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Post by BB Warrior on Mar 9, 2014 18:24:39 GMT
I understand that the meeting was held on Friday and some decisions were made on the way forward, I will it to those that were there to provide that information.
A request was made at the start of the Pairs Competition that players should "donate" £1 for each game that they played over the weekend and I understand that this raised about £120 over the weekend and the Raffle also raised £500 this year which was considerably up on the previous year.
Thank you for those that did donate, every penny helps at the moment.... let's hope that all of the players will continue to support the "Truck Fund" at future events as we all enjoy playing on the tables in these competitions and AEBBA need ALL OF US to help at this time.
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Post by BB Warrior on Mar 9, 2014 20:08:50 GMT
As we all know, the exising AEBBA truck is sadly unable to continue to deliver the tables for the national competitions that many players like to enter, I am sure that there will be announcement here soon giving details of the meeting that was held at Bournemouth but my understanding is that basically we need to try to raise money to obtain a new vehicle to enable AEBBA to continue to offer that service.
I am sure that there will be people that are willing to donate or loan some money to help this to happen, we managed to raise the money for AEBBA using that method to buy the tables in the first place.... but I would like to put forward a suggestion that will not only help to speed that process up but will also mean that EVERYBODY that plays in the AEBBA and County Opens this year will make a contribution and we will not have to rely on the same (few) people that always seem willing to help.
My suggestion is that an ADDITIONAL £5 should be charged for every player in every AEBBA Competition and County Open during the next year, meaning that the entry fee for Opens should be raised to £15 per player rather than the £10 that it has been for many years. Once all of the entry money has been received, the County would be responsible for paying AEBBA the extra money raised in addition to the standard Table Hire Charges that they would still be responsible for.
Based on the number of entries to these Tournaments last year, the following money would be raised by this:-
East Anglia 4-Pin, 64 entries = £320 Surrey Open, 95 entries =£495 BIOC Ladies, 24 entries = £120 National Off-the-Spot, 62 entries = £310 Sussex Open, 108 entries = £540 Kent Classic, 75 entries = £375 Bucks Open, 82 entries = £420 Berks Open, 53 entries = £265 Alternate Rules, 42 entries = £210 Special Ladies, 12 entries = £60 Oxon Open (2015), 76 entries in 2013 = £380 Bournemouth (2015), 54 pairs in 2014 = £540
Total Amount Raised = £4,035
This figure obviously excludes any money that could be raised at other competitions such as All England Team Competition, County Championships, Mixed Pairs, Over 50's and 60's, Under 25's, Grand Prix etc. Perhaps some players that played at this years Oxon Open and/or Bournemouth would even be willing to pay the £5 retrospectively for those competitions, although would obviously have to be on a voluntary basis.
Yes, perhaps it is a controversial suggestion to increase the entry fees by 50% for one year and I suppose it might affect the number of entries.... but maybe people would understand and be more willing to accept this for a year if it helps to make a difference and ensures the future of the national competitions.
I would certainly be interested to know the thoughts of others as to whether they would either support or object to this idea.... and I am sure that everyone at AEBBA would be interested to hear any other ideas for raising money to help to buy a new truck as soon as possible.
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Post by gandalf the untidy on Mar 9, 2014 21:43:36 GMT
How much have we got in the kitty now
How About a list of current running costs per year
Fuel Insurance Van maintenance Table maintenance Finance Labour Re-buy costs over 10 years
Then compare with income
Table Hire Other income (sponsors or raffles) Affiliation fees (get the affiliated leagues/Counties to contribute more)
then in the interim, get a quote for transport of tables to ALL venues over the year from an external haulier based near the Mid point Position
this has probably been done but havn't spotted it yet
regs cs
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Post by BB Warrior on Mar 9, 2014 22:29:06 GMT
How much have we got in the kitty now How About a list of current running costs per year Fuel Insurance Van maintenance Table maintenance Finance Labour Re-buy costs over 10 years Then compare with income Table Hire Other income (sponsors or raffles) Affiliation fees (get the affiliated leagues/Counties to contribute more) then in the interim, get a quote for transport of tables to ALL venues over the year from an external haulier based near the Mid point Position this has probably been done but havn't spotted it yet regs cs Hi Colin, The latest information available (last years accounts) is shown in a thread called "2013 Accounts" within this section called Treasurer's Corner, that will provide most of the information you have asked about. I am not sure that an external haulier would be a good idea though....
