# Glossary: registration and payment terms for youth programs

Source: https://backpr.com/resources/glossary. Last updated: 2026-10-19.

Plain definitions of the words you'll run into when you set up registration and payments for a youth program.

**501(c)(3)**: The section of the US tax code for charitable nonprofit organizations. Donations to a 501(c)(3) are generally tax-deductible, and the organization doesn't pay federal income tax on its charitable work.

**IRS determination letter**: The letter the IRS sends when it recognizes an organization as tax-exempt, for example under section 501(c)(3). Vendors and funders often ask for a copy to confirm nonprofit status.

**EIN (Employer Identification Number)**: A nine-digit number the IRS gives an organization, written like 12-3456789. It identifies the organization on tax forms and in the IRS's public records.

**NTEE code**: The National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities code the IRS uses to describe a nonprofit's main activity, such as O50 for youth development programs or N20 for camps.

**Online registration**: Signing up for a program on the web instead of on paper: choosing sessions, filling out forms and usually paying in the same checkout.

**Registration software**: Software that runs a program's sign-ups: program listings, forms, payments, waitlists, rosters and messages to families.

**Deposit**: A partial payment made at registration to hold a spot, with the rest paid later.

**Payment plan**: An agreement to pay the balance in several installments on set dates instead of all at once.

**Installment**: One of the scheduled payments in a payment plan.

**Autopay**: Charging a saved card or bank account automatically on each due date, so families don't have to remember to pay.

**Card processing fee**: What a payment processor charges to handle a card payment, usually a percentage of the amount plus a small fixed fee.

**Payment processor**: The company that moves card and bank payments from families to your bank account, such as Stripe or Square.

**Surcharge**: An extra amount added to a card payment to cover processing costs. Rules on surcharges differ by state and card network.

**Convenience fee**: A flat fee for paying through an alternative channel, for example online when a program usually takes payments in person. Card networks limit when one is allowed.

**ACH payment**: A payment straight from a bank account through the US Automated Clearing House network. It usually costs less to process than a card payment but takes a few days to arrive.

**Chargeback**: When a cardholder disputes a payment with their bank and the money is pulled back from the organization while the dispute is decided. Processors often charge a fee for each one.

**Refund policy**: The written rules for when families get money back, how much, and how long it takes. Best published before registration opens.

**Sibling discount**: A lower price for the second child, and often each child after that, from the same family.

**Early-bird pricing**: A lower price for families who register before a set date.

**Sliding scale**: Prices that change with what a family can afford, often based on household income.

**Scholarship**: A full or partial reduction in a program's price for a family that needs help paying.

**Waitlist**: A list of families waiting for a spot in a full session. When a spot opens, it's offered to the next family on the list.

**Waiver**: A document a parent signs to accept a program's risks and rules. Programs often collect it with an e-signature at registration.

**Authorized pickup**: The list of adults a parent allows to pick their child up. Staff check it at every pickup.

**Check-in and check-out**: Recording when each child arrives and leaves, and who picked them up.

**Roster**: The list of children in a session or class, often with their allergies, pickup lists and emergency contacts.

**Attendance hours**: The total hours each child attended. Many grant funders ask programs to report them.

**Data export**: Downloading your families, registrations and payments from a system, usually as a spreadsheet, so you can keep or move them.

**PTA and PTO**: Parent-teacher associations and parent-teacher organizations: school parent groups, usually nonprofits, that often run enrichment classes and events.