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DCA Corps Annual Financial Rankings


Ron H

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These numbers are 2015 public information based upon required disclosures of ALL 501 3c Corporations

You can search ANY 501c3 Non-Profit here

There are some serious issues here. Issues that impact the health of DCA for years to come. And there is one obvious, tremendous imbalance. One that puts one DCA corps in the range of major DCI corps.

So what's going on? Why is there such a striking discrepancy?

Net Assets at the end of 2015:

Minnesota Brass, Inc. $654,956

Corps Vets $28,010

Govenaires (Note: Only 2014 Data is available) $27,214

Fusion Core $5,750

Cadets Unclear - Subsumed under the Cadets Organization

Bushwackers (Note: Only 2014 Data is available) (- $1,764)

Reading Buccaneers (-$49,303)

Hawthorne Caballeros (-$75,931)

Edited by Ron H
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From listening and reading here, MBI likely has a large, well-funded nest egg of long term safe investments that they draw off the interest of at times to cover various projects- the core of the nest egg isn't touched which would explain the asset number.

Smart work and effort to ensure the corps will exist long-term, wish that would have been done around 1995 at Westshore to be blunt.

Pat, Goalieguy? can you confirm? :satisfied:

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paging Garfield....he did a great work up of the numbers for DCI for a few years

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once upon a time I was considered an "expert" in this stuff... and what I learned is that these figures are the most misunderstood and misleading figures you could possibly look at... and while the web site that helps you "mine" this information may serve a useful purpose... god knows there's enough crooks out there hiding behind the not for profit status... when it comes to drum corps there are several issues but many are based on how good the accountant is hired by the drum corps... unfortunately HOW they prepare the IRS forms can vary greatly and cause some strange figures to pop out.

further... these figures often tend to PUNISH a corps that is fiscally responsible by putting out figures that make them look affluent compared to the many that aren't... when in reality... there's a big difference between being fiscally competent and affluent...

Trust me... the laws, legalities and IRS rules do not mix well with drum corps... when it comes to a cursory viewing of the figures...

PLEASE... take these figures with a grain of salt...

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From listening and reading here, MBI likely has a large, well-funded nest egg of long term safe investments that they draw off the interest of at times to cover various projects- the core of the nest egg isn't touched which would explain the asset number.

Smart work and effort to ensure the corps will exist long-term, wish that would have been done around 1995 at Westshore to be blunt.

Pat, Goalieguy? can you confirm? :satisfied:

Having an endowment of this sort is just good practice for a non-profit. I work in theatre, where the goal typically is to have an endowment of restricted funds which is two to three times the size of the annual budget. You get to draw down 5% of the endowment each year. MBI has reached that level. Good for them.

Note that in P&L terms, MBI actually did less well in this particular calendar year than the Bucs did.

MBI lost $24K, reducing their net assets from $683K to $655K.

Bucs lost $7K, reducing their net assets from -$42K to -$49K.

The difference being that it doesn't hurt MBI so much. Obviously it would be very good for Bucs to get rid of that debt, which is more than 20% of their annual operating budget, and is presumably costing them in interest payments. Time to launch a big fundraising campaign?

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once upon a time I was considered an "expert" in this stuff... and what I learned is that these figures are the most misunderstood and misleading figures you could possibly look at... and while the web site that helps you "mine" this information may serve a useful purpose... god knows there's enough crooks out there hiding behind the not for profit status... when it comes to drum corps there are several issues but many are based on how good the accountant is hired by the drum corps... unfortunately HOW they prepare the IRS forms can vary greatly and cause some strange figures to pop out.

Which is why the 990s thread we had for the junior corps was such a great resource. We learned some of the wisdom behind the numbers. People familiar with individual corps came forth to explain how they do things. I have felt better ever since, knowing the financial sense those corps administrations are applying. And if you are a marcher (or parent) considering investing several thousand dollars in a drum corps experience, you will feel better knowing you are investing in a fiscally responsible organization.

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Which is why the 990s thread we had for the junior corps was such a great resource. We learned some of the wisdom behind the numbers. People familiar with individual corps came forth to explain how they do things. I have felt better ever since, knowing the financial sense those corps administrations are applying. And if you are a marcher (or parent) considering investing several thousand dollars in a drum corps experience, you will feel better knowing you are investing in a fiscally responsible organization.

exactly... thank you for stating that clearly

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exactly... thank you for stating that clearly

I don't think its the negative numbers that have ever bothered me in concern to a drum corps, many of them have debt due to instruments, truck/bus repairs, lease agreements on space, etc, but the things that would concern me are if there are actual plans to pay back those debts. meaning agreements in place, payments set up, etc.

Lake Erie Regiment was masterful at the ebbs and flows of keeping things running, and keeping the corps in the black.

Edited by C.Holland
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