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CAMBRIDGE MINOR BASEBALL ASSOCIATION
FUNDRAISING & SPONSORSHIP POLICY

1  Purpose

Cambridge Minor Baseball Association (CMBA) recognizes that teams may be interested in conducting fundraising and/or sponsorship activities throughout the course of the baseball season. Fundraising can be a useful tool to help reduce costs associated with activities such as tournaments or off season training and can provide opportunities for players and parents to connect. This policy aims to provide guidance for all Members to follow while participating in fundraising and/or sponsorship activities and to ensure a consistent approach throughout the Association.

This Policy applies to all CMBA Members as defined by the CMBA Constitution, including all Executive and Board Members, all EBLO, travel, select and house league coaches, volunteers, parents and players. Furthermore, this policy applies to all forms of fundraising and/or sponsorship activities.

2  Fundraising

For the purpose of this policy, fundraising refers to any activity that involves players, coaches and/or parents raising or collecting funds from events or sales.

Only EBLO, travel and select teams are permitted to participate in fundraising activities. House League teams are not permitted to fundraise without written approval by CMBA Executive Committee.

Fundraising should be viewed as a team building activity and an opportunity to foster strong relationships amongst players, parents, coaches and team volunteers. As such, the majority of the team must agree to participate in any team fundraising activities. As Coaches develop their team budget for the season, a fundraising plan, including goals, should be developed and presented to the team.

2.1. Guiding Principles & Procedures : CMBA has created the following guiding principles and procedures to ensure a consistent approach to fundraising throughout the Association.

2.1.1. CMBA is not a charitable organization and as such will be unable to issue charitable donation receipts for any team fundraising activities. Teams must not represent CMBA or their team as a charitable organization.

2.1.2. When conducting fundraising activities, teams must clearly communicate their fundraising goals (why they are fundraising and what the funds will be used for) and be clear that proceeds are being directed to/for the benefit of a specific team, and not donated to CMBA as an Association.

2.1.3. CMBA considers fundraising to be a team activity; however, it should not be considered mandatory. Participation must be voluntary. When setting fundraising goals, teams should clearly outline participation expectations and/or opportunities for parents to pay out of pocket rather than participate in fundraising activities.

2.1.4. All fundraising participants, including coaches, parents, and players must conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively on CMBA and is in keeping with applicable Codes of Conduct.

2.1.5. CMBA does not encourage fundraising activities that require players to go door to door. In the event such activities are undertaken, players should be accompanied by a responsible adult and such activity must be deemed safe by local public health officials.

2.1.6. All fundraising proceeds must be used by the end of the season and prior to scheduled tryouts. Any unused funds must either be returned equally to families that participated in the associated fundraising activities, or donated to CMBA or other charitable organizations that service our community such as Kids Can Play or Jump Start.

2.1.7. Fundraising proceeds should be used to reduce team costs for tournaments, training or other items such as uniforms. CMBA does not recommend using fundraising proceeds to purchase or pay for team equipment. If team equipment is needed, coaches should contact the CMBA Equipment Manager with the relevant request. In the event that team funds are used to purchase equipment, said equipment must be either raffled off to players or donated to CMBA at the end of the season.

2.1.8. Teams are not permitted to organize more than three (3) fundraising activities per season. This is intended to ensure that teams set realistic fundraising goals and do not exhaust the funds/resources within their communities. Teams wishing to conduct more than three fundraising activities in the course of a season must obtain approval from the CMBA Executive Committee. The exception to the above is the 12U Tier 1Cooperstown team.

