Membership Overview | BENEFITS, VALUE & ELIGIBILITY | MEMBERS' IMPACT | TRENDS | LOGIN / JOIN
The USA Ultimate membership experience includes supporting and participating in the ultimate community. As a member, you are not only a vital part of efforts to grow ultimate, but you also receive numerous members-only benefits. Whether you are looking to play, coach, organize, officiate, volunteer, chaperone, watch or just generally support ultimate as fan or family member, there is a membership level designed for you.
Questions? Please contact us at info@hq.usaultimate.org
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2019 Membership Rates
- USA Ultimate memberships are non-refundable and non-transferable. Membership is a voluntary relationship as part of the national community of ultimate players, coaches, organizers, parents, friends, family and supporters. It is not tied to any specific event or program that USA Ultimate operates or sanctions, nor is membership a guarantee of participation (please be familiar with all guidelines and restrictions, criteria, dates, locations, etc associated with any event or program before assuming eligibility to participate). USA Ultimate operates for the benefit of and in service to its members, and thus, nearly all of its activities, events, and programs are restricted to its members, whose dues cover the operating costs of the organization.
- USA Ultimate memberships are based on the calendar year (January 1 – December 31). Any annual memberships purchased through November 30 will expire on December 31 of the current year. Memberships for the following year will become available on/around December 1.
- Intro memberships are available August 1 - November 30 For Adult, College and Youth membership levels. Valid for anyone who has never had a USA Ultimate membership. They will expire on the calendar year (12/31).
- Recreational Event and Affiliate memberships do not cover participation in USA Ultimate championship nor in college/club "regular season" events. The USA Ultimate staff resources for those events involve the overhead of all staff and departments.
- Non-player level memberships include coach, friends & family, and youth serving organization;
A portion of all dues go to fund development of State-Based Organizations (SBO) and are shared directly with the SBOs. [Chart of SBO membership shares]
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is membership required to participate in USA Ultimate supported programs?
As a member-based non-profit body, every program and activity that USA Ultimate operates or supports is on behalf of and in service to our members. Membership dues typically make up over half (about 60%) of USA Ultimate's annual operating budget, providing the base of resources that are vitally needed to employ staff and maintain facilities for launching and managing programs around the nation. In a very real way, everything that USA Ultimate does is thanks to and designed for our members. That commitment to members and participant requirement for membership is the main reason that such a large variety of levels of membership are available, because there are many different ways that someone might be interested in supporting and engaging directly with USA Ultimate programs, either as players, coaches, organizers, observers, friends & family or other member supporters. USA Ultimate's commitment is to serve members at the highest possible levels, in a way that increases member satisfaction and retains members to renew year after year, while also engaging brand new members. Membership has the absolute highest value towards accomplishing our mission and our vision.
Can I upgrade my membership? How?
Yes, you can upgrade an annual membership (i.e., not a single Recreational Event-only level) from one type or duration to a higher one, as long as you upgrade for the full remainder of your membership period (i.e., all remaining years of multi-year memberships). You'll also need to maintain the same participation benefits with both memberships or increase them (e.g., player-level and/or coach-level; you can upgrade an Adult player membership to Coach/Player combo membership but not to just Coach level membership).
Follow these instructions on How to Upgrade your Membership from your USA Ultimate account.
How to upgrade multi-year memberships in subsequent years (after the first year):
1. Email your request to info@hq.usaultimate.org.
2. You will receive an invoice via email for the difference in cost of the memberships.
3. Once you complete the payment, notify info@hq.usaultimate.org. Once we receive notification, we will upgrade your membership.
Please allow a few days for the process to complete (request, invoice, payment, and processing the upgrade).
Are memberships refundable or transferable?
No, USA Ultimate memberships are not refundable nor transferable, largely because they are not a guarantee of specific participation eligibility or event timing. Memberships do not tie directly to a specific event or program that USA Ultimate operates or sanctions.
The nature of a membership, both generally and specifically with USA Ultimate, is one of a voluntary relationship that makes the member become part of the national community of ultimate players, coaches, organizers, parents, friends, family and supporters. Because USA Ultimate operates for the benefit of and in service to its members, all members' dues help to cover the operating costs of the organization and the many efforts made to advance the sport at all levels across the nation.
Are memberships tax deductible?
No, unfortunately not. Even though USA Ultimate is a federally registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit membership-based organization, whenever a member of such a non-profit receives any benefits in return for membership dues, the general IRS rule is that those dues are not deductible on personal income tax return filings. That said, any pure donations given to USA Ultimate or to The Ultimate Foundation, in addition to or instead of membership dues, are 100% tax deductible!
It can be a bit confusing, because sometimes when someone becomes a "member" of a zoo or a museum, which are also often incorporated non-profits, they can deduct some portion of their membership from taxes. That only happens when the zoo or museum has established a "value" of the membership that is less than the amount paid by the member, with the overage amount being considered essentially a "donation" to the cause of the zoo or museum. So then the difference between the amount paid in dues and the "value" becomes tax deductible. In USA Ultimate’s case, the values of benefits that have been budgeted actually correspond to the dues amounts of our memberships, so we cannot declare any portion to be a tax deductible "donation" to the organization.
What should I do if I can't access my account?
If you can't access your account because you've forgotten your username or password, simply request a password or username reset link to be sent to the e-mail on the account.
If you no longer have access to the e-mail assigned to your account, just contact USA Ultimate at info@hq.usaultimate.org with your name and date of birth so we can reset your account and get you going ASAP!
Registration Forms
(Click forms below for downloadable/printable PDF files.)
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Medical Authorization Form
Parents/guardians of minors (participants under 18 years of age) must complete this form in order to compete in USA Ultimate events.
Medical Authorization Forms are valid for one year from the date that they are signed.
The team chaperone or coach must have a hard copy of this form at all events, including practice. USA Ultimate does not need a copy of this form.
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Waiver of Liability (and Membership Form)
Waivers can also be signed online in your member account. Memberships and waivers are valid through the end of the calendar year. Each will expire on the subsequent 12/31 and must be renewed thereafter.
NOTE: Each account must have a unique email address. The same email address cannot be used for 2 different accounts.
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