I will not be outdone by other Drum Corps Internet Trolls (I own VMAPA.org)

[Richard Lesher]

7 hours ago, Fred Windish said:

Respectfully, what exactly do you want?

Are there 5-6 specific steps in action you can list for readers?

1) Termination of the entire Board of Directors, the CFO, and all employees with the word "Director" in part of their title. 

2) Regulatory compliance of all non profit requirements

3) Compliance with all Bingo Gaming regulations 

4) A reconstitution of a new board of directors that ensure the proper regulatory footing to merely figure out where to start from. 

5) In all reality, Vanguard needs to bring in non bingo revenue and get that problem out of the way ASAP. 

5a) Vanguard has lost the institutional knowledge how to tour nationally with a full corps. That is simply out of the question. To try and do so now would result in a prematurely terminated tour and risk being able to get everyone back home. To my point, starting performing art programs in the realm of a Winter Guard or a Winter Percussion has the best chance of reasonable success, and it will bring in member dues that can be used to cover down paying the Bingo Staff legally. 

5b) Seek out other smaller programs. Cheer comes to mind. 

6) Once proper regulatory footing is established only then can any grand ideas for a performing arts program can be entertained. The reality is, it's going to have to start from scratch. So it really doesn't matter what it is, it needs members, and a mission that is legitimate. 

7) Bingo is still there (which really is the 800 pound gorilla in the room). $3,000,000 net income to do what one pleases is still there generating cash flow. Why hasn't a non operating year with that amount of Bingo cash not solved the problem? 

 

So who will do all this????????????

 

I will....................... I will personally drive the 4 miles to Vanguard and make it happen. I did it before in 2006-2012 as part of that rebuilding team, and left them with nearly $2M in reserves when I left the board. Remember, I was 15 years younger, and didn't know a thing about what I was getting into back then. 

[greg_orangecounty]

13 minutes ago, Richard Lesher said:

Anyway..................... if you check out VMAPA.org right now (8PM PST, Aug-2) you will notice I added a bunch of content, and throw down the gauntlet for Bingo violations and illegally solicited donations.  

Wake me when the CA FTB revokes their non-profit status, and/or the Santa Clara County D.A. indicts someone. The week before DCI Finals it’s just noise and your axe grinding tedious. 

[Jeff Ream]

1 hour ago, Chief Guns said:

I hear ya. He already PM'd me just to talk trash about the Navy and put me down.  

I guess I was supposed to be offended lol. 

now if he denigrated the good name of Bourbon, then yes, there's an issue

[Jeff Ream]

48 minutes ago, greg_orangecounty said:

Wake me when the CA FTB revokes their non-profit status, and/or the Santa Clara County D.A. indicts someone. The week before DCI Finals it’s just noise and your axe grinding tedious. 

didn't i see somewhere they filed the appropriate papers to the state and were waiting the results?

[Fred Windish]

Mr. Lesser - Thank you.

You have given me better clarity on a solid course of action. I notice 5 moves you believe required before Vanguard can continue the process of returning in good standing. 

1.  Terminate all key individuals presently in place.

2.  Prohibit national, full corps touring.

3.  Rehire yourself to manage a rebuild.

4.  Continue performing in small group public presentation.

And a step already taken by you. That being creating a “no nonsense” website for membership communication.

Any plan of action needs explicit and quantifiable instructions. You have listed for us some of those actions. I appreciate it.

 

Edited August 3, 2023 by Fred Windish

[TRacer]

14 hours ago, Richard Lesher said:

5a) Vanguard has lost the institutional knowledge how to tour nationally with a full corps. That is simply out of the question. To try and do so now would result in a prematurely terminated tour and risk being able to get everyone back home. To my point, starting performing art programs in the realm of a Winter Guard or a Winter Percussion has the best chance of reasonable success, and it will bring in member dues that can be used to cover down paying the Bingo Staff legally. 

5b) Seek out other smaller programs. Cheer comes to mind. 

I could not agree with this more; in fact, I suggested something similar— starting small as a local community parade corps only, then working up—- in the “other” long thread on this very forum that discussed SCV’s challenges and contained responses from some of the same authors in this very thread. Result: I got 4 or 5 “Confused/WTF” emoji responses where the little Thanks trophies & hearts go. 
 

I marched SCV and my last/age out year simply stunk; to this day I still hate that instructor who had no business at all being involved with teaching, and he was eventually run out of the activity. I thought that overall the culture would have changed by the time my son spent 2016-2018 (and earned two rings) there—- it hadn’t, and he told me so. That lack of cultural change falls on existing leadership; therefore, I also support the “everyone on this side of the veranda is fired” approach. 

Edited August 3, 2023 by TRacer
Type Oh’s

[wolfgang]

One item they should do (but probably won't) is start in a Vanguard Cadets model, aka local, and not think of touring until that has been successful for a few seasons.

[IllianaLancerContra]

6 hours ago, Fred Windish said:

Mr. Lesser - Thank you.

You have given me better clarity on a solid course of action. I notice 5 moves you believe required before Vanguard can continue the process of returning in good standing. 

1.  Terminate all key individuals presently in place.

2.  Prohibit national, full corps touring.

3.  Rehire yourself to manage a rebuild.

4.  Continue performing in small group public presentation.

And a step already taken by you. That being creating a “no nonsense” website for membership communication.

