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YOUR CORPS NEEDS YOU - NOW


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DCP Members and fellow drum corps fans,

As you may know, I don't comment too often on this forum - believing that my primary job here is to provide the 'soapbox' on which our members stand. I have had long-term relationships (20 years+) within the activity as a board member, advisor, donor, and fan ... so I have been careful to reserve my opinions mostly for the board room and my colleagues there, lest they be interpreted as a position of the organizations I am involved with or a reflection on them.

That said, I feel that the recent announcement by DCI and those that will be forthcoming from its members, require that I now make the following direct appeal:

YOUR CORPS NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT - NOW.

Whether you are a current member, an alumnus, a family member, or simply a fan ... your favorite corps is/are in need of your financial support to weather this dramatic change in their business model and survive to exist for the future.

Most corps operate on a razor-thin margin, using a number of revenue sources to supplement members 'tuition' to make ends meet. With a cancelled season, many of those sources of revenue are reduced or eliminated entirely - sponsored show ticket sales, on-site merchandise sales, 'tour fund' donations, and of-course member tuition. With the season cancelled, those revenues disappear. At this point, the next major revenue opportunity for most corps won’t be until auditions for the 2021 season begin and that income is typically used for the NEXT season and not to pay for LAST season.

Yes, some expenses are eliminated or reduced by not actually getting on the road - but not all of them. Things like rent, loan payments, insurance, salaries (to the extent possible), payroll taxes, contractual obligations, and so on continue to accumulate and need to be serviced. I expect most corps are going to do their best to make their members whole for the monies already received despite the fact that some of that money may have already been spent in preparation for the 2020 season. Believing that all expenses are eliminated by going into 'hibernation' is simply incorrect.

How can you help?

  • Make a donation to the corps in the amount of the tickets you would have purchased to attend a show.
  • Current members/families - convert some (all?) of what you've already paid for the 2020 tour into a donation to the corps.
  • Alumni - make a gift to help ensure that your corps is able to provide future members with the opportunities you had.
  • Answer the appeal that corps will be making with a generous donation to help them through this unprecedented time.

Remember: donations to a nonprofit organization *may* be tax-deductible, whereas ticket purchases and tour fees are not.

My friends, Drum Corps Planet is the largest on-line community for the drum and bugle corps activity, largely made-up of the most passionate fans the activity has. If we truly want to help ensure that our activity continues in the future, NOW is the time for us to 'put our money where our mouth is' and write a check to our favorite corps (singular or plural).

Together we can and MUST ensure that the activity that we all love is able to continue in the future. The financial calamity confronting these organizations is real and very significant, and it forces on us the potential death of that which we all value so greatly.

Please accept this challenge and make your (very large) donation NOW.  I have included links to the DCI World Class and Open Class corps below for your convenience. 

Thank you for your consideration and participation.

-john

P.S. If you would like to help and don't know where to make your donation, PM me and I'll be happy to offer suggestions.

This is a partial list of the corps affected across the globe.  Please feel free to include others in your post below.

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As soon as tickets are refunded a payment goes out 

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1 minute ago, DFA1970 said:

Just wondering if non-profits are part of the 2 billion bailout stimulus bill. It would be so helpful if they can take out low interest loans for this. I hope so. 

https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/trends-policy-issues/initial-analysis-of-the-coronavirus-aid-relief-and-economic-security-act-cares

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We usually do our Corps donations on "Giving Tuesday".  We might need to do this a lot earlier this year.  I'm praying our budget allows this.

The Wife's comment:  So sad.  Since 2008, our whole Summer revolved around Drum Corps, a lot of it volunteering on tour.  I don't know what we'll do this year.

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13 minutes ago, CrownBariDad said:

We usually do our Corps donations on "Giving Tuesday".  We might need to do this a lot earlier this year.  I'm praying our budget allows this.

The Wife's comment:  So sad.  Since 2008, our whole Summer revolved around Drum Corps, a lot of it volunteering on tour.  I don't know what we'll do this year.

Ditto. 

Since 1981.

Edited by garfield
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Outstanding generosity, Garfield and all others. 

Just checked my personal email and already notices from BD announcing the season cancelation and asking for help, which of course I'll be more than proud to oblige. 

#MarchOn indeed. 

 

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