2.2. Common Fundraising Activities : The following are examples of common fundraising activities:

  • 2.2.1. Food or product sales such as chocolate bars, pepperettes, cookie dough, holiday products, etc. It is important to ensure that any third party organization and/or product is appropriate for CMBA members and the community.
  • 2.2.2. Hosting an event such as a BBQ, dance, or dinner as long as it is considered safe by local public health officials and meets all health and safety requirements. The Head Coach is responsible to ensure that all legal requirements are met, including obtaining proper permits and/or licenses.
  • 2.2.3. Providing a service such as car wash, lawn cutting or bottle drive. These activities should be conducted with proper adult supervision.
  • 2.2.4. Team fundraising apps such as Flip Give or Fundscript.
  • 2.2.5. Crowd funding sites such as Go Fund Me are not permitted.
  • 2.2.6. Raffles and/or any lottery type activities that provide the chance to win a prize in exchange for money. The Head Coach from any team choosing to conduct a raffle or lottery is responsible to ensure that all legal requirements are met, including obtaining proper permits and/or licenses from the City of Cambridge or AGCO as appropriate. The CMBA or Cambridge Cubs name and/or logo are not permitted to be used for any activity that requires a license or permit without written approval from the Executive Committee (including the Cooperstown team).

3  Sponsorship & Corporate Donations

The CMBA Board of Directors is responsible for appointing appropriate Members to organize all sponsorship and/or donation opportunities for the Association. This includes sponsorship opportunities for the House League programs or other various CMBA events (e.g., tournaments). Any organization interested in becoming a CMBA sponsor should contact the CMBA Secretary for further information.
CMBA teams are not permitted to engage in sponsorship activities without written approval from the CMBA Executive Committee. Teams will not be permitted to display banners or signs that include logos from any organization without written approval from the Executive Committee. The exception to the above is the 12U Tier 1 Cooperstown team. Guidelines for sponsorship activities by the 12U Tier 1 Cooperstown team are outlined below.

3.1. Sponsorship Guidelines for the 12U Tier 1 Cooperstown Team : The 12U Tier 1 Cooperstown team is permitted to seek sponsorships and donations from local business and organizations while adhering to the following guidelines:

3.1.1. The Head Coach of the Cooperstown team must provide a complete list of prospective sponsors for approval to the President and/or Executive Vice President prior to initiating contact. This co-ordination will ensure that current or prospective CMBA sponsors are not contacted with multiple requests.

3.1.2. The Head Coach of the Cooperstown team will provide regular updates to the Executive Committee and will submit a year end summary that accounts for all funds raised, all expenses and contact information for all sponsors and donors.

3.1.3. If, for any reason, the Cooperstown tournament is cancelled, all sponsors and donors must be contacted in writing within two weeks and provided options for their funds (i.e. returned to the organization, donated to CMBA, or to remain with the team for use toward other team activities or events as approved by the Executive Committee).

3.1.4. CMBA is not a charitable organization and as such will be unable to issue charitable donation receipts.

3.1.5. Sponsor/donor logos or imprints on the CMBA uniform are not permitted under ICBA regulations.

3.1.6. Any banner or sign to be displayed during games and practices must be approved by the Vice President, Junior Travel League Operations as well as be permissible at the venue. Banners/signs must be removed prior to leaving the venue.

3.1.7. If the team has a social media page or group, the sponsor/donor may be mentioned or thanked and their logo or website may be displayed as long as it does not appear that CMBA endorses the business.

3.1.8. A thank you letter must be sent to all sponsors and donors by the end of the season.

4  Accountability & Transparency

The Head Coach is ultimately responsible to ensure that all CMBA policies and procedures are followed by their team, including fundraising and sponsorship activities in accordance with this policy. The Head Coach will be the primary contact should any concerns relating to fundraising and/or sponsorship arise throughout the season. Failure of the Head Coach to ensure compliance with this or any CMBA policy may impact future coaching or volunteer opportunities with CMBA.

The Head Coach is accountable to ensure full transparency regarding the use of fundraising proceeds by maintaining a Team Fundraising & Expenditure Record.

This CMBA provided template includes all required information and must be accessible by some means to, or regularly shared with, all players/families. At the end of the season, a final report must be provided to all players/families to ensure accountability and transparency. This report must be made available upon request of the CMBA Executive up to 90 days post season.

The CMBA Executive and Board of Directors shall have the authority to monitor and enforce this policy as required. Exceptions to this policy may be made at the discretion of the Executive Committee. Any questions or concerns regarding this policy should be directed to the Vice President, Junior Travel League Operations or the Vice President, Senior Travel League Operations as appropriate. Failure of any CMBA Member to adhere to this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of such individual’s involvement with CMBA, in accordance with the CMBA Constitution.