests for any monies that may be owed to parent boosters, coaches, or outside vendors and submitting the respective documentation for these as well.
- Support coaches’ needs related to fostering regular communications with athletes/student members/parents, ordering equipment, gear, spirit wear, etc. and submitting deposit forms, expense reimbursement forms, receipts, etc. to CF as appropriate.
- Designated parent boosters must have a signed booster agreement on file with the Centurion Foundation
How far in advance should fundraising request forms be submitted for approval?
A Fundraising Request form must be submitted to the Centurion Foundation for advance approval of ANY fundraising activity, as this is required because school administration must approve all fundraising activities in advance. Accordingly, the best practice is to submit the form approximately 3 weeks in advance of the desired event date to allow enough time for approval.
What is the purpose of ‘Limited Liability Insurance’ for booster events?
The Centurion Foundation provides liability insurance for the rental of school facilities for most events (excluding contact sports, out of season, and others.) The Centurion Foundation can also provide an additional liability insurance rider for rental facilities for fundraisers and banquets on and off campus. Groups are responsible for any additional fees. Insurance requests need to be submitted a month in advance with a contract reviewed and approved by the CF President.
Alcohol-related events for adults only have special consideration. The district’s policy is alcohol is NOT allowed on campus or at an off-campus event with students/minors present. Please contact the CF Club Liaison or President for more information.
How are Centurion Foundation funds managed?
All of the Centurion Foundation’s Booster Club Members share one bank account: The General Fund. Each club’s funds are kept in a separate Quickbooks “account” that allows us to keep track of all each club’s transactions. Booster Clubs may request a copy of their ledger that shows all of those transactions for a specified period of time.
The Centurion Foundation requires that each Booster Club designates one individual as the Booster Liaison. That Booster Liaison will communicate with the CF Treasurer Liaison for both DEPOSITS and EXPENDITURES.
At any time you may ask to receive a copy of the Foundation’s federal and state tax returns, Form 990 and Form 199 respectively. Centurion Foundation Tax ID number will be provided to the Booster Liaison and can be requested from the CF Treasurer (treasurer@uchscf.org ).
Does the Centurion Foundation accept donations via PayPal and Square?
PayPal is a convenient way for donors to give money to our organization. In order for a Booster Club to maintain non-profit status, all PayPal donations must go through the Centurion Foundation. We can furnish each Booster Club’s webmaster with a button / QR code to place on your website. Or, clubs can link to the Centurion Foundation’s website.
A Square reader is a device that can accept credit card payments via smart phone or tablet. Square enables groups to accept credit card payments at events. In order for a Booster Club to maintain non-profit status, a Centurion Foundation Board Member needs to be present to operate the Square at your event.
Lastly, please note that the CF incurs service charges each time a donor uses PayPal and Square services. These charges will be forwarded onto the specific Booster Club.
Does the Centurion Foundation accept matching funds?
The Centurion Foundation gladly accepts matching funds. Matching funds are additional dollars contributed directly to the foundation from your company or community partner. Matching funds multiply the impact of your donation by offering a 1:1 match of each dollar you donate.
Please note that checks from a company generally do not indicate which club they support. Be sure to let us know ahead of time if you requested the matching fund and which club should receive the funds. If we don’t know, we cannot credit a specific account, and the funds will go into the CF General Fund (for grants, scholarships, and programming).
If you would like to request a matching fund from your company or notify the Centurion foundation please reach out to our Treasurer Liaison (treasurerliaison@uchscf.org ) and complete a Notification of Matching Funds Form.
What are the tax advantages of donating to the Centurion Foundation?
As a 501(c)(3) organization, the Centurion Foundation does not pay federal income tax on donations received, and individual donations to CF are recognized by the IRS as tax deductible contributions.
Does the Centurion Foundation provide ‘Donor Acknowledgement’ letters?
The Centurion Foundation encourages all of our booster clubs to individually thank donors for their contributions. For the purpose of IRS documentation, cancelled checks for amounts less than $250 should be sufficient.
For larger contributions, only letters from the Centurion Foundation and signed by either the Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer or President can serve as valid substantiation of a charitable gift in accordance with IRS rules. Donor acknowledgement letters for tax purposes will be given for donations of $250 or more only. Booster Liaisons should attach the addresses of donors who give $250 or more when they complete the Deposit Verification Form.
What is the Centurion Foundation’s refund policy?
The Centurion Foundation is grateful for your donation. We work hard to ensure that every dollar is put to work for the UCHS constituents we serve. Accordingly, when we receive your donation, we believe it was your full intention to support our efforts and the efforts of the respective athletic team or club towards which your donation was directed. Donations are put to work quickly. Donations impact the Foundation, a team’s and/or a club’s seasonal budget. Donations also have IRS-related tax implications for the Foundation and donors. Therefore, we generally consider donations non-refundable.