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Post by bobhall on Mar 10, 2014 15:10:10 GMT
As a player who enters pretty much every open I am willing to pay an extra 10pound entry fee for every open I want the game to continue
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Post by BB Warrior on Mar 10, 2014 15:26:18 GMT
As a player who enters pretty much every open I am willing to pay an extra 10pound entry fee for every open I want the game to continue I am sure that any additional donations will be gratefully received Bobhall, but I wouldn't want to suggest doubling the entry fee as that may put some people off from entering the Open Competitions at all and we would not want to do that as the Counties need to have sufficient entries to cover their costs for table hire and prizes etc.
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Post by bobhall on Mar 10, 2014 15:34:31 GMT
Yes I understand some people won't want to pay double but if entry goes to £15 and people are happy I will pay £20 as every little helps
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Post by BB Warrior on Mar 10, 2014 15:38:02 GMT
I did also receive an email from somebody who had seen my post on the Forum, having expressed some concern that entry levels could be affected by increasing fee they went on to suggest the following....
I think the better way would be to push the raffle more as i think people see it as at least they get something back (You know what people are like!). I always have £5 at every open on the raffle, but had £10 this time as i know AE needs the funds. The amount raised on the raffle over the weekend was amazing, would i be right in thinking it was over double what is normally is ?
Maybe there could be a further fundraising ideas like a "Christmas" raffle or something, where tickets could be purchased at the AE events and a Grand Draw be made at the Grand Prix or AGM with some additional prizes, maybe like £500 cash prize or something ? Individuals could take books to sell at local level or to friends/relatives etc. ? Could generate a lot of additional revenue if a decent cash prize is on offer ?
Anyway just my thoughts on the subject, hope they are not too bad! :)
Many thanks to them for another suggestion of ways to help AEBBA to raise money.... although I think that it would NOT be possible to sell extra raffle tickets for AEBBA at Opens as the counties normally run their own raffles to raise money that they need to help to cover the costs of table hire and prizes etc, but if a main raffle could be run throughout the year with people selling tickets in local leagues as well as at AEBBA Competitions then it could be a good way to raise some more money.
Certainly another idea for the AEBBA Committee to consider....?
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Post by JB on Mar 10, 2014 15:46:04 GMT
I did suggest a separate thread was started to show the donations. Personally I would like to see this showing roughly how much needs to be raised and how much so far has been raised. There is the truck fund, donations from various events, personal donations etc. People might see it and prompt them into making a donation.
I also think that before thinking about increasing entry money, raffles and such, we should know what decisions were made at the meeting in Bournemouth.
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Post by davejones on Mar 10, 2014 18:01:08 GMT
I did also receive an email from somebody who had seen my post on the Forum, having expressed some concern that entry levels could be affected by increasing fee they went on to suggest the following.... I think the better way would be to push the raffle more as i think people see it as at least they get something back (You know what people are like!). I always have £5 at every open on the raffle, but had £10 this time as i know AE needs the funds. The amount raised on the raffle over the weekend was amazing, would i be right in thinking it was over double what is normally is ?
Maybe there could be a further fundraising ideas like a "Christmas" raffle or something, where tickets could be purchased at the AE events and a Grand Draw be made at the Grand Prix or AGM with some additional prizes, maybe like £500 cash prize or something ? Individuals could take books to sell at local level or to friends/relatives etc. ? Could generate a lot of additional revenue if a decent cash prize is on offer ?
