Just an idea, SCV

[MarimbaManiac]

27 minutes ago, scheherazadesghost said:

 

However, and I can't speak to MM, but I'm so voracious about the nature of employment changing because I've seen it hurt too many people; and extract otherwise talented, joyous, and disciplined alum from their home corps. Enough of them because they didn't have enough of a financial cushion worked up in the other 8-9 months of the year. Again, I speaking to folks in their early twenties trying to break-in to the industry across the decades, especially those of us that graduated HS and college into cascading recessions. It's simply not a sustainable employment model and can create safeguarding compliance problems.

100% - Just like every other venue of employment, organizations have taken advantage of the situation, and refused to change to match current realities. You can no longer pay someone the equivalent of gas money for what can be considered a full time job (at least during the summer), and expect those people to survive. Just like it's no longer possible for someone to "put themselves through college" by waiting tables or working part-time. 

When I taught, I had to take off the morning block so that I could work part-time at another job, just to be able to afford to teach drum corps. It was not received well, to say the least. 

Edited March 15, 2023 by MarimbaManiac

[scheherazadesghost]

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Edited June 11, 2023 by scheherazadesghost

[Jeff Ream]

we're just talking the corps here. don't forget, SCV has bingo staff to pay as well.

[IllianaLancerContra]

21 hours ago, MarimbaManiac said:

100% - Just like every other venue of employment, organizations have taken advantage of the situation, and refused to change to match current realities. You can no longer pay someone the equivalent of gas money for what can be considered a full time job (at least during the summer), and expect those people to survive. Just like it's no longer possible for someone to "put themselves through college" by waiting tables or working part-time. 

When I taught, I had to take off the morning block so that I could work part-time at another job, just to be able to afford to teach drum corps. It was not received well, to say the least. 

I see the irony of (1) Corps is too expensive, & (2) we need to pay more $ to instructors, esp at the tech level.  

[scheherazadesghost]

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Edited June 11, 2023 by scheherazadesghost

[IllianaLancerContra]

1 hour ago, scheherazadesghost said:

I wouldn't call it ironic so much as mismatched priorities and misunderstandings regarding the long-established intentions of the nonprofit model.

Paying staff appropriately, just like feeding the members well, should be part of normal operating costs that drum corps are prepared to meet, because doing so is crucial to meeting their stated nonprofit missions. Because staff and members are internal stakeholders, their needs should be prioritized throughout the business structure over all else, including that of the board and design staff, IMHO. Growing pains and change-aversion are not valid excuses anymore. The pandemic and subsequent broad financial instability may be excuses... but a robust, dynamic strategic plan should include contingencies to help weather such challenges.

Orgs cannot keep demanding greater and greater financial burdens of the two most important talent pools in the industry (members, instructional staff) without some downstream effects. Besides, they're doing this out of desperation, rather than the hard work of bolstering their own revenue generation game like successful, trustworthy nonprofits. That's not how nonprofits should work: by financially squeezing their primary stakeholders. They're supposed to serve them, not treat them like customers. Treating them like expendable customers would be appropriate in a for profit model.

This is the danger of letting too many people without nonprofit experience run nonprofits. It's a highly specialized skill and field, and takes a strong ethical code to conduct in a way that isn't exploitive. Not everyone can do it well, especially if their work experience is in other sectors. Doing so risks draining the efficacy of the established nonprofit model.

I agree that one part of the solution is to increase revenue.  But I have no idea how to do that (legally anyway). 

[KVG_DC]

49 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

I agree that one part of the solution is to increase revenue.  But I have no idea how to do that (legally anyway). 

"At Eleven, police have a breakthrough in the multi-state string of seemingly unconnected bank heists after discovering something called Dee Cee Eye, which purports to be a traveling tour of youth arts."

[scheherazadesghost]

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Edited June 11, 2023 by scheherazadesghost

[MarimbaManiac]

4 hours ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

I see the irony of (1) Corps is too expensive, & (2) we need to pay more $ to instructors, esp at the tech level.  

Multiple things can be true simultaneously. It can be true both that corps are mismanaging their money to the point they can no longer operate, and that more of that money should have gone to staff who are giving up their entire summer. How much is being spent on bringing equipment to, and finding housing for, satellite camps? How much are the staff that work those camps being paid?

I also differentiated between techs that come in for only a few weeks in the summer, and those that are working at every camp and show. The techs that work full time are doing the lion's share of the work, and should be compensated for it. 

Edited March 16, 2023 by MarimbaManiac

[cixelsyd]

"A revenue problem".

I love this.  If we just had more money... problem solved.  Eureka!

But most of the ideas for "revenue" are either charitable giving, or squeezing (dare I say, exploiting) existing sources for more.