The Voyageurs are now officially a federally incorporated non profit

[socceronly 3,024]

As of Monday we are now officially a federally incorporated non profit. 

I was busy with the game, so this announcement probably lacks the pomp and circumstance it rightly deserves. 

Currently there is only the initial start up structue.   That will change as soon as a plan is developed.  How that plan is shaped will be determined in a large part based on an upcoming (and not yet planned) meeting with Canada Soccer.   The goal of this meeting is to determine the scope of what can be done, expectations from each party and what we hope to acheive come 2026.  

While our board will consist of Voyageurs, it will be a professional board.  I am currently the sole board member for set up purposes, but will recuse myself when the final structure is created.  I will not be on the board as I am not qualified to be on it no matter how many tickets I have sold or tifos painted.  I'm a grunt and will continue to be as I am happy to do that kind of stuff.   Commitment and professional credentials will trump any desire or percieved need to spread the board out or try to hit any check boxes. 

The board will consist of five people.   We are looking at lawyers, CMAs, MBAs, and people with specialties in marketing, communications, operations and logistics.  

Canada Soccer wants us to succeed.  They have  opened the door for us and it is now up to us to orgnanize and seize what is an amazing opportunity to build something awesome.  Exactly what that is will be shaped here by us on this forum and in meetings across the country. It will be Voyageurs in nature and definately unapologetically Canadian.  Sorry. 

Welcome to Voyageurs 2.0 beta release 1. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rheo 2,940]

Congrats Jamie. Looking forward to what’s next 

[Levi Oakey 550]

A huge step for the organization. Great work Jamie. Excited to see what us grunts can provide to a revamped structure and how we make 2026 AMAZING.

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off 488]

Congrats!

[Red and White 74]

Congrats Jamie. Thanks for all your hard work - looking forward to a bright future for the V's and Canadian soccer.

[Kristin 18]

🙌🙌🙌 So happy that the day is here!  Thanks for getting this done Jamie - you're the best. 

🎶Here we go, here we go, here we go, here we go; HERE WE GO!🎶 

[dyslexic nam 3,567]

Very cool.  Congrats on getting this done.  

Looking forward to what this group will do in the future.

[apbsmith 351]

Incredible and congrats! .

Please check your DM, as I do not want to advertise myself but I would be very interested.

Thank you.

[Unnamed Trialist 2,845]

Jamie, could you post the statutes or any related document, so we know what you are talking about a bit better. 

Also: the nature of a board is that is should be elected by the members. An initial board may be partially appointed, unless there are sufficient individuals willing to dispute those positions. 

Related to that, it is contrary to the fundamental nature of a federally incorporated non-profit for one person, in this case yourself, to anticipate what a "professional board" might be and what kind of personal or professional might be qualified. That was overstepping, IMHO. It sounded like you wanted to dictate a condition, and while I realise it is probably not what you were saying, that you were trying to express a vision for our future, it  cannot be the case, neither legally nor ethically. 

 

[socceronly 3,024]

4 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Jamie, could you post the statutes or any related document, so we know what you are talking about a bit better. 

Also: the nature of a board is that is should be elected by the members. An initial board may be partially appointed, unless there are sufficient individuals willing to dispute those positions. 

Related to that, it is contrary to the fundamental nature of a federally incorporated non-profit for one person, in this case yourself, to anticipate what a "professional board" might be and what kind of personal or professional might be qualified. That was overstepping, IMHO. It sounded like you wanted to dictate a condition, and while I realise it is probably not what you were saying, that you were trying to express a vision for our future, it  cannot be the case, neither legally nor ethically. 

 

You can incorporate a non profit with a single board member so long as it does not solicit more than 10K in donations.  That is as technical a sentence I will construct on this subject. 

I don't live and breath this stuff.  I give zero fucks about it.  There are other people working on it, and it is only just getting started.  It is about how we re structure this and nothing has been done yet.   

I think it's pretty clear that if you are going to be in charge of accounting, your qualification isn't "I went to Honduras for three away games".   That is what I am talking about wrt to being qualified. 

 

 

 

[Gopherbashi 1,757]

Finally some legal recognition that we're not turning a profit!

[Unnamed Trialist 2,845]

11 hours ago, socceronly said:

You can incorporate a non profit with a single board member so long as it does not solicit more than 10K in donations.  That is as technical a sentence I will construct on this subject. 

I don't live and breath this stuff.  I give zero fucks about it.  There are other people working on it, and it is only just getting started.  It is about how we re structure this and nothing has been done yet.   

I think it's pretty clear that if you are going to be in charge of accounting, your qualification isn't "I went to Honduras for three away games".   That is what I am talking about wrt to being qualified. 

You'd be surprised by what happens in non-profits, by who is supposedly going to do a competent job and who may be right on paper and is not in practice. 

All I am saying is this: I give zero fucks about what you think you are setting up. Competence cannot be predetermined a priori, nor is it very logical to start by profiling on the basis of perceived areas of ability. You are doing a great job setting up the mechanism, but you don't need to condition or telegraph the result that way.

[untoldsean 4]

Congratulations 

[socceronly 3,024]

9 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

You'd be surprised by what happens in non-profits, by who is supposedly going to do a competent job and who may be right on paper and is not in practice. 

All I am saying is this: I give zero fucks about what you think you are setting up. Competence cannot be predetermined a priori, nor is it very logical to start by profiling on the basis of perceived areas of ability. You are doing a great job setting up the mechanism, but you don't need to condition or telegraph the result that way.

Oh lord yes. I can't imagine the fuckery that goes on. I have seen it on a few occasions and the stories on the amounts of missing money from soccer will turn you green.

I guess my point was I was trying to head off at the pass that this will be based on Voyageurs popularity so to speak  I am not going to form some egalitarian board just to hit geographic and diversity checkboxes for the sake of doing it. 

 

 

[socceronly 3,024]

24 minutes ago, Gopherbashi said:

Finally some legal recognition that we're not turning a profit!

The biggest source of confusion on this point, and only potential source of revenue really, is ticketing. 

TM will put $13.50 on a ticket, that actually costs me $16 to buy.  Then we add Pay Pal fees to resell those tickets and round up, so it is now $17.  People  think The Voyageurs are making $3.50 a ticket, when it's actually 23 cents. 

We sold about $1300 worth of scarves at Joe's on Tuesday which cost about $800 to buy.  $500 takes a small dent out of the hosting fees.

