Faith-based, nonprofit & membership orgs
Books and taxes for youth sports nonprofits.
Season registration fees through TeamSnap, a sponsor's check for the outfield fence, referee payments, and a concession stand that runs every Saturday. Your own bookkeeper keeps it sorted, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
March came in at $5,600 after expenses. Spring registration is in full swing, and I kept the equipment order for new catcher's gear as equipment, not a supply run.
- TeamSnap registration batchRegistration fees
- Miller Hardware sponsorshipSponsorships
- Umpire association paymentOfficials pay
- Dick's Team Sports orderUniforms and equipment
- City parks field rentalField and facility fees
Why your books are different
A youth sports league's books go wrong in the same recurring places.
A generalist sees registration checks and calls it a season. Your league runs on fees collected months before games start, sponsorships that come with in-kind trade sometimes attached, and a concession stand that runs cash every weekend. Miss that mix and the board cannot tell if a season actually broke even.
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1
Registration fees get counted before the season starts
Families pay spring registration in January, weeks before a single game is played, and counted the day it lands, that money makes January look flush and April, when most of the spending happens, look thin.
What we doKeeps registration fees visible against the season they fund, so early sign-ups do not make one month look better than it is and the next look worse. -
2
Concession stand cash is easy to undercount
A parent volunteer running the concession stand on a busy Saturday can lose track of exact cash totals between hot dogs, snacks, and drinks, especially with no consistent way to log it before it gets spent on the next week's supplies.
What we doWorks from whatever cash log and deposit records the league sends, and asks when a deposit pattern looks like a weekend's sales are missing. -
3
Sponsorship trade gets left out of the books
A local business sponsors a team in exchange for free field signage or gear instead of a straight check, and that value often never gets recorded because no cash actually moved.
What we doLogs the estimated value of trade sponsorships alongside cash sponsorships, so the board sees the full picture of what businesses are contributing. -
4
Referee and umpire pay looks like a vendor bill
Officials paid per game through an association or directly by check show up on the statement the same as any other bill, with no record of whether they should get a 1099 at year end.
What we doKeeps official pay in its own category and tracks who was paid what, so the 1099 question is already answered by January. -
5
Uniforms and equipment get bought once and used all season
A big preseason order for uniforms, bats, and catcher's gear can make one month look expensive and the rest of the season look artificially cheap, when the gear is really an upfront cost for the whole year.
What we doFlags large equipment and uniform orders when they happen and keeps them visible apart from routine month-to-month costs.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a youth sports nonprofit.
Set up once for how registration, sponsorships, and concessions flow through a season. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Registration feesSeason sign-ups processed through TeamSnap, SportsEngine, or a similar service.
- SponsorshipsCash and trade sponsorships from local businesses.
- ConcessionsCash and card sales from the concession stand.
- Tournament and event feesEntry fees for tournaments the league hosts.
Money out
- Officials payUmpires and referees paid per game or through an association.
- Uniforms and equipmentTeam uniforms, bats, gloves, and catcher's gear.
- Field and facility feesRental fees paid to a city parks department or private facility.
- Concession suppliesFood, drinks, and paper goods for the concession stand.
- Coach stipendsPaid coaching roles, kept separate from volunteer coaches.
- InsuranceLiability and accident coverage for players and volunteers.
- Background checksScreening fees for coaches and volunteers working with kids.
What we watch for you
- Cost per player
What it actually costs to run one player through a season, useful before setting next year's fees.
- Sponsorship revenue
Cash and trade sponsorships tracked together, so the board sees the full value businesses provide.
- Concession margin
What the concession stand brings in against what it costs to stock, tracked separately from registration.
- Season break-even point
Whether registration and sponsorships alone cover the season's costs, or concessions are carrying it.
Ask Gus
Things league board members ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
No. I keep registration fees visible against the season they fund, so January looking flush and April looking heavy both read as expected, not as a problem.
Yes. I log the estimated value of that trade sponsorship alongside your cash sponsorships, so the board sees the full picture of what the sponsor actually contributed.
If any one of them is paid $2,000 or more this year outside of an association that handles its own reporting, yes, a 1099-NEC by January 31. I am tracking who was paid what as the season goes.
The tax side
The tax side of running a youth sports nonprofit.
Most of what matters here is timing registration correctly and getting coach and official pay classified right.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Worker classification for coachesA paid coach who runs your practices and follows league rules is usually an employee, not a contractor, even if paid a modest stipend for a single season.
- Contractor 1099s for officialsAn umpire or referee paid $2,000 or more in 2026 outside of an association that issues its own tax forms gets a 1099-NEC by January 31 from the league.
- Sponsorship income and acknowledgmentCash sponsorships are generally straightforward giving, but a sponsorship that starts to look like paid advertising, such as active promotion of a sponsor's products, is worth the accountant's look for unrelated business income.
- No standard annual filing assumptionWhether the league files a standard annual information return depends on its size and structure. Preparing or filing that return is not part of this subscription, but clean books make it easier for whoever does.
Deductions youth sports nonprofits miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Umpire and referee pay
- Uniforms and team gear
- Field rental fees
- Concession stand supplies
- Background check fees
- Liability and accident insurance
- Registration software fees
- Scoreboard and equipment repairs
- Team banners and signage
- First aid supplies
- Trophy and award costs
- Website and scheduling app fees
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A youth sports league's year, kept every month.
Seasons come and go, but the books stay steady across every one. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Reconcile the fall season
Last year's records are wrapped up, the official and coach 1099 list is finalized, and spring registration fees start coming in, tagged to the season they fund.
- April
Spring season finalized
Whatever filing applies to the league's structure is ready to hand off, with registration fees and sponsorship income already sorted for the year.
- July
Between spring and fall seasons
Where spring season landed against the budget, and what fall registration fees should be set at based on what the spring season actually cost.
- October
Before the winter break
Fall season wraps up and winter planning begins. Gus looks at sponsorship renewals and equipment needs before next spring's registration opens.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for youth sports nonprofits. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions league board members ask first.
Can Gus keep concession stand cash separate from registration fees?
Yes. Concession sales are tracked in their own category, separate from registration and sponsorships, so the board can see what the stand actually contributes.
We use TeamSnap to collect registration. Do we need to change anything?
No. Keep registering families the way you already do. Gus works from your bank and TeamSnap reports and asks when a deposit needs to be tied to a specific season.
A sponsor gave us equipment instead of cash. Does that need to be recorded?
Yes. The estimated value of a trade sponsorship gets logged alongside your cash sponsorships, so the full picture is visible to the board.
Do you file our league's annual return with the IRS?
No, that filing is not part of what this subscription covers. Registration fees, sponsorships, and concessions stay sorted all season, so your board or whoever files on the league's behalf has real numbers to work from.
Our treasurer changes every year when the board turns over. Will the books still make sense?
Yes. The categories stay consistent no matter who holds the treasurer role, and your bookkeeper can walk a new board member through anything unfamiliar.
Our books have not been touched since last season ended. Can you catch us up?
Yes. Send the bank and registration records you have. Gus works through the backlog and the accountant checks it, and most leagues know where they stand within a couple of weeks.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in faith-based, nonprofit & membership orgs
We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Private family foundations
- Private social clubs
- Trade & industry associations
- Veterans organizations
- Charter schools
- Christian schools
- Small & mid-size churches
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever