“Fans First. Entertain Always.” It’s not just a tagline—It’s the mantra that made the Savannah Bananas the most popular baseball team. The Bananas have changed America’s favorite pastime, from choreographed walk-ups to sold-out stadiums. However, in 2025, it’s not just their dances and tricks that get people’s attention. It is now about their charity, and questions surrounding where the money truly goes.

Bananas Foster is the official charity of Banana Ball. With a mission of: “Celebrate the foster care community, while educating and inspiring others to get involved.” They focus on two programs:  Potassium CARE Baskets is the first one. In this, they send custom care packages to foster families. Go Bananas for Game Day is the second program. Under this program, they provide foster families with VIP experiences at Banana Ball games, including trips, merchandise, and recognition on the field. So, in 2024, Bananas Foster made about $290,000. They spent about $200,000 of that money and rolled over more than $90,000 into the next year.

According to the latest report on Defector, some of the charity’s financial filings raised questions about how activities were recorded. For example, paperwork from 2024 showed that more than $52,000 was spent on tickets and goods, but subsequent leaders said that the Savannah Bananas gave such things as in-kind donations. Jolie Chabala, the Executive Director, said this: “I’d like to reiterate that Bananas Foster is a new nonprofit. Any amendments made to the 2024 990 form will be simply to align the data with the correct cell or line on the form to capture the specific 2024 activities that were appropriately handled accurately.” The group is still adjusting to nonprofit accounting details.

The link between the team and their charity adds an extra layer. Emily Cole co-founded the charity with her husband, Jesse Cole, who runs Fans First Entertainment, the parent company of both Banana Ball and the Savannah Bananas. Since the nonprofit’s programs offer team tickets and experiences, questions arise about how these relationships are managed. Leadership claims these are in-kind donations, but the overlap underscores the need for careful oversight to ensure accurate and transparent reporting.

Upon closer examination of the spending breakdown, two distinct types of support become evident. As the report stated, Potassium CARE Baskets, which is one of the key projects of this charity, cost $13,770 in 2024 and were given out to 70 people. Meanwhile, the Game Day program reached 792 people and cost $52,127. In addition to the program expenditures, approximately $110,000 was allocated to compensate the two salaried personnel who managed the operations. The charity’s papers indicate that a relatively small percentage of donations was allocated to supporting foster families with material needs, while a larger percentage was spent on experiences and administrative expenditures.

Another layer of difficulty comes from accounting. Reports say that the charity’s CFO said she was a part-time volunteer and “by no means a non-profit expert.” An outside accounting company has subsequently been hired to help fix the filings. According to the leaders, the purpose is to ensure that the data accurately reflects actions such as donated tickets, jerseys, and travel assistance, which may not have been fully included in the initial file.

All of this goes back to the nonprofit’s goal. Bananas Foster honors foster families and encourages community involvement. Game-day celebrations help foster families get noticed and provide supply baskets for those in need. However, the papers suggest that the mission’s broad language allows a wide range of activities to fall under it. This raises doubts about whether the spending is aligning with the goals.

Even though there are questions swirling about their charity’s transparency and spending, the Savannah Bananas are pulling a great crowd and keeping them entertained. Their latest appearance at Yankee Stadium showed exactly why their games sell out!

Savannah Bananas blend baseball and showbiz at Yankee Stadium

The Savannah Bananas brought their viral brand of baseball fun to Yankee Stadium last weekend. They traded their pinstripes for bright yellow uniforms and their regular play for what they dub “Banana Ball.” The stadium was sold out, and 49,000 fans enjoyed the game in the stands for the two-game spectacle, which featured baseball along with choreographed dances, funny umpire calls, and constant interaction with the crowd.

Looking at how far they have come, it’s a great achievement.

The squad started as an expansion club in the Coastal Plain League in 2016. Now, they have about 11 million TikTok followers and almost 4 million Instagram followers. Fans at Yankee Stadium weren’t just watching a game; they were part of a show that involved them. Young fans told NY1 that they loved the music and the dancing, one saying, “They’re very funny and cool.” This shows the increasing popularity of the team.

Celebrity appearances made the game more special. Joe Torre, who used to manage the Yankees, Nick Swisher, who used to play for the Yankees, and even Eli Manning, who used to be the Giants’ quarterback, all took part in the fun. Their appearances added to the mix of baseball history and entertainment spectacle that has made the Bananas famous across the country.

The Savannah Bananas are great at putting on shows, but being open about their finances is also becoming crucial. As they get bigger, it’s more and more important that their charity equals their on-field success.