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A Great Article on The Cadets


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17 minutes ago, BigW said:

He was a load of laughs to march with in '84, and an all-around good guy. 

Still a load of laughs when we were with Hanover later 2000s. Can you image him and Dave Fisher together 😆

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1 hour ago, BigW said:

Thank you. No need to apologize to me. The drift from contemporary Drum Corps World articles at the time about the corps stated what I stated. 

 

The point is still, overzealous corps administration still caused serious issues. Did they indirectly cause issues with retention, or was it simply that trying to keep kids from migrating to the Crossmen and Cadets was too much?

 

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2 minutes ago, HBD said:
1 hour ago, BigW said:

Thank you. No need to apologize to me. The drift from contemporary Drum Corps World articles at the time about the corps stated what I stated. 

 

The point is still, overzealous corps administration still caused serious issues. Did they indirectly cause issues with retention, or was it simply that trying to keep kids from migrating to the Crossmen and Cadets was too much?

 

2 DCI finalist corps ( Bayonne and Cadets) literally minutes away + Crossmen an hour away lead the talented members to greener pastures. This was what folded the corps. 

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1 hour ago, BigW said:

Many volunteers end up feeling used and taken advantage of if not managed carefully. I can think of family situations where I was appalled and upset with what I was observing.

Recent cases in point:

Lots of validation here for why I've felt uninspired to volunteer my nonprofit, wellness, or diversity/belonging professional skills to Vanguard or others.

Like some state there, even I and other alum have been treated like outsiders. Can't beg to be involved indefinitely. It's exhausting.

Volunteers are still donors and have the right to put reasonable restrictions on their donations. Can't meet them? Girl bye.

Edited by scheherazadesghost
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I couldn't disagree more about volunteering, including for a corps for which I didn't march. I suspect the issue for many of those who reacted negatively to the experience derives as much from them and their attitudes as from anything else. 

It's not a vacation. Volunteering isn't so you can watch all the shows. It's supposed to be hard work. The reward isn't anything given to you. It's what you take from the experience. Contributing to something great (whatever the scores). Working with strangers for a common, positive purpose. Seeing tour from the inside. Watching the kids develop and thrive. 

If volunteers are taken for granted (and they are), it's not deliberate. It's because drum isn't a pro sports franchise or even a pro non-profit. These are shoestring organizations with few permanent staff and lots of seasonal employees, most of whom are barely younger than the marchers. 

One more thing. The nut who said drivers work the hardest clearly hasn't worked on the food truck. Hardest job in the corps even if you're doing it right. I loved it. 

 

Edited by Sh0uldN0t
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8 minutes ago, Sh0uldN0t said:

I couldn't disagree more about volunteering, including for a corps for which I didn't march. I suspect the issue for many of those reacted negatively to the experience derives as much from them as from anything else. 

It's not a vacation. Volunteering isn't so you can watch all the shows. It's supposed to be hard work. The reward isn't anything given to you. It's what you take from the experience. Contributing to something great (whatever the scores). Working with strangers for a common, positive purpose. Seeing tour from the inside. Watching the kids develop and thrive. 

If volunteers are taken for granted (and they are), it's not deliberate. It's because drum isn't a pro sports franchise or even a pro non-profit. These are shoestring organizations with few permanent staff and lots of seasonal employees, most of whom are barely younger than the marchers. 

One more thing. The nut who said drivers work the hardest clearly hasn't worked on the food truck. Hardest job in the corps even if you're doing it right. I loved it. 

 

I've been a professional volunteer for the federal government in rural-digital workforce development and a volunteer coordinator for a legacy arts nonprofit with international reach. To name a few.

Disagree all you want, but the "guess you couldn't hack it" excuse doesn't apply here. It's also reductive and insulting, IMHO. Another way of relieving these orgs of accountability to their stakeholders.

Glad you had better experiences though, honestly. Just wish others and I could say the same.

Edited by scheherazadesghost
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Though it was meant to be insulting, it was in no way reductive. I saw two kinds of volunteers up close and personal. The ones who wanted to give. And the other ones. 

Fortunately, the other ones were mostly few.  

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I'm sure there are "bad volunteers" but it's the job of the nonprofit to fully explain the scope and responsibilities of the roles. And then follow thru with dismissal if those standards aren't being met,  not just keep negative warm bodies around. If they don't have the capacity to do all of that, welp they shouldn't bring on volunteers.

To reduce the critical feedback of any volunteer is both completely on par for this activity and exacerbating the ongoing challenges it faces.

Being insulting is totally on par too.

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29 minutes ago, Sh0uldN0t said:

One more thing. The nut who said drivers work the hardest clearly hasn't worked on the food truck. Hardest job in the corps even if you're doing it right. 

 

Depends if the driver just drivers, or is also responsible for loading/unloading on a truck without an electric lift gate.

But I agree 100% on what it means to be a volunteer.  

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43 minutes ago, Sh0uldN0t said:

 

One more thing. The nut who said drivers work the hardest clearly hasn't worked on the food truck. Hardest job in the corps even if you're doing it right. I loved it. 

 

Having a father who had a CDL just had to shake my head. No idea what the hardest job is but being responsible for safety of members on the road for good part of the day is a helluva responsibility 

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