Anyway just my thoughts on the subject, hope they are not too bad! :) Many thanks to them for another suggestion of ways to help AEBBA to raise money.... although I think that it would NOT be possible to sell extra raffle tickets for AEBBA at Opens as the counties normally run their own raffles to raise money that they need to help to cover the costs of table hire and prizes etc, but if a main raffle could be run throughout the year with people selling tickets in local leagues as well as at AEBBA Competitions then it could be a good way to raise some more money. Certainly another idea for the AEBBA Committee to consider....? A great idea for a grand raffle. But not sure of rules these days. I have run grand raffles before and you used to have to have a licence to run them from a local authority. There had to be a certain amount of prizes. I am not sure but I think it was 50% taken to be given in prizes. The licensee would have to have their name printed on each ticket. There are not many printing companies able to make the perferations. It was all done on letterpress printing machines. But a great idea
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Post by Chris on Mar 10, 2014 21:09:34 GMT
Dear All Thank you so much for all the suggestions above, the meeting on Friday however looked at a possible table increase of £52 to £60 per table, putting £1 on each entry at Opens. Anymore collected by each open to be donated. The raffle this year collected by Bill Kerr raised far more he raised £505 much of which will be in the trucks funds, as I said to Dave Ingram today many decided to buy extra tickets than put in a pot as they may win something, great idea !!!! It is about a minimal levie as 10p to some is £10 to others and we know that, so THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR ANYTHING AS EVERYTHING COUNTS I would love to give you a report of the meeting now but Sav and I need to talk first to ensure all is included. I work full time and many of you know my family circumstances so little time... Sav and I started our day on the Friday with Den and Mr Chris and the WONDERFUL SUPPORT OF THE QUEENS WHO CARRIED IN ALL THE TABLES. Den and Sav continued PM leveling the tables. Shame Sav said to me today, that only he and two others were there to take them down. Feel we all let him down here. Anyway the great news is that we raised £241.97 for the truck with some truly generous donations from Tony Willis and Jon Bamsey who donated back their prize monies from being RU in the main and to Sue Haberman who donated £50 Plus additional monies from the raffle all to be worked out. Chris and I are going to start a separate thread and create a barometer re monies raised for the van but please remember we need a little time x Thank you x
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Post by Chris on Mar 10, 2014 21:52:52 GMT
We received £150 from the Oxford Open / Inter Area weekend with Tony Willis generously making up the figure Also £27.80 from the Sussex Inter Area an excellent amount as this was their second collection in a short space of time Thank you ALL Everything counts, every penny is a generosity
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Post by davejones on Mar 10, 2014 22:21:31 GMT
Dear All Thank you so much for all the suggestions above, the meeting on Friday however looked at a possible table increase of £52 to £60 per table, putting £1 on each entry at Opens. Anymore collected by each open to be donated. The raffle this year collected by Bill Kerr raised far more he raised £505 much of which will be in the trucks funds, as I said to Dave Ingram today many decided to buy extra tickets than put in a pot as they may win something, great idea !!!! It is about a minimal levie as 10p to some is £10 to others and we know that, so THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR ANYTHING AS EVERYTHING COUNTS I would love to give you a report of the meeting now but Sav and I need to talk first to ensure all is included. I work full time and many of you know my family circumstances so little time... Sav and I started our day on the Friday with Den and Mr Chris and the WONDERFUL SUPPORT OF THE QUEENS WHO CARRIED IN ALL THE TABLES. Den and Sav continued PM leveling the tables. Shame Sav said to me today, that only he and two others were there to take them down. Feel we all let him down here. Anyway the great news is that we raised £241.97 for the truck with some truly generous donations from Tony Willis and Jon Bamsey who donated back their prize monies from being RU in the main and to Sue Haberman who donated £50 Plus additional monies from the raffle all to be worked out. Chris and I are going to start a separate thread and create a barometer re monies raised for the van but please remember we need a little time x Thank you x How about raising the affiliation fees at the next agm
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Post by Richard Stowe R.I.P. on Mar 11, 2014 0:17:08 GMT
Hi Chris I'll donate £200 towards another vehicle or the insurance, just pm me with an address to send a cheque to.
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Post by JB on Mar 11, 2014 0:37:31 GMT
Please don't think I was trying to rush people. I know what it's like to juggle work, bar billiards and home life. I think raising affiliation fees is a really good idea. Perhaps increase from £20 to £50 with the extra £30 going to the truck fund.as you say every little helps.
I'm not sure that an increase in open entry to £15 is a good idea. Something in the back of my mind makes me think that people will start picking which opens to enter and may reduce numbers considerably. I could be wrong just a feeling I have.
Opens tend to break even and if like me you know that you will get roughly x amount of entries give or take a few you budget for this. I will be ordering trophies in the next couple of weeks. If suddenly numbers reduce it could cause problems for some opens.
Also I will admit I know nothing about the cost of buying a van so like a lot of people really have no idea what needs to be raised. This is why I suggested a separate thread showing what needs to be raised and donations received so far. It worked for the tables so it may just work for the van.perhaps start with donations and then possibly loans.
I will try and think of an idea to raise some money at the Sussex Open weekend this year.
