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View Full Version : 17. Fundraising Committee – Bob Gillanders



Lyle Craver
04-01-2011, 01:05 AM
This thread reserved for the fundraising committee report

Bob Gillanders
04-01-2011, 03:37 PM
Okay, who is the wise guy who put this committee on the agenda? :o

All kidding aside, do we really want a committee or one brave soul with some fundraising experience? Fundraising is done now on an event be event basis, and then every 2 years we go into panic mode to raise money for the Olympiad. :o

Despite some dissenting opinions, fundraising is difficult. We all know it, and nobody wants the job. Everything else is more fun.

Let's get some opinions as to the mandate and expectations of this committee or individual volunteer. And lets make the expectations realistic, shall we. ;)

Michael von Keitz
04-01-2011, 04:51 PM
I think fundraising is ideally suited for a single, paid individual seeking out opportunities on the federation's behalf. Require a minimum of $1000 raised each year and offer 20% of all funds received as payment. The numbers are off the top of my head, but does the principle not sound realistic?

Fred McKim
04-01-2011, 04:52 PM
I believe Hal is chair (and quite likely only member) of the Olympic Fundraising Committee.

I think we have a position of Fund Raising Director or Co-ordinator which has never been filled to the best of my knowledge.

Hal Bond
04-03-2011, 08:49 AM
Thanks Fred - I have reported a number of times that I am willing to stand again for the Olympic Fundraising Committee if asked. So have I been asked?

Apart from the Olympic Fund which is primarily driven by donations, we currently use tournaments as our main vehicle (most prominently in the youth program) to raise funds. Sponsorship appears occasionally. It remains to be seen what the loss of our charitable status will have on our next Olympic Fund. Frankly the last two campaigns (David Cohen's in 2008, mine in 2010) were squeakers and succeeded thanks to a small number of large donations.

Bob is quite correct - fundraising is difficult, especially for the niche world of chess. Anyone who can raise a dime for chess can raise a dollar for just about anything else, keep half of it, and be sincerely appreciated! This is the biggest challenge - competing with an endless count of worthy causes which conduct professional campaigns.

Fred McKim
04-03-2011, 10:41 AM
Thanks Fred - I have reported a number of times that I am willing to stand again for the Olympic Fundraising Committee if asked. So have I been asked?

Apart from the Olympic Fund which is primarily driven by donations, we currently use tournaments as our main vehicle (most prominently in the youth program) to raise funds. Sponsorship appears occasionally. It remains to be seen what the loss of our charitable status will have on our next Olympic Fund. Frankly the last two campaigns (David Cohen's in 2008, mine in 2010) were squeakers and succeeded thanks to a small number of large donations.

Bob is quite correct - fundraising is difficult, especially for the niche world of chess. Anyone who can raise a dime for chess can raise a dollar for just about anything else, keep half of it, and be sincerely appreciated! This is the biggest challenge - competing with an endless count of worthy causes which conduct professional campaigns.

I assumed you're contniuing on was a gimmee once I saw your offer, but I guess Bob G can confirm.

Bob Gillanders
04-03-2011, 02:29 PM
I assumed you're contniuing on was a gimmee once I saw your offer, but I guess Bob G can confirm.

hmmm.....let me look thru my file of fundraising volunteers. :o
hmmm....still looking....:(
hmmm....:mad:

Okay Hal. The job is yours! :D

Seriously though, thanks!

One idea that occurred to me would be to encourage organizers to put aside a small portion of their tournament prize fund as an Olympic donation. say 5%

Garland Best
04-04-2011, 05:49 PM
One idea that occurred to me would be to encourage organizers to put aside a small portion of their tournament prize fund as an Olympic donation. say 5%

To me this is not the right approach. I believe that if one of the mandates of the CFC is to send an Olympic team, then we should instead portion a fraction of the memberships and rating fees towards sending an Olympic team each year (Say 5%;)). The same is true for the National Championships. Put this into the initial budget. Budget for the BARE minimum requirements. Any fundraising after that would go towards going beyond the bare minimum (example: Paying for a Coach for the Olympic team, or increasing the prize pool for our players at the closed events).

I see elsewhere that $3000 of the CFC money will go towards the Canadian Closed. I see value in this, and I believe we should continue to do so. We should however cover this in the budget and plan for it up front.

Lyle Craver
04-06-2011, 07:43 PM
Back in the 60s and 70s we used to always run a deficit in Olympic years and make it back in non-Olympic years. Successive presidents and treasurers have tried to organize our affairs to stabilize this and it worked well until the early 2000s when our financial "wheels" fell off with the results we all know all too well.

I don't pretend to have all the answers on this but as much as we can we should be doing all we can each year rather than taking a big hit in Olympiad years.