hazing/misconduct

[Terri Schehr]

15 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

When I marched in the early 80's we called them Pioneers (with an s) just to irritate them

[denverjohn]

2 hours ago, BoyWonder1911 said:

They need to do a show based on the movie Leprechaun. Then I'll be impressed.

I want me gold, me lad!!!!!

Sean Connery recorded narration from "Darby O'Gill and the Little People".

[Jeff Ream]

6 hours ago, JimF-LowBari said:

Just looked at Pioneers website and:

No listing for a financial person...

Nutritional has a listing of To Be Announced 

If you support a member thru SOPY they will send you a receipt: don't remember exact wording but close to what I read and never got a receipt twice.

And donations towards a members dues thru the corps (send the check to the  corps earmarked for the member) are tax deductible. Any tax experts here are heard this not true as money is to go for a person's benefit and not the (non profit) corps.

Never been an issue getting the deduction 

[Jeff Ream]

5 hours ago, Tim K said:

As drum corps fans, we’re disgusted by what we are hearing about Pioneer and some are wondering why Cadets got media coverage, DCI intervened, etc, and why Pioneer is flying under the radar. A few things to keep in mind:

1. We don’t know that DCI is not investigating the matter. Silence does not mean inaction, and while we may have reasons to have doubts, if DCI is investigating, silence on their part is probably being advised by legal council. You speak when you have facts and while I believe much of what we are hearing is credible, DCP and Reddit do get a good deal of information second, third, and fourth hand.

2. The Cadets story dealt with accusations of sexual misconduct and alleged financial irregularities at the hands of a controversial and in many cases despised former director. Salaciousness sells newspapers, and the Cadets story had plenty of it. In the case of Pioneer, kids who live and travel in close quarters getting an illness happens, it’s hardly a story. If the lack of proper care we are hearing about was malicious, there might be a story, but it sounds more like ineptness. Regardless of the reason, it needs to be addressed. If I were a parent and it was my child, the reason would not matter, but it does matter if you are a journalist selling a story. 

3. Cadets is a crown jewel in drum corps. Pioneer has never come close to making finals. If you look at their closest competitors, has Pioneer rebuilt the way Cascades has? Do they have the nurturing reputation of Jersey Surf? OC corps such as Spartans and 7th Regiment will give them a run for their money in prelims. Can Pioneer take pride in forming marching members they way these two corps can? I do believe Pioneer has lots of good intentions and would love to be like their competitors, but Pioneer has not had ways of making the good intentions a reality.

Personally, I would like to see Pioneer saved. I also think OC is a better option for them because there is a camaraderie between the OC corps and they could learn a great deal from their competitors. Also, if you’re in Allentown, Indy, or wherever Pioneer is competing, support the kids on the field. The off the field stuff is not their fault.  

It took the media months to go live with the Cadets stuff. This has been a few days. Vetting needs to happen before anything could be published 

[Jeff Ream]

4 hours ago, DAvery said:

If the accusations are true, at what point does DCI step in and notify Pioneer they can no longer participate in DCI until the director is replaced? Didn't something similar happen to Capital Regiment during the summer? 

The biggest question I’ve had for years is we all know about the audit requirements for either class. But do they ever do follow ups or is it one and done?

[Bluzes]

It's simple develop and app for the MMs so they have a place to voice their concerns, get acknowledgements that their issue was received by the new ethics and safety forum. They then can address the issue w/o even letting the "powers to be" running the corps who is voicing the concern. Keeps everyone on their toes. New apps come out everyday this one is necessary.

[JimF-LowBari]

25 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

Never been an issue getting the deduction 

Did you have paperwork to prove the donation to an individual member? Just wondering as I’ve used standard deduction since interest on the house hit a low enough level. One good thing about living in the same place forever

[BigW]

5 hours ago, euphononium said:

See... I don’t buy that. They manage to hit the road with a drum corps and complete a world class tour year after year, they’ve never cut their season short and just told kids to find a way home, they have uniforms, equipment, their own building, vehicles, etc.; so many things that make up the guts of a drum corps. Someone else just needs to take over.