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Post by Chris on Mar 11, 2014 18:02:47 GMT
Hi Richard have PM'd you thanks
Hi Jean - never thought you were trying to rush people just wanted to ensure all knew that an early post would not be up
Many thanks Chris
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Post by The Chubbster™ on Mar 12, 2014 12:17:34 GMT
It’s fantastic that so many people are prepared to donate extra amounts throughout the year, we owe them a great deal. That said, we need to find a long term funding solution because one day, a new truck will again be needed and we can’t go on like this. I’m against raising the cost of the Entrance Fee. It’s a good idea in principle, but I do think it would lead to a decline in numbers especially from those players who just play their “Home” open each year who are unaware of or quite frankly are not interested in the AEBBA’s financial troubles. But I do believe we should have the option of donating along with the entrance fee some monies to the truck fund, that we great guys like Bob can make there extra £10 donation. I would like to remind everyone at this point that there are plenty of people who do not use this forum, so that’s a source of potential donations that we could tap into as I’m sure many local players would be willing to help a little bit towards the overall survival of our game. I would suggest a campaign be run in some form (both on and offline) to make people aware of the situation we are in. Shame that we don’t have a publicity officer for such things! Some options of my own Could AEBBA register as a charity? it would therefore be able to apply for grants, lottery funding etc. Another option would be to set up a Direct Debit system where people could pay in a small, regular amount towards the AEBBA finances. I know I would not mind paying say £2 per month to go towards to coffers (like the messages you see on the TV). As any charity will tell you this is far, far better than one off donations as it allows the them to better budget and predict what revenues they will have plan plan for the future. So here is some simple maths for you: Say 100 players nation wide we prepared to set up a £2 per month Donation (or as they say in the commercials “whatever you can”) then that’s £2,400 per year of regular income for the AEBBA. I mention these things because we in the game (in so many instances) are just so, so sooo reactive, rather than pro active. We deal with problems when they arise and muddle along for as long as we can and only act in an emergency such as this. We need to be forward thinking. So the £2 a month thing could go a long way towards solving that. That kind of money would allow us to build up a fund over the long run and eliminate the need for us asking for one of payments. As wonderful as it is to have such great people in the game who are prepared to loan/donate such money, we simply can’t have this problem arise every so often. I know this solution will not help that much right now, but someone has to be thinking about the long term here and what better time is there? Some more options. How about local events that would raise sponsorship and indeed awareness of the game. I know there is a world record for points scored in 24 hours (I wanted to have a bash at it myself). Such an event if done right could attract sponsorship and publicity (explaining the plight we are in). I've lost count of the number of times I've been tapped up for £5 for someone I hardly know to run a marathon or hurl themselves out of a plane or something in the name of some charity I've never herd of, so I see no reason why I can’t sponsor Phil Collins or Dave Ingram to break a world record of some kind. One last idea. I’ll donate £20 to AEBBA right now they change the England Under 30’s to England Under 35’s next year. It's discrimination against us 33 year olds, and i'm tried of it Those are my ideas. I’ll go back to my little corner now.
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Post by Chris on Mar 12, 2014 23:19:41 GMT
One last idea. I’ll donate £20 to AEBBA right now they change the England Under 30’s to England Under 35’s next year. It's discrimination against us 33 year olds, and i'm tried of it Those are my ideas. I’ll go back to my little corner now. Make it under 58's Glenn and I'll back it Post will be on here tomorrow night re the Bournemouth meeting. A new thread will be set up re donations and monies collected to date. All monies on the new thread WILL BE RING FENCED purely for the van. Night x
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Post by Chris on Mar 12, 2014 23:52:19 GMT
We have today had a donation of £1000 towards the truck Cannot thank ALL of you enough for supporting this !!! I want a fireworks celebration smiley to add in ??? surely one of you wizards out there can do it !!!
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beefy
Distinguished Member
T
Posts: 753
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Post by beefy on Mar 13, 2014 17:37:55 GMT
Why not increase the table hire to leagues, that way everyone is contributing. I know this may mean some leagues have to raise their entry fees but only a £1 per player across all leagues would surely amass to quite a number. Lets face it no truck no tables for a finals night....
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Post by Chris_Sav on Mar 13, 2014 18:40:48 GMT
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Post by Chris on Mar 13, 2014 19:36:05 GMT
Dear All
Please find a resume of notes, following the meeting last Friday 7th March 2014 held at the Queen’s Hotel, the purpose of which was to discuss the options for our ‘ailing’ van The option to have drivers from each county collect the tables’ by hiring a van themselves was removed. The reasons given were; that damage could occur to the tables, each county would require public liability insurance and it was felt unlikely that all counties would have people available to carry out the driving.
The other two options were then discussed. It was agreed to use a combination of both options. A hire van would be used for now until a newer van can be sourced. The problem with having a hire van long term is, that Dave Alder is not always able to off load tables on the day of return, due to late finishes and personal factors.
