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Maybe I'm confused about how the program works but I think just about anyone with the money can join as a big contributor... you don't need to be in the lower tier first. based on the trend is seems that losing big contributors isn't DCI's main concern...

you can't live and die just on the big spenders tho. you need lots of little ones to keep it going and hope, and take care of them, so they become bigger donors over time.

I never had too many issues with seats, tho location varied between high and low. Our group had some seniority at the time, and we rarely had customer service issues, tho I had heard others talk of them.

I just got to the point where I didn't feel like DCI was worth the extra cost anymore. I had just as much luck getting good or better seats on my own.

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Maybe I'm confused about how the program works but I think just about anyone with the money can join as a big contributor: you don't need to be in the lower tier first. Based on the trend is seems that losing big contributors isn't DCI's main concern.

That's true, but it is also normal practice for non-profits to work to cultivate higher donors from lower donors over time.

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should we be looking at DCI's customer service as possibly having a negative influence?

That's no shock, im not sure ive ever gotten a reply back from DCI on anything.

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Count me in as someone who did not renew their Platinum membership this year. For me a lot of factors played into my decision.

1. I'm just plain tired right now of the activity. It's not the shows, design, or the kids, it's just something where I've sort of lost an interest. After I marched, I was to poor and trying to finish my education to go to finals. Once I had a job, I was able to donate back to the activity and I got good seats in return. It was fun. It's just lately championships is becoming more burdensome. I live out here in the west, and it's hard to arrange travel plans to bring the family, take time off work, and get excited to go to Indy year after year. I find using my $2,500 to go take a nice vacation somewhere else much more fun and exciting. I guess I'm just at that point in my life where I want to do other things than save $2,500 to be a Friends member and then save another $2,000 to go to Indy with my family year after year.

2. Like others, I sight customer service as being an issue. Sure they are helpful, but it just seems like when you request for something from DCI, they're doing you a favor. Customer service should not make you feel guilty because you are requesting something that is not that big of a request in the first place. Up to this point, there has been no follow up as to why I did not renew for the 2011 season. No e-mail, nothing. I know I shouldn't expect it, but it's nice to know they're still thinking about you and care about your patronage. I pick five corps to donate to every year. They always change from year to year so I can spread the wealth around. Even when I don't donate for a two to three year span, these corps still request for me to donate every year or they continue to send news about what is happening with their corps. Follow up is a good thing. You lose customers when you don't.

3. Being a Friends member, I got to see more of the inner workings of how they treat their customers. Just like any activity, the sponsors are the ones who DCI really caters to. And that's fine, they pay the big bucks. The problem I have is how they view the die-hard and legacy fans. I wholeheartedly agree with other's opinions that DCI does not embrace the die-hard and legacy fans like they should. They simply expect that they will always be there. It's kind of sad, when you look in the suites and no one is paying attention to the shows and are instead making a social event out of it.

4. I've met enough people in this activity that I can still get tickets between the 40's and other places in the stadium that require a badge without paying the premium.

The activity will always be dear to my heart and I'll go to the local shows and regionals, but being a Friend is just not important to me anymore.

Edited by Whiskey
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Up to this point, there has been no follow up as to why I did not renew for the 2011 season. No e-mail, nothing. I know I shouldn't expect it, but it's nice to know they're still thinking about you and care about your patronage. I pick five corps to donate to every year. They always change from year to year. Even when I don't donate for a two to three year span, these corps still request for me to donate every year or they continue to send news about what is happening with corps. Follow up is a good thing. You lose customers when you don't.

That's rather shocking. When I let my $35 membership in the Appalachian Trail Conference (annual budget $5 million) lapse for a year, I got a half-dozen "we want you back" letters asking me to re-up. At the $6-million non-profit where I work, you can bet a $2,500 donor (we have about 50 such) who opted out after many years of contributing would have received several calls, e-mails, and/or letters from the development dept.

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It's just lately championships is becoming more burdensome. I live out here in the west, and it's hard to arrange travel plans to bring the family, take time off work, and get excited to go to Indy year after year.

Im not a friends member, but I know this feeling. Only can take so much time away from work and have so much to spend on trips and such, and doing that in indy every year is something im less and less enthusiastic about. Honestly at this point im about 50/50 whether i make it out to indy, especially given the fact that LOS is not that great of a venue for drum corps. I'll probably make it to minneapolis and des moines shows, but other than that, im seriously questioning this year.

I'm only 5 years out from marching, i cant imagine what some others that are more likely to be in the upper donor-levels feel, with how DCI and its leaders have focused entirely on the 'marching band kids' to the complete disregard of older, more likely to be financially established, fans - the ones that pay the bills.

Edited by AlexL
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well in PA, now they know with what the governor wants to do to college funding

Best line was WTPAs morning show a week or so back: "He ain't gonna raise state taxes, but he'll cut back so far every other municipality will have to raise 'em". Tommy Boy's (think Chris Farley) just getting people to permanently leave PA when they go to college instead of waiting until they graduate and get a job.

PS - just got my new CH sewer bill, thanks to the Clean Up the Chesapeake fund it increased 106%.

Edited by JimF-LowBari
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you mean electronics didn't bring in more friends of DCI? who would have guessed?

Well, that wasn't really mentioned in the rules proposals as one of the selling points.

Edited by Michael Boo
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