Yes, it certainly appears to be that way, but what kind of real mechanism does the organization have to eject and replace said person with someone who's not just going to continue current practice? Do they have a BoD at all, even if it is a rubber stamp bunch of cronies and butt-kissers- or employees? There's a taste of 60's/70's Mom n' Pop here and it's not a good taste when I looked at their website.

 

True, somehow they find a way to muddle through. Over the years, I've read repeated comments to the effect 'if they could keep enough personnel, they might make some noise since they have so many move on to finalist corps.' Now, we know why nearly everyone leaves and there is no real retention. Also why they have very consistent staff turnovers. They also appear to be taking advantage of people who want/love to teach and are willing to deal with anything to get their foot in the door then get out at the first chance.

 

I know 'scores aren't everything'... but a look at the DCI Southeastern Championship numbers tell me a lot. This corps is down 20 to 12th place and down 30 (yeah, holy bajeezus, 30!) Points to Vanguard. They're behind 4 points to the next lowest team. With the exception of one sub-caption, ( VA Achievement), they're down to the next team in a gap in every caption insinuating there'd need to be a fair amount of work to even get into their neighborhood. They haven't popped at 70 at championship weekend since 2010.

 

Yes, I know they have an open door policy for membership and what that means, but I'd think with the right infrastructure, management, and staff in place, they could break a 70 by now and beat a couple of corps at least. Something's not right there on multiple levels.

[Brian Tuma]

3 minutes ago, BigW said:

Yes, it certainly appears to be that way, but what kind of real mechanism does the organization have to eject and replace said person with someone who's not just going to continue current practice? Do they have a BoD at all, even if it is a rubber stamp bunch of cronies and butt-kissers- or employees? There's a taste of 60's/70's Mom n' Pop here and it's not a good taste when I looked at their website.

 

True, somehow they find a way to muddle through. Over the years, I've read repeated comments to the effect 'if they could keep enough personnel, they might make some noise since they have so many move on to finalist corps.' Now, we know why nearly everyone leaves and there is no real retention. Also why they have very consistent staff turnovers. They also appear to be taking advantage of people who want/love to teach and are willing to deal with anything to get their foot in the door then get out at the first chance.

 

I know 'scores aren't everything'... but a look at the DCI Southeastern Championship numbers tell me a lot. This corps is down 20 to 12th place and down 30 (yeah, holy bajeezus, 30!) Points to Vanguard. They're behind 4 points to the next lowest team. With the exception of one sub-caption, ( VA Achievement), they're down to the next team in a gap in every caption insinuating there'd need to be a fair amount of work to even get into their neighborhood. They haven't popped at 70 at championship weekend since 2010.

 

Yes, I know they have an open door policy for membership and what that means, but I'd think with the right infrastructure, management, and staff in place, they could break a 70 by now and beat a couple of corps at least. Something's not right there on multiple levels.

Your first paragraph sums up the entire problem. 

[WIS]

Donations to a 501(c)3 are deductible if they are to a general fund (including general scholarship).  It follows this general explanation from the IRS Publication on Charitable Contributions.  As soon as you identify a specific individual to benefit the deduction is no longer valid.

"Contributions to Individuals You can't deduct contributions to specific individuals, including the following. Contributions to fraternal societies made for the purpose of paying medical or burial expenses of members. Contributions to individuals who are needy or worthy. You can't deduct these contributions even if you make them to a qualified organization for the benefit of a specific person. But you can deduct a contribution to a qualified organization that helps needy or worthy individuals if you don't indicate that your contribution is for a specific person. Example. You can deduct contributions to a qualified organization for flood relief, hurricane relief, or other disaster relief. However, you cannot deduct contributions earmarked  for relief of a particular individual or family."

As said earlier, you probably can say this is for a scholarship for a 5'8" individual of X descent from Main Street, State who plays tenors, without giving a name.  However, if you were audited by the IRS and they questioned the charitable contribution I would expect them  to deny the deduction.  It would be hard to argue that it wasn't for a specific person.