G7 Update

[thirdcoast]

Maybe somebody here... oh forget it, I like both those Corps.

Edited January 11, 2013 by thirdcoast

[whitedawn]

Not to be too much of a downer, but can anyone honestly tell me that they believe that there would be just as many butts in seats for in a show with the following lineup, as there would be in a MIM show?:

Colts

Troopers

Oregon Crusaders

Pioneer

Spirit of Atlanta

Pacific Crest

Crossmen

[danielray]

In a 501c3 the Board, not the CEO, should set the mission and vision through the bylaws and stick to just governance; then, the Board should allow the CEO to guide the ship of administration and management with much autonomy and decision making power.

1) A typical 501c3 would have an honestly elected Board which governs, hires and oversees the Executive Director, gives the Executive Director autonomy to administer and manage the corporation within the mission perimeters of the corporation, and has the ability to fire the Executive Director if that person oversteps the mission. In this situation the ED as a great amount of power yet is still kept in check by the Board.

2) According to the document written by Bill Cook a Bill Cook type 501c3 drum corps would have a faux elected Board of yes-men hand picked by the Director (ie the supposed Benevolent Dictator), with the Dictator also having complete unrestricted power to act at his/her own discretion along with complete unconditional authority; and the only resemblance to the required IRS structure would be just on paper so as to placate the IRS and keep the 501c3 status.

Unless Cook was penning tongue in cheek sarcasm and was not really serious in his treatise, I believe a corps, as well as the entity of DCI, should adhere to the first structure above not the one proposed by Bill Cook.

Again, 501c3 is simply a federal tax designation for a corporation. It is simply a corporation with a few additional requirements thrown in the mix.

The board of a corporation has basically two responsibilities:

1 - Duty of care - act in an informed manner, considering all available information, and in the best interest of the corporation

2 - Duty of loyalty - to avoid conflicts of interest and act in the interest of the corporation above self-interest in guiding decisions

Though a not-for-profit corporation is structured similar to a standard corporation, there isn't the same sort of ability for board member compensation. This bring in the question of both board competence and motivation.

It is extremely hard for a non-profit to attract and retain competent board members and motivate them to be actively and regularly engaged. Those that are competent are generally very busy, those that are not busy are generally not all that competent (unless they are retired, etc.).

What I am getting at, is that it makes little sense to give actual control of an organization to individuals not so actively engaged as an executive director. The board really exists to provide oversight, guidance, and support the strategic decision-making process in the direction of what is the best interest of the corporation (which sometimes means management changes).

These best interest decisions are not related to the mission, as stated above, but to operations. Mission is generally meaningless from the standpoint of most organizations and exist to provide the IRS a general idea of which tax exempt category you are apply for.

Most mission statements are extremely vague and fluffy. This is not a bad thing.

To the issue of DCI specifically, the problem is that it is run like a consortia. It is extremely difficult to effectively run a consortia.

[KAW]

A previous poster asked how current MM members feel about all this, so apologize if this is redundant.

In the midst of 99% of these posts ranging from very critical of G7 corps to some even suggesting an option of physical violence (really?), leaving their seats when these corps perform, not buying any souvies, not attending any MIM's, etc... Let's not forget this...There are about 1,000 students involved in these corps and many have been devoted members for many years (not even considering the hundreds of volunteers and other supporters).

So, as you leave your seat in protest prior to a G7 peformance, you might want to remember that A) The director may not care if you stick around, and B) you're making a comment about the members of said corps at the same time.

[mingusmonk]

Not to be too much of a downer, but can anyone honestly tell me that they believe that there would be just as many butts in seats for in a show with the following lineup, as there would be in a MIM show?:

Colts

Troopers

Oregon Crusaders

Pioneer

Spirit of Atlanta

Pacific Crest

Crossmen

Today? No.

But the timing of a split would have a big impact. Say, at the end of the season the split occurs. Programs rebooted ... creative and teaching staffs shift and realign and potential members have a chance to sort out their preferences and destiny. A split could easily shake up the back sides of BOTH G7 and DCI corps. Which could then give the potential audiences a different expectation. Would it be huge enough to simply swing BD numbers to Pio? No. But it could be big enough for a lot of people to give a show like the above a solid chance to prove itself in year one, post split.

Edited January 11, 2013 by mingusmonk

[mingusmonk]

Even though my above post seems optimistic, I would like to reiterate that I feel like, ultimately, a split is a lose-lose scenario.

[bill]

Not to be too much of a downer, but can anyone honestly tell me that they believe that there would be just as many butts in seats for in a show with the following lineup, as there would be in a MIM show?:

Colts

Troopers

Oregon Crusaders

Pioneer

Spirit of Atlanta

Pacific Crest

Crossmen

Well, let me tell ya; the greater Racine area (Racine, Mount Pleasant, etc.) is a pretty darn drum corps savvy (and supportive) region and with a line-up as such and knowing these corps (among others) have a history of bringing a lot of entertainment to the plate.....they would have to have an afternoon performance and an evening performance just to satisfy those wishing to attend. Historic Horlick Field only holds approximately 1800-2000 sets of "cheeks in the seats" at a time.

Edited January 11, 2013 by bill

[KAW]

Today? No.

But the timing of a split would have a big impact. Say, at the end of the season the split occurs. Programs rebooted ... creative and teaching staffs shift and realign and potential members have a chance to sort out their preferences and destiny. A split could easily shake up the back sides of BOTH G7 and DCI corps. Which could then give the potential audiences a different expectation. Would it be huge enough to simply swing BD numbers to Pio? No. But it could be big enough for a lot of people to give a show like the above a solid chance to prove itself in year one, post split.

The concept might be right, but it would take a lot longer than 1 year. With the average fan (i.e. not dcp'ers) there is too much brand equity and name recognition for most of the G7- Madison may be the Non G7 that carries some of that equity. It would take a lot longer for the non-G7s to have a same attraction as G7, even if the quality were comparable because most average fans have heard of BD and associate them with "the best". It would take the average fan (again, not us) a while to have the same perception of a non G7 corps.

[RockyGranite]

Not to be too much of a downer, but can anyone honestly tell me that they believe that there would be just as many butts in seats for in a show with the following lineup, as there would be in a MIM show?:

Colts

Troopers

Oregon Crusaders

Pioneer

Spirit of Atlanta

Pacific Crest

Crossmen

Maybe not for just these, but if you add BAC, Scouts, Blue Knights and Blue Stars...and maybe toss in Jersey Surf...and you very well might see just as many butts.

Heck, I might even spring for a trip to Indy to see all these corps. (though I would miss seeing the innovation of BD)

Edited January 11, 2013 by RockyGranite

[VOReason]

I read the letter several times, and it sounds like a not so veiled threat to me! Give us all the money or we will take our marbles and go home! I say, let them go home! They think they are such good marching bands that folks will pay premium price to see the same "7" corps over and over and over again? And what happens when they begin to fade, and lose a member or two? Will they become the "G6" or "G5"? They see a niche activity in decline and want to take as much money for themselves as possible before the last corps turns out the lights.