We receive many questions from our members dealing with everything from membership registration to the act of fundraising. Managing booster clubs digitally, especially for new officers, can be tricky. With COVID-19, even veteran members and officers of booster clubs have had to transition to digital alternatives. 

In this post, we provide a list of websites and apps you can utilize. From organization to management for members, fundraising and finding ways to transfer funds, we hope you find this blog helpful in your pursuit to better your booster. 

Organization and Management

Memberplanet.com and Membershiptoolkit.com provide outlets for nonprofits and booster clubs to manage and organize their membership. Their dashboards allow members of individual boosters to donate, check calendars, set up reminders, and generate reports varying from attendance to fundraising. Also, include email and newsletters, online stores, message boards, and mobile apps paired with their websites

Signup.com and Signupgenius.com both provide simple services for your members to communicate. Whether it is email, basic push notifications, or more complex sign ups for individual events, these free services help expedite the process of getting in touch with your members. Likewise, Permission Click delivers digital permission slips, forms, and payment collection to K-12 schools, PTAs, and booster clubs. 

For specific services, Jackrabbit Class has a place for groups who take part in gymnastics, dance, swim, cheer, music, and childcare.  Thus, this software and website is helpful for those looking to teach in these areas. 

Fundraising and more

If you need a helping hand with fundraising, consider trying the following outlets: 

• Funds2Orgs - An online fundraiser that helps groups get off the ground with their ideas on how to raise funds. They started as one of the largest shoe drive fundraisers after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and have branched out to help other organizations get started.
• MySchoolBucks - Accepts credit cards anywhere – online or in-person – and gives your school fundraising group the financial control and accountability it needs to effectively manage fundraising, donations, and other payments.
• StateChamps - Powerful, secure, and hassle-free solutions to help high schools sell tickets online. Move your cash transactions online, and mitigate exposure to the threats of cash security or fraud.
• SchoolAuction.net - Easy-to-use software to replace in-person events with online auctions, virtual live auctions, and other online campaigns.
• Bidding for Good by Frontstream - A fundraising platform to run online auctions, sell tickets, and add mobile bidding to your events.

Digital Donations and Payments

While a great deal of the above websites, platforms, and apps help with electronic transfers, we also wanted to take a brief look at digital payment apps that many people currently use for transactions. Below are descriptions of several of these choices, along with the various credit and debit charges, types of transactions, and pros and cons of each (via: Digital Trends and Deposit Accounts):

Apps

PayPal

• Debit - 2.9% + $0.30
• Credit - 2.9% + $0.30 (2.2% + $0.30)
• Max Transaction - $10,000
  
• Methods - Credit, debit, bank transfer
• Pros - Some approved charities have a lower % for credit transactions
• Cons - Charges on both credit and debit, may have additional bank charges

Cash App

• Debit - 1.5% instant, otherwise free
• Credit - 3%
• Max Transaction - $7,500
• Methods - Credit, Debit
• Pros - Account not necessary, can transfer to bank instantly for 1.5% fee
• Cons - Some transactions can take up to four business days to process

Venmo

• Debit - Free (1% for instant transfer)
• Credit - 3%
• Max Transaction - $4,999.99
• Methods - Credit, debit, bank transfer
• Pros - Quick bank transfers
• Cons - Will charge 3% on transactions if account is not verified

Google Pay 

• Debit - Free
• Credit - 2.9%
• Max Transaction - $10,000
• Methods - Credit, debit, bank transfer
• Pros - Works with other Google services
• Cons - Mainly for family and small businesses, fraud protection is not airtight

Apple Pay

• Debit - Free
• Credit - 3%
• Max Transaction - $10,000
• Methods - Credit, Debit
• Pros - Automatic for iOS users
• Cons - Apple users only for all transactions

Zelle 

• Debit - N/A (must have bank account)
• Credit - N/A
• Max Transaction - $500-$2,500
• Methods - Bank transfer (limits transaction amount)
• Pros - Should transfer automatically before 4:45pm each business day
• Cons - No fraud protection, low transaction amount

We would also like to note that while using these apps, it is important to have a business account for your nonprofit or booster group. Embezzlement is still an issue when it comes to exchanges of money, so consider having receipts sent to board members any time a transaction occurs, as well as your treasurer. 

A Brief List for Broad Strokes

We hope that you find these references for managing booster clubs digitally helpful. There is a lot of information out there! Parent Booster USA is here to help you. Feel free to contact us!