Member Registration Fees

[dodar]

Our team allows our students to choose which events they want to go to each year: Orlando, Travel Competition, and Championship(if qualify or register). That allows us to know how much each student needs to attain in either fundraising or getting sponsorships which goes towards travel costs and hotel. We also allow the students to either funraise towards a team shirt or to just pay for one.

Since we consider Orlando our home competition and we do not need a hotel it only costs $25 for each student to go to that competition even if they do not go to any other competition; this has been very helpful for first timers that are not completely sold on the team. Most times if a student went to all 3 in one year it would range from $700-$850 per student. We also allow students and/or their parents to pay any leftover if they couldnt acquire the needed amount to pay for the competitions they had signed up for, but we do not allow for any one student and/or their parents to completely pay for their travel out of pocket.

[CalTran]

Originally Posted by Jibsy

This is the way we currently do it. For the coming year there will likely be a mandatory fundraising "quota". There will be fundraisers organized and planned out as a team, making it pretty easy to meet the quota so long as a little bit of effort is put forth.

As others have said, it depends on the financial situation of the team/students(average)/area.

Our team has always tried to do this but it never seems to work out. Parents just buy out the quota or the student doesn't meet the quota, then the parent complains about the quota. Almost tempted it put it into a signed document at the beginning of the year for them to meet said quota.

[Camren]

Originally Posted by dodar

Most times if a student went to all 3 in one year it would range from $700-$850 per student..

See I believe this is completely reasonable compared to what some parents pay for there children to play on elite teams for sports which is usually at least 6 grand.

[dodar]

Originally Posted by Camren

See I believe this is completely reasonable compared to what some parents pay for there children to play on elite teams for sports which is usually at least 6 grand.

And most kids that pay to play those elite sports dont get to go to Canada, Colorado(2x), Atlanta(4x), Orlando(4x) and Connecticut in their 4 years in high school.

[rachelholladay]

Students pay $25 club dues (in our school most clubs have dues, although most are close to $10) that includes the first tshirt and a pair of safety glasses. Any other tshirts cost the standard price, which varies year to year but normally is around $8.

During the years that we have gone to a second regional or are lucky enough to go to CMP, students are responsibly for basically all their meals and pay around $150 which covers the bus ride and several days in a hotel. We kind of based this set up off of the other clubs and sports teams in our school in addition to our own financial situation.

[ttldomination]

Many have replied, but I'll go ahead and throw a couple of pennies into the ring.

My team collects fees, but they serve a dual purpose.
- The first is obviously to get some money into the system. Comparatively speaking, it's not much, but anything helps.
- The second purpose is to push the students a little bit. If the only requirements for joining a team are to simply sit in a chair and sign your name, then we're likely to get students who are there to goof off.

This, of course, comes with the understanding that if you cannot pay the fees, you simply need to talk to the mentor and something is usually arranged (I assume the fees are waived).

With this said, our $40/semester fees (a recent price hike) don't go too far on the team. With a fully developed VEX and FRC programs, the fees are often directly placed into the team, and students must burden partial costs of transportation/living costs while traveling.

- Sunny G.

[Taylor]

There are no fees to be a CyberCard. However, if a student wishes to travel with the team, he/she must raise at least $250 in sponsorships (some students are sponsored by their families, immediate and extended) and meet other criteria.

[yarden.saa]

We do have fees;
every member need to pay 1500 shekels (which equals to 375$) or mentoring FLL/Jr.FLL team and pay 750 shekels (which equals to 185-190$).
All team members get safety glasses, team T-shirt, bus ride to the regional and etc.
If we get to the CMP (it happened once), the students have to pay more (according to the money that left to the team or donated to the CMP).

In our city the fees are needed;
1. In order to find the best team members
2. To help to the team budget

We ask the students to pay the money as soon as possible but we don't push them, they can pay even after the regional(if they have some of problems).

[Anupam Goli]

Sometimes team fees is a touchy topic, but in this case, it doesn't seem so

Team 1002 normally charges $50 dues, because we need the funding to do our outreach projects and fund our 3 teams, with all of the other team building activities as well. However, we do have financial concessions for those who can't afford it. Our dues covers the cost of the T shirt and a pair of safety glasses. However, normally the student has to pay about $90 for the regional cost, and sometimes more for Championships.

Our team also feels that if there is a monetary cost, we will have more dedicated individuals join, and those that can't afford it can still ask for financial concession, which shows the dedication in that individual. And trust me, dedication becomes a bit of an issue when you have 100+ people sign up, because often some of these individuals just sign up to miss school for competition, or just want to put it on their college application.

[cbale2000]

No registration fees here, though students wanting to keep their team shirts generally have to buy them (students who put in "x" number of hours get a shirt at no cost though).

In the past (pre-2009) we also had a system where your cost to go to an event was based on the number of hours you put in (more time = less cost). It was made clear at the time though that cost should never prohibit someone from going to an event.
With the districts in MI making the events so much closer & cheaper, and because of our smaller size team the past few years, we've been using a system closer to "put in at least 20 hours during the season (or something like that) and you can go on the trip". It helps motivate kids to show up to more build meetings, while at the same time sort of "weeding out" the kids that aren't really interested.

[ratdude747]

On 1747, IIRC I paid $200 in registration fees each year (2008-2010). The fees covered 2 team T shirts and all travel/hotel expenses for trips (2 regionals and chaps during those 3 years) among other things. In addition, everybody was assigned a business or two to try to get sponsorships from. Students who couldn't afford the fees were given a pass (although I do not recall anybody being subject to such). There also were student-run fundraisers to go towards student fees.

On 2783, I paid $100 in fees for the one year I was a member (2011). That covered a team T shirt and a team Jersey among other things. Travel expenses were on the student's family (although the hotels were block registered). There were no "free passes" per se but it never came up so I wouldn't know.

Both teams had the food/snacks provided by the students' families on a rotating schedule. 1747 was (at the time) considered pursing food sponsorships in the year(s?) after I moved away; 2783 has food sponsorships for the FLL regional they run every year.

[mdituri]

Having mentored two teams with significant socio-economic differences, the original team didn't have "registration" fees, however, they paid for 100% of their trip costs. They did a "fundraiser" which was more about team building and typically the parents would just cut a check for $600 - $800 to travel to the local regional (overnight/hotel), a travel regional (airfare/hotel), and champs (airfare/hotel). We had scholarships available and didn't really have to ask which students could or could not afford it, I would just speak privately to their parents, they would give me a small amount (maybe $50/$100 per trip) and we would cover the rest.

Moving to my new team, we ask for $10 for their team shirt in October. Veterans don't need a new shirt since it is last years shirt in the fall. Then, I found out quickly that this particular group was not able to cut me a check for $200 (or even $100), so we sold about 5,000 bags of veggie chips and other various snacks to raise the money for their trip. I am going into this school year knowing that they each need to raise $500 and giving them ample opportunity to raise the money. I will always find money for the robot and the adults going on the trip, even if I just pay for it myself. I tried having parent meetings, but found out that their parents are working their 2nd job, so that was a bust. Basically, I am assuming that we have to raise everything on our own and if they can cut a check great, if not, its already paid for.

I am certain that no one is denied the opportunity to be on a FIRST team based on finances. I do think that it shouldn't cost your team anything to recruit the students in the fall, which typically means the cost of the t-shirts. You can ask them for the cost of a t-shirt and if your school charges for field trips typically, you can ask them for that fee.