Per the California Attorney General Vanguard is operating illegally as a non profit

[scheherazadesghost]

Robert's Rules may be to blame, in part anyway. If they are still in use.

[C.Holland]

22 hours ago, ZTWright said:

NOW they're worried about doing the wrong thing...

this is not new. in any arts org, you follow what the chair or ED does.  you try to work under their guidance, as non-profit is seriously hard to understand from state to state, and under federal guidelines.  Can you unknowingly do the wrong thing? yes.  Can you unknowingly follow poor direction? absolutely.   Its unfortunately easy to follow direction, thinking you are doing the right thing when you yourself do not understand the laws, or have been misguided by those in charge.  I've watched it happen.  I'm watching it happen with two other arts orgs who are closing up shop after many successful years of operations.  They are closing up shop because the boards failed due to many reasons, but it all goes back to who was leading the board and the guidance they provided.  The board funds the machine, and the ED operates it, hopefully not driving it skyrocketing into the dumpster.  

 

Often statements are things that come from the top.  When there's no top, everyone sits on their hands.  Once everyone involved finds out things are on the wrong track, they then wait.  That's better than many people trying to do too many things in too many different ways, sending mixed messages.  

[Richard Lesher]

46 minutes ago, C.Holland said:

 but it all goes back to who was leading the board and the guidance they provided.

There is one name among the Board Member roster on the 990's that appears over and over and over for decades. This name is the gatekeeper of those who can be invited to the Board from the outside. 

The SCV Board used to be comprised of board members in charge of committees that RAN the organization.

For example I was on the Finance committee and the Bingo committee. There was a Fleet committee, there was a Events committee (basically oversaw the logistics of our local shows). These committees would be run by volunteers and chaired by a board member. That all apparently has stopped. The board reaches out for replacements, and doesn't really seek unsolicited interested individuals.  

They are focusing on pie in the sky dream committees that don't actually translate into sustainability of the Drum Corps mission. 

I could also see what you (C. Holland) are pointing to when the board was replaced by "professionals" above doing the grind work of running the Corps. They were more and more dependent on those who where actually hired to do the job, and there was never legitimate follow up by board members to keep things in check. 

They could never get legitimate CEO candidates willing to take the job or ones they'd be willing to hire, and they didn't keep tabs on the ones they did hire. 

Now it has completely run away from them. 

[resipsaloquitur]

3 hours ago, C.Holland said:

this is not new. in any arts org, you follow what the chair or ED does.  you try to work under their guidance, as non-profit is seriously hard to understand from state to state, and under federal guidelines.  Can you unknowingly do the wrong thing? yes.  Can you unknowingly follow poor direction? absolutely.   Its unfortunately easy to follow direction, thinking you are doing the right thing when you yourself do not understand the laws, or have been misguided by those in charge.  I've watched it happen.  I'm watching it happen with two other arts orgs who are closing up shop after many successful years of operations.  They are closing up shop because the boards failed due to many reasons, but it all goes back to who was leading the board and the guidance they provided.  The board funds the machine, and the ED operates it, hopefully not driving it skyrocketing into the dumpster.  

 

Often statements are things that come from the top.  When there's no top, everyone sits on their hands.  Once everyone involved finds out things are on the wrong track, they then wait.  That's better than many people trying to do too many things in too many different ways, sending mixed messages.  

On the BOD page there is a 'President.' Isn't that role the current leadership?

[scheherazadesghost]

1 hour ago, resipsaloquitur said:

On the BOD page there is a 'President.' Isn't that role the current leadership?

Isn't leadership conventionally balanced between the board and c-suite/director level admin? If one element is not present, or under restructuring, things can get clunky. Happens more often than you'd think. (Also, still thinking the c-suite level jobs are strange in this size of nps.)

Whatever the senior admin role is, it generally guides and channels the board in some way, even if only logistically. But I've seen all kinds of admin-board power dynamics and truly, unless you've worked both sides (in the np space) you're likely out of your depth. Someone else on that board def knows how to play the game better than you. So it's easy to become a pawn. (And this is speaking based entirely on experience outside of drum corps.)

[IllianaLancerContra]

10 minutes ago, scheherazadesghost said:

Isn't leadership conventionally balanced between the board and c-suite/director level admin? If one element is not present, or under restructuring, things can get clunky. Happens more often than you'd think. (Also, still thinking the c-suite level jobs are strange in this size of nps.)

Whatever the senior admin role is, it generally guides and channels the board in some way, even if only logistically. But I've seen all kinds of admin-board power dynamics and truly, unless you've worked both sides (in the np space) you're likely out of your depth. Someone else on that board def knows how to play the game better than you. So it's easy to become a pawn. (And this is speaking based entirely on experience outside of drum corps.)

Seems like the activity needs some sort of non-profit apprenticeship program.  

[Richard Lesher]

2 hours ago, scheherazadesghost said:

Isn't leadership conventionally balanced between the board and c-suite/director level admin? If one element is not present, or under restructuring, things can get clunky.

 

That's why I've always felt, in nonprofits if the mission of the organization can be sustained AND the organization can remain financially solvent then those running the organization can basically get away with murder. 

The moment money becomes a problem eyes start looking where eyes didn't look before, and the moment the primary mission of the organization stops everyone starts asking questions. 

Now, when both of those things happen AT THE SAME TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welp............. the house of cards can no longer be sustained. 

**************

Here's the most frustrating aspect of SCV. If they don't come back, there is still $3,500,000 of Bingo Net Income floating out there in the overall Santa Clara County market share of Bingo entities ready to be gobbled up in the absence of SCV. 

 

[ECJ94]

An update was posted today by the SCV (Alumni Association?)

 

https://scvanguard.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=664de1c5b981a6ca2b4e55e61&id=da1590bf3a&e=62345f1715

[cixelsyd]

1 hour ago, ECJ94 said:

An update was posted today by the SCV (Alumni Association?)

 

https://scvanguard.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=664de1c5b981a6ca2b4e55e61&id=da1590bf3a&e=62345f1715

I just looked at that link.  Here is what I got from it:

• Hard to follow
• brevity
• unclear

[JimF-LowBari]

40 minutes ago, cixelsyd said:

I just looked at that link.  Here is what I got from it:

• Hard to follow
• brevity
• unclear

Changes to budget process… have to talk to staff first… 🤷🏻

Just find it odd that any communications outside of BoD is directed to mainly (only?) the alumni association. Not like the alumni will be possible 2024 members. Is alumni association the second cash cow after bingo? (IOW board tells the alumni good news so alumni don’t shut their wallets)

Edited May 2, 2023 by JimF-LowBari