navyband

After a corps has their equipment, uniforms and all the business pieces of the operation, a Div I corps will have an annual budget of close to $1,000,000. So it isn't just the start up costs that is involved but salaries, travel expenses [at $3.00 fuel] and all the business side of the operation. Corps are just as much a business as anything else.

The MSARP and the wonderful donation to the MDBCA did make a difference in this cash strapped year. Up until this group was formed, the total Alumni cash donations amounted to just a few thousand dollars a year in most years and as an organization were invisiable. The board was not even made up of many Alumni for whatever reason. In the future, perhaps the MSARP data base and some active alumni can generate a revenue stream worthy of all the the passion that the alumni seem to be willing to share on this site. Over the past few years the largest donors to the organization were people that had not ever been a Scout but just flat out loved the corps and were willing to put up to $50,000 of their own cash in in a single year. How about some of the alumni really putting their money where their mouth is? I understand that Randy Ferrie will be a Scout Board Member and that should be a good thing for the MDBCA! His energy and passion to make the Reunion work could really help the Scouts with the all important $$$ needed to compete in this era.

So there you have it Marty, you have been voted the most logical one to take on this awesome responsibility by several folks. And while this is pretty far out. it has to be great to be a recognized talent to make the Scouts work! The warm weather will gain what we lose in Mad City!

Don't the Ceo and the BOD in any major corp agree on the general direction the company is to go? If the mission is changed it is with the agreement of any self respecting board. When Wal Mart hires a new CEO, the CEO is not enabled to turn the company into Nieman Marcus. I suggest that it appears that there was no board oversite on what the Scouts presented in Primal Forces in 2006. This is not to say anything about the "getting the corps down the road"-that is the ED's job as is putting out a show that meets with the approval of those who fund it. It is only fair to an ED to communicate board expectations as to artistic content to avoid the sudden dismissal that seems to have taken place here.

Marty, Mike or Pat would each do a great job as Director of the Scouts. The one thing that the new director will have to deal with is input from the board as to what is presented on the field. Totally holding back the brass, losing the "ScoutLook", and "going native" just will not get the alumni to support the corps financially. Now that there is an alumni group, whoever takes over has to tap this rescource as has never been done in the past.

With the average Division I corp's budget over $900,000 and the local promoter's cost [over $30,000] of offering a show, do you feel that your contribution of $80 is too large to help an activity you obviously like? The corps and DCI, schools, media, police, printing all get paid if the show goes on or not. Not to mention the countless hours volunteers spent making the show happen with their goal of raising funds for some local needs... Rather than complain [your risk was stated as a no refund policy on your ticket] perhaps you should send another check to the sponsor or your favorite corps to get their uniforms cleaned.