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Guide

How to collect dues for a kids’ sports team without chasing anyone

Put the fee and your Venmo handle on the season itself, so every parent sees the amount and the pay button in the same place they say whether their child is coming. Parents pay and tap “I’ve paid”; you confirm, which is the record that counts. Once a week, tap Remind: everyone still unpaid gets one notification, nobody who has paid hears a thing.

Why the spreadsheet fails

The list of who paid lives on the treasurer’s laptop; the request lives in the group chat; the Venmo notifications live on a phone. Reconciling the three is the job nobody signed up for, and a parent who paid in cash at practice is the one who gets nagged.

Per season, per month or per session

Most teams collect per season. Clubs that run year-round bill monthly. Drop-in clinics charge per session and tick it off with attendance. Pick per program; the reminder works the same way for all three.

The reminder that doesn’t annoy anyone

It goes only to people whose payment the coach has not confirmed, at most once a day, and a parent with two kids on the roster gets one message, not two.

See how a season runs in Mela

Free · no per-member fee · Venmo stays yours

Nothing in the demo is sent or published.

Questions

Does the app take a cut?

No. Money goes straight to the coach or treasurer; Mela keeps the paid record and sends reminders.

What if a parent pays cash?

Confirm it yourself from the roster. The confirmation is what counts, not how they paid.

Can parents see who else has paid?

No. Each parent sees only their own status.

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