Toby Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I just did some cleaning in here, please keep the political commentary to a minimum... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglebac Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I want the Glassmen to succeed just as much as anyone, but why would I donate when there is no long-term plan to thrive? It would be like investing in a company with no strategic vision... This corps (and many others) needs to find a revenue stream that is sustainable. Bingo is gone - now what can take its place? Drum corps fans are creative people. Instead of spending time soliciting $10 donations, we should be brainstorming ways to sustain the activity! Ready...go! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotorCityMusician Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I want the Glassmen to succeed just as much as anyone, but why would I donate when there is no long-term plan to thrive? It would be like investing in a company with no strategic vision... This corps (and many others) needs to find a revenue stream that is sustainable. Bingo is gone - now what can take its place? Drum corps fans are creative people. Instead of spending time soliciting $10 donations, we should be brainstorming ways to sustain the activity! Ready...go! because then 150 people lose a summer that they could be learning and having fun. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglebac Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 because then 150 people lose a summer that they could be learning and having fun. Those 150 people deserve to be proud alums of a corps that still exists beyond just next season. How many kids at Teal Sound were having fun when their tour was cut short last summer and they were left scrambling for a new home? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 (edited) 1351131257[/url]' post='3224910']I want the Glassmen to succeed just as much as anyone, but why would I donate when there is no long-term plan to thrive? It would be like investing in a company with no strategic vision... This corps (and many others) needs to find a revenue stream that is sustainable. Bingo is gone - now what can take its place? Drum corps fans are creative people. Instead of spending time soliciting $10 donations, we should be brainstorming ways to sustain the activity! Ready...go! The reason you should donate is because the leaders of the Glassmen are being financially transparent and upfront about finances. As a non-profit they see that loans are a short term solution and realize they need to run on a cash only basis to ensure survival. They are trying to do the right thing, and seem to be roundly criticized for it. You are correct that we need go look at new ways to fund drum corps. Most fundraising experts believe development and planned giving are the roads to success for non-profits. This the way many private schools, year round youth programs, and social service agencies try and operate, but my guess is that for organizations that primarily function during the summer months, creating such a model would be difficult at best. This is why having a good board with people from the business world is essential for drum corps. They know how to raise funds, plan a budget, and have enough of an iron fist to make sure the corps sticks to a budget. Edited October 25, 2012 by Tim K 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 1351134469[/url]' post='3224914']The reason you should donate is because the leaders of the Glassmen are being financially transparent and upfront about finances. As a non-profit they see that loans are a short term solution and realize they need to run on a cash only basis to ensure survival. They are trying to do the right thing, and seem to be roundly criticized for it. You are correct that we need go look at new ways to fund drum corps. Most fundraising experts believe development and planned giving are the roads to success for non-profits. This the way many private schools, year round youth programs, and social service agencies try and operate, but my guess is that for organizations that primarily function during the summer months, creating such a model would be difficult at best. This is why having a good board with people from the business world is essential for drum corps. They know how to raise funds, plan a budget, and have enough of an iron fist to make sure the corps sticks to a budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlamMan Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 This is an important discussion... There are only a handful of World-Class drum corps with the financial sustainability to keep themselves on the field beyond one year. The DCI touring model is literally choking many drum corps' to death. As much as I love the idea of having all the corps' embark on a full US summer tour, the amount of money needed to do so is simply too high for most. Drum corps is at a tipping point. The entire competitive structure must be re-thought. No one wants to hear about another corps trying to desperately fund its summer at the last minute... 100% correct. If the current model doesn't change, the Drum Corp activity will cease to exist. Drum Corps needs to rationalize & form divisions, similar to professional sports teams...North, South, East, & West. The national touring just doesn't make sense anymore. There needs to be an incentive for local members to join their local Drum Corp. Similar to College tuition, local members should pay lower tuition, while out of state members pay a higher fee. The Drum Corp activity must return to local membership & financial support in order for this activity to survive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Maybe the market is too saturated. There's a limit to how much the fan base can support this many corps in the activity. except it used to support far more corps. maybe more corps need to do the limited tour like Surf or Mandarins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I agree completely and like I said none of those decisions are up to me but the only thing i worry about is this...why let the design team of a drum corps affect an unbelievable experience for the kids? It seems like these days people are very quick to just write off corps like Glassmen or Mandarins for example only because they aren't Blue Devils or Crown. I will admit that Crown provides the audience with very entertaining shows and deserve every bit of credit they earn it just seems unfair in a way. Yes, life is unfair and we are all fighting hard to earn a living these days but it sucks to think that kids down the line won't be able to get this experience because (hypothetically speaking of course) there are only 7 corps left, that's all I'm saying. ok but....... and I have friends tied to Gmen... outside of BD, Crown, Phantom and Cadets, who really got the most buzz this season? Jersey Surf where did they place? 20th. Yet you see reports of great crowd reactions everywhere. Ok, maybe you don't make finals....but you can get the crowd off of their ##### and get great reactions, which can lead to income. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaos001 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 100% correct. If the current model doesn't change, the Drum Corp activity will cease to exist. Drum Corps needs to rationalize & form divisions, similar to professional sports teams...North, South, East, & West. The national touring just doesn't make sense anymore. There needs to be an incentive for local members to join their local Drum Corp. Similar to College tuition, local members should pay lower tuition, while out of state members pay a higher fee. The Drum Corp activity must return to local membership & financial support in order for this activity to survive. Some local areas don't have the music programs to do that. Other than that, I agree with the regional idea (which I had said earlier). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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