Stu Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 (edited) 20 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said: How is it not? I work for a non-profit arts organization. We start our fiscal year knowing we need to sell $X million in ticket and raise $Y million from donors. But sometimes what we thought would be a blockbuster show just doesn't catch fire with audiences. And sometimes long-time donors are fickle and decide not to give. If enough of those things happen in the same season, we have to consider canceling a production, or letting staff go, or taking any other number of steps to adjust and keep the organization around in the following year. To me, it seems quite possible that Legends could have found themselves in the same boat. True in that projections sometimes are not met. But that was not the case here. Eleran just showed that Legends apparently had only collected around 10% to 15% of campaign goals prior to sending the youth out on the road; then were 'hoping' (not projecting and adjusting based on real data), but 'hoping' and 'praying' more funding would materialize while out on tour. And for a non-profit in which parents place their children into the their care for traveling all summer guaranteeing that they will provide food, water, transportation, housing, medical, etc... to do that is, well, stupid if not outright dangerous. Edited July 21, 2017 by Stu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 Just now, jwillis35 said: Suppose that, as I suggested earlier, Legends had done this back in February, that they'd put out a call at that time saying, "We need $100,000 to have a full season." Would you have donated then? I would certainly donate. Now, I don't know when they realized they needed the money. If this really was an emergency that just caught them off guard, and suddenly, them by all means I am fine with the emergency fund raising and am happy to take part myself. Bless you for that. And yet as Eleran has pointed out, for some Legends have had fundraising campaigns seeking about $75,000. Those brought in only about 10% over a period of weeks. This campaign for $100,000 has reached more than $38,000 in less than 14 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotoSurfBass Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 1 minute ago, Northern Thunder said: They made it through the 2013 season (5th place OC finals), and then immediately announced they were pulling the plug on the corps. They came back in 2014, slipped a few places in the standings that year, got stronger, and have been around ever since. What ever they figured out during the Sept, 2013/June, 2014 span must have been a miracle. The fact of the matter is that there is precedent for these things happening. IIRC, DCI itself stepped in to help since Music City had just gained full DCI membership after finishing 25th. Legends finished 24th last year, FWIW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 Just now, MotoSurfBass said: The fact of the matter is that there is precedent for these things happening. IIRC, DCI itself stepped in to help since Music City had just gained full DCI membership after finishing 25th. Legends finished 24th last year, FWIW. I don't think DCI membership works that way, but I welcome correction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaxDCIFan Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 1 minute ago, N.E. Brigand said: Bless you for that. And yet as Eleran has pointed out, for some Legends have had fundraising campaigns seeking about $75,000. Those brought in only about 10% over a period of weeks. This campaign for $100,000 has reached more than $38,000 in less than 14 hours. I've spent $50 or $100 on stupider things than saving kids dreams. I wish I could take back the $50 I spent on Flo Marching and give it to Legends. Maybe this can all be blamed on Flo somehow! But maybe that belongs on a different thread... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 1 minute ago, N.E. Brigand said: And yet as Eleran has pointed out, for some Legends have had fundraising campaigns seeking about $75,000. Those brought in only about 10% over a period of weeks. And at that point, where massive debt was there in June, the decision should;d have been, 'Sorry kiddos, you will hate me for this, but for your own safety and welfare we cannot afford the risk of going on tour'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotoSurfBass Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 Just now, N.E. Brigand said: I don't think DCI membership works that way, but I welcome correction. I don't know how it works either, just what I've heard/read somewhere... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cixelsyd Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 1 minute ago, Stu said: True in that projections sometimes are not met. But that was not the case here. Eleran just showed that Legends apparently had only collected around 10% to 15% of campaign goals prior to sending the youth out on the road; then were 'hoping' (not projecting and adjusting based on real data), but 'hoping' and 'praying' more funding would materialize while out on tour. And for a non-profit in which parents place their children into the their care for traveling all summer guarantee that they will provide food, water, transportation, housing, medical, etc... that is, well, stupid, if not outright dangerous. Corps seem to attract more donations when they are most active (like right now). Unfortunately, that means they attract the least donations in the fall/winter, when plans for next season are being made. Forces corps to forecast the charitable component of the budget based on past data. (Or, in the case of corps that Stu manages, they accumulate all those funds a year in advance so that the tour is funded even if donations stop completely.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 1 minute ago, Stu said: True in that projections sometimes are not met. But that was not the case here. Eleran just showed that Legends apparently had only collected around 10% to 15% of campaign goals prior to sending the youth out on the road; then were 'hoping' (not projecting and adjusting based on real data), but 'hoping' and 'praying' more funding would materialize while out on tour. And for a non-profit in which parents place their children into the their care for traveling all summer guaranteeing that they will provide food, water, transportation, housing, medical, etc... that is, well, stupid, if not outright dangerous. Eleran's post is great. But it doesn't necessarily show what you describe. Doesn't it seem like they had a fundraising plan? That's what campaigns are. They had a fairly ambitious season and a campaign to pay for it. But they had a fallback plan if those campaigns didn't work: after they complete their southern tour, if they haven't raised the $75,000, they'd have to announce an emergency fund drive, and either drastically pull back from or cancel the rest of their season if that also doesn't get a response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afd Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 2 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said: Bless you for that. And yet as Eleran has pointed out, for some Legends have had fundraising campaigns seeking about $75,000. Those brought in only about 10% over a period of weeks. This campaign for $100,000 has reached more than $38,000 in less than 14 hours. I guess the "we need 100,000 in 24 hrs" plea just seems out there. That is quite of bit of money needed within a very short period. And what is it needed for? Staff payments? Food costs? Money for fuel? All of the above? Do they owe money to lenders or vendors that need to be paid right now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.