troopers1 Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 So, they're not knocking on the door (as in BD's case); that's good. But I imagine Troop is keeping a close eye on them, yes? Yes. But the biggest competitive concern we have is other, local bingo halls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted December 23, 2012 Author Share Posted December 23, 2012 Thanks, troopers1, for filling in some details. This ends our look at Troopers but, for those who are curious, their 2009 990 has a very complete list of their assets. From marching equipment to office supplies to gaming supplies, they list every little thing they own that's depreciable. Troop seems stable, with their nose barely above water. If troopers1 is correct, we should see this venerable corps get healthier since 2011. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 I'd like to jump in here and offer my THANKS! to Garfield for the yeoman's job he's done in pulling these 990 reports apart and presenting the information in a consistent format and perspective. I think its important that we all have an appreciation for the financial challenges *all* of these organizations face - from the smallest to the largest. What we should also understand is just how dependent our activity is on solid financial leadership within each and every corps. Thanks, Garfield for lending your expertise to help us all better understand the financial health of our activity. Happy Holidays, all! -john Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 (edited) What John said... great job, Garfield!!!! But for those of us who have not been able to follow the entire thread, any chance you could do a capsule summary? Maybe something like: Corps A: Great shape. Corps B: Halfway decent. Corps C: Batten down the hatches. Corps D: Forget about it. Corps E: Should think about finding a new hobby. Edited December 23, 2012 by Fran Haring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindap Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 What John said... great job, Garfield!!!! But for those of us who have not been able to follow the entire thread, any chance you could do a capsule summary? Maybe something like: Corps A: Great shape. Corps B: Halfway decent. Corps C: Batten down the hatches. Corps D: Forget about it. Corps E: Should think about finding a new hobby. :tongue:/> Follow the thread. May the force be with you. There's a spreadsheet on post #724 :tongue:/> Dinner with the neighbours was wonderful, roast with hearty vegs and gravy. Keep calm and carry on :smile:/> 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted December 23, 2012 Author Share Posted December 23, 2012 Forgot this calculation for Troopers: Before we finish up, one final detail about Expenses. Many people compare charitable organizations based on the amount of money that actually gets to the charitable purpose of the organization vs. the administrative expenses used to get the money there. The 990's provide a look at this comparison by requiring expenses to be categorized into two categories, Program Service Expenses and Management and General Expenses. For 2011, Total expenses were $9,429,827. Of that amount, $6,555,032 (69.5%) went to Program Service Expenses and $2,874,795 (30.5%) went to Management and General Expenses. In 2010, Total Expenses were $8,875,705. Of that, $5,768,844 (65%) was Program Service and $3,106,861 (35%) was Management and General. In 2009, Total Expenses were $8,542,134. $5,373,139 (62.4%) were Program Service and $3,168,985 (37.6%) were M&G. (Sorry, just realized the order by year is reversed from prior posts.) If this is a representation of efficiency, these numbers look pretty good. Seven percent more of DCI's Revenue was spent on Program Service in 2011 than in 2009, and Management and General expenses consumed less of the Revenue over these three years. This would be a good thing depending on where you stand and what's behind the numbers. More money going into Program (show) expenses could mean more money is being paid out to corps, or it could mean more money went into show production (like venue costs, etc). Anecdotally, I have noticed a decline in the number of attendants guarding the entrys to prevent fans from entering or leaving during a show. Those savings in venue costs (if my observation is a true representation) may mean the corps make more but the fans suffer more disruptions, for example. Without an explanation of Program Expenses there's no way to tell who got the benefit of DCI's greater management "efficiency". EDIT: If it's reasonable to presume that the corps benefited most from this increase in effeciency, I have to ask: What the heck are they complaining about? With all that DCI does to produce a tour (venue, rights, travel, etc) is it reasonable to think that a "Music in Motion" tour could be produced more efficiently? Troopers Program Service "Efficiency" (as defined above) 2009: Of $826,722 in Total Expenses, $703,354 (85%) was PSE 2010: Of $929,996 in Total Expenses, $798,600 (85.8%) was PSE 2011: Of $1,004,815 in Total Expenses, $868,268 (86.4) was PSE Observation: This certainly is one of the most consistent "efficiency" results we've seen so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted December 23, 2012 Author Share Posted December 23, 2012 Thanks, John, for the kudos! Fran, it probably wouldn't be appropriate to "rank" the corps with The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (as, I think, you wanted in post #2!) for a couple of reasons. First, the data is, at least, a year old and may not accurately reflect the corps' current status. Plus, who's qualified to pass judgement? Some would say DCI, others might say anyone who contributes time or money to the corps. Still others might say only the Boards and directors can accurately judge. My primary motivation for starting this thread is my son, Garfield's_kid, who's 13, got a great set of snare hands, and is itching to march in a couple of years. My hope is that other parents who are considering corps for their kids will use this thread to ask questions about corps they are considering. Lastly, I hoped to see some clarity on corps who are trying to compete "above their league" and are threatening their balance sheets as they do so. When I'm done with all of the World Class corps I'll update the spreadsheet, and try to sort the data to reveal if this trend exists. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted December 23, 2012 Author Share Posted December 23, 2012 (edited) "And now, from Tempe, AZ, please welcome to the field, The Academy!" (Notes: The Academy has filed 990s for 2008, 2009, and 2010 and their 2008 form is the "Short Form" (similar to the 1040EZ filed by individuals) Some comparitive information is not available. Gross Receipts 2008: $693,250 2009: $651,048 2010: $703,157 Edited December 23, 2012 by garfield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted December 23, 2012 Author Share Posted December 23, 2012 The Academy Revenue, Expenses, and Net Assets The Bottom Line Revenue 2008: $667,844 2009: $618,754 2010: $688,301 Expenses 2008: $642,489 2009: $638,184 2010: $632,110 Net Revenue (loss) (Revenue minus Expenses) 2008: $25,355 2009: ($19,430) a loss 2010: $56,191 Net Assets 2008: $246,999 2009: $248,063 2010: $303,069 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted December 23, 2012 Author Share Posted December 23, 2012 The Academy Statement of Program Service Accomplishments (Note: Academy lists the drum corp and three color guard programs.) 2008: N/A 2009: Revenue: $618,754, Expenses: $560,385 2010: Revenue: $149,067, Expenses: $429,162 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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