Any plan of action needs explicit and quantifiable instructions. You have listed for us some of those actions. I appreciate it.

 

I agree that there needs to be an actionable plan.  But until all the participants agree that there is a problem, nothing will change.  
 

it’s the old ‘First you need to admit there is a problem’ situation.  

[TheOneWhoKnows]

7 hours ago, Richard Lesher said:

1) Termination of the entire Board of Directors, the CFO, and all employees with the word "Director" in part of their title. 

2) Regulatory compliance of all non profit requirements

3) Compliance with all Bingo Gaming regulations 

4) A reconstitution of a new board of directors that ensure the proper regulatory footing to merely figure out where to start from. 

5) In all reality, Vanguard needs to bring in non bingo revenue and get that problem out of the way ASAP. 

5a) Vanguard has lost the institutional knowledge how to tour nationally with a full corps. That is simply out of the question. To try and do so now would result in a prematurely terminated tour and risk being able to get everyone back home. To my point, starting performing art programs in the realm of a Winter Guard or a Winter Percussion has the best chance of reasonable success, and it will bring in member dues that can be used to cover down paying the Bingo Staff legally. 

5b) Seek out other smaller programs. Cheer comes to mind. 

6) Once proper regulatory footing is established only then can any grand ideas for a performing arts program can be entertained. The reality is, it's going to have to start from scratch. So it really doesn't matter what it is, it needs members, and a mission that is legitimate. 

7) Bingo is still there (which really is the 800 pound gorilla in the room). $3,000,000 net income to do what one pleases is still there generating cash flow. Why hasn't a non operating year with that amount of Bingo cash not solved the problem? 

 

So who will do all this????????????

 

I will....................... I will personally drive the 4 miles to Vanguard and make it happen. I did it before in 2006-2012 as part of that rebuilding team, and left them with nearly $2M in reserves when I left the board. Remember, I was 15 years younger, and didn't know a thing about what I was getting into back then. 

This is what I have been calling out for on every thread the SCV issues get brought up on. I will not apologize for pointing out that there is way too much whining and complaining about the issues at SCV and not enough logical steps to action. 
 

If people ACTUALLY want to see SCV succeed and return, there needs to be more of this and more steps towards to actual actions. 

Now, the only thing is, destruction has to happen in order to make Number 1 a reality. That means donors need to stop donating, people with good motives and logical courses of action forward need to go behind peoples back's in order to get pressure on the board to leave, and/or media needs to get involved. There has to be a hostile takeover in order to get current structure out of the way. 

[scheherazadesghost]

8 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

didn't i see somewhere they filed the appropriate papers to the state and were waiting the results?

BD has up to date registration. Why not VMAPA also if appropriate documents have been filed? Why no updated strategic plan? Why no outward communication since April? There may be good reason here, but if so, communicate it outward to the public. It's their responsibility to do so as a public charity with federal nonprofit status. The public and stakeholders need that to rebuild trust.

I genuinely, and sadly, think they're overwhelmed, just as I did when I first encountered leadership directly in 2021. But they also aren't accepting actual nonprofit professional help or help from previous board memberS when it's offered.

6 hours ago, TRacer said:

I suggested something similar

I know it. And I encouraged you. You're one of 3 of my elder alum who've done so since the hiatus announcement, that I'm aware of. There is a lot of common ground so long as we seek it out and not rely on the silly Fb alumni page for communication. (Not that you were, but that it's our only real means at this point. That's sad.)

1 hour ago, TheOneWhoKnows said:

That means donors need to stop donating, people with good motives and logical courses of action forward need to go behind peoples back's in order to get pressure on the board to leave, and/or media needs to get involved.

I was the first to identify that they were soliciting donations while not in compliance with state regulation months ago. Catching that resulted in the pause of the Feeding Vanguard Forever campaign at 20k raised. I'm unclear how many alum participating in the campaign knew they were out of compliance. No news on what's happening with those funds or any raised during the pause. Technically you can still donate on their website though. I'm sure it's doesn't behoove them to communicate out what they've raised in the time since. The whole situation sucks, including the necessary steps taken to pause fundraising while out of compliance. Nobody wins here. 

I've also already commented in this thread what Nadolny recommended I do when I sought out her advice about blowing the whistle on institutional abuse.

I don't prefer the term hostile when it comes to the corps I love. I prefer the term assertive. Cause I've been painstaking in documenting the steps I've taken to communicate my concerns to VMAPA since 2021. I've been patient, gentle, and always communicated my intentions before taking action, as a courtesy to the corps I love and the people running it, and that's allowed them to make superficial changes that look good on the surface but aren't integrated or sustainable. I'm positive of at least two cases in which this has happened. So now, I've turned to being more assertive.. all the while maintaining an open door for clear communication, which they've never taken.

I'll choose to regard everyone's advice here as well intentioned, but if I had waited until now to follow it, it may have been too late. So much more damage can be done between now and when local or state regulators step in. Many alumni have been acting for months now behind the scenes, because enough of us are genuinely concerned, and thanks to those of us who actively seek common ground rather than build silos. The majority are frozen with fear, had to walk away in frustration, or completely don't care at all.

Edited August 3, 2023 by scheherazadesghost
typo