A newer van is to be sourced and this would be one that all drivers are able to use, regardless of their licence. The cost of parts will be taken into consideration when purchasing the vehicle. It will require a maintenance plan. Chris Saville/Dave Alder, in consultation with those players in the motor/van trade will make the purchase sometime after May. The majority felt that a large panel type van would be most suited, possibly Ford or Vauxhall. It was stated that the interior of the van must be looked at first, as the wheel arches inside would/may restrict space
In the meantime the AEBBA will continue to seek donations/ raise monies up until the end of April, the then shortfall will be covered by two players who are willing to lend up to £3000 each. It was stated that including the scrap value of the van we have between £1100 and 1200 currently, however this has been far exceeded as you will see when the new thread is started.
The cost of table hire was discussed, as was the idea of all Counties raising their charges for opens. It was clearly felt that to raise fees by too much for opens may put some players off participating, particularly given the current economic climate. The chair Pete Sainsbury has put the Kent Open up to £11 with £1 per player entered being donated to the van, this was felt reasonable by the floor. It was also said that loose change would continue to be collected and the chair would welcome any further donations raised by events/raffles etc.
The table hire will rise from £52 to £60. Given that our financial year runs from 1st November to the 31st of October the new charge will not come into effect until 1st November 2014 to ensure counties have time to plan for the extra increase and that no event in this cycle has paid more for tables than others. Any extra monies that counties are able to give will be gratefully received.
Building capacity and ensuring long term sustainability was discussed. The building of capacity is to ensure that time is given to raising as much monies as possible prior to purchase and that the newer van will be a vehicle that any member with a full drivers licence pre or post 1997 can drive. A new thread will be created on the board and the total of monies raised will be listed. ALL MONIES RAISED FOR THE VAN WILL BE RINGFENCED, Chris Saville will add a barometer to show players how we are doing. Sustainability requires an on-going plan; it will need to ensure that monies are continuously raised not only to cover the cost of the tables and their repairs but also the cost of maintaining and replacing the van as and when required.
I am fairly sure that we would not be able to qualify for charitable status and not really sure that this would benefit us. It did though prompt me to think about alternative sources of funding streams. Whilst again it is unlikely that we would qualify for any Sports Council funding streams, I will check, there are many European funding streams that can be bid into now, as we are part of the EU. I will ask my business manager to do some research here. If there is one it will require a business plan and often these forms are very long and time consuming, it would therefore be part of the long term sustainability.
The AEBBA Committee very much appreciates the support of the players. We totally understand that as with anything there will be differences of opinions in the way forward. The biggest part of capacity building and sustainability is Time, we will though endeavour to ensure transparency and consultation wherever possible with this plan.
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Post by gandalf the untidy on Mar 13, 2014 19:53:06 GMT
If not A Charity then Perhaps a CASC this will entitle 25% tax rebate on all donations given by current tax payers when they provide a name and postcode, might be worth looking into
regs cs
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Post by Chris on Mar 13, 2014 19:57:40 GMT
What is a CASC?
Thanks Chris
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Post by gandalf the untidy on Mar 13, 2014 20:09:25 GMT
What is a CASC? Thanks Chris Community amateur sports club it's part of HMRC to help clubs get tax breaks, easy to search
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Post by Chris on Mar 13, 2014 20:48:46 GMT
Thank you so much will look
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Post by barbelman on Mar 14, 2014 9:16:37 GMT
Witney & DBBA are very willing to pay the increased table hire fees for this year and we may be able to make a small emergency donation to the Truck Fund.
We are one of the smallest users of the AEBBA tables overall but the tables are still essential to us to continue operating properly as a league.
Every single one of us is responsible for this problem and its solution - so again, sincere thanks to all AEBBA officers (past and present) for their time and effort on our behalf.
Tony
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Post by Chris_Sav on Mar 14, 2014 9:24:32 GMT
Dover and Deal League also plan to make a donation, though this cannot be done until the next committee meeting in April.
As Tony has said all loan pledges and donations are most welcome, but more donations will mean a shorter period that AEBBA struggles to pay back debts and is able to start building a fighting fund for the future.
Sav
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2014 10:12:55 GMT
Northants League will budget for the increased table hire for this years tournament and will discuss what donation may be possible at the next committee meeting.
Thanks,
Lorin
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Post by gandalf the untidy on Mar 14, 2014 15:50:01 GMT
CASC Gift aid for Clubs Part 1
See link below
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