Running a team fund: collecting money from parents without fuss
The short answer
A team fund works best, and collecting money from parents goes smoothly, with agreements up front: one amount per season, two people in charge and a list of who has paid. Collect it with a payment request and show where the money goes. In Koach the club's treasurer sets up a fee and sees Open, Paid or Waived for each person.
Running a team fund and collecting money from parents sounds like a five-minute job, until in March nobody remembers who has already paid the tournament money. Here you will read which agreements prevent arguments, what a season amount looks like and how to see who still has to pay, without names in the group chat. In the UK this is often called the team kitty.
What is a team fund for, and what is it not for?
A team fund is the team's own money, for things the club does not pay for. Think of the entry fee for a tournament, a team outing at the end of the season, a present for the coaches, or printing warm-up shirts. Membership fees, hall rental and federation costs do not belong in it: the club handles those, and how it goes about that is in tracking membership fees at your club and collecting membership fees.
The difference matters for the agreements. Membership fees are compulsory and set by the members; a team fund is an agreement within the team. What a season of volleyball costs a family in total is in what volleyball costs per month.
Which agreements do you make about the team fund?
Most arguments about a team fund are not about the amount, but about what was never agreed. Settle these points at the start of the season, in one message to the whole team or to all parents:
- The amount and when. One amount per season, or two instalments, with a date.
- Who manages it. Preferably two people, for example the captain and a parent, so nobody handles the money alone.
- What it is for. A short list. Anything not on it goes past the team first.
- What happens with a surplus or a shortfall. Carry it over to next season, pay it back or top it up.
- What if someone leaves. A pro rata refund or not: agree it before it comes up.
- Exceptions. If someone cannot afford it, whoever manages the fund sorts that out quietly, without the team needing to know.
In a youth team a parent often manages the fund. How that role fits alongside the rides and other jobs is in team parent duties.
A worked example for one season
A team of ten players agrees on €25 per player. That gives €250. This is how it is spent:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tournament entry | €60 |
| Team outing, 10 × €12 | €120 |
| Present for the coaches | €30 |
| Reserve | €40 |
| Total | €250 |
Always work backwards from the plans, not forwards from a round number. Kit and tracksuits are often more expensive and one-off; better to keep those separate as a fee of their own, so a player who joins halfway through does not have to top up the whole fund.
Collecting money and tracking who has paid
Use one account and one way of paying, for example a payment request from your banking app with a clear description, such as "Team fund Women's 2, season". Keep track for each person of whether it has come in and on what date. If the amount is high for some families, offer two instalments, for example in September and January; that makes it no harder for anyone to keep track. Send one reminder, in private, and never post a list of who has not paid in the group chat: what someone still owes can say something about their situation at home.
Being open about the spending does work. After every big expense, share briefly what it cost and what is left in the fund, and keep the receipts. Then nobody wonders in May where the money went. Close the season with a short overview: what came in, what went out, what is left and what happens to it under the agreement. When a new person takes over the fund, they get that overview and the receipts.
What do you do if someone does not pay?
It happens in every team at some point. Usually it is forgotten, sometimes it is money, and very occasionally it is unwillingness. The order that works:
- One personal reminder, a week after the agreed date, with the amount and how to pay. No reproach, just the question.
- A conversation if it is still open after that. Ask whether it is manageable, and offer instalments if that helps.
- Waiving it if someone genuinely cannot afford it. Agree in advance that the people managing the fund may decide that, so nobody has to justify themselves to the team.
What you do not do: exclude a player from a tournament or outing that has already been paid for, or discuss it in the group. If it remains a problem after that, it is a matter for the coach or the board, not for whoever manages the fund.
The team fund in Koach: Fees
At a club with the Club plan, the club dashboard has a Fees section for the club manager and the treasurer. There you set up a team kitty, tournament fee, kit fund or camp money and see for each person whether it has come in.
- Create the fee. Tap New fee and enter the name (the field asks "What is it for?"), the amount and the due date, which defaults to the first of next month. Under Payment link you can paste a payment link of your own, for example a payment request from your banking app. Then tap Add fee.
- Add the people. Under Who has to pay? choose Add a whole team and then the team (or all club members), or Add someone for one person. The app skips anyone already on it, inactive players and training players.
- Keep the status up to date. For each line, tap the status: Open, Paid or Waived. In the list you see for each fee how many are still open and how many have been paid.
Players and parents see their own outstanding fees on their dashboard under Still to pay, with the amount, the date and a Pay button if there is a payment link. Parents also see what is outstanding for their child. Nobody sees what anyone else still has to pay.
What Koach does not do: it is not a payment system and not a membership administration. The app says so itself: "Koach does not process payments." The money goes through your own bank, and the treasurer sets a line to Paid once it has come in. Koach does not keep a cash book with spending and balance either; that remains a list kept by whoever manages the fund.
14 days free, no credit card. Start with your own team; Fees and the rest of the club dashboard come with the Club plan.
Try Koach with your teamWhat Club costs is on the pricing page, and what else the club dashboard does on the page for clubs. If your team does not play at a club with Club, a shared spreadsheet with name, amount and payment date is perfectly fine for one team. Where the team fund fits into the whole season is in organising the volleyball season.
Collect at the start of the season, not per expense. Asking for a small amount five times costs you five rounds of reminders. One amount in September, with the list of what it is for, costs you one.
Frequently asked questions
How much team fund per player is normal?
There is no fixed norm. Work backwards from what the team wants to do: tournaments, an outing, a present for the coaches and a small reserve. Divide that by the number of players. In the example in this article, a team of ten players arrives at 25 euros per player per season.
Who manages the team fund?
Usually the captain, a player who is good with numbers or, in youth teams, a parent. Preferably let two people do it together, so there is always someone checking. Agree at the start of the season who pays, who keeps track and who keeps the receipts.
Can Koach collect the team fund money?
No. Koach does not process payments. You set up a fee with an amount, a date and, if you like, your own payment link, and the treasurer sets a line to Paid as soon as the money is in the account. Players and parents see their own outstanding amount on their dashboard.
Can other parents see who has not paid yet?
Not in Koach. Every player and parent only sees their own outstanding fees, and those of their own child. Only the club manager and the treasurer see the whole list. Keep it that way outside Koach as well: no names of people who still have to pay in the group chat.
What does Fees in Koach cost?
Fees is part of the club dashboard and belongs to the Club plan. The amounts are on the pricing page. For players and parents Koach is free: they see what they still have to pay and tap Pay if the club has added a payment link.
Start with your own team in Koach
14 days free, no credit card. Fees come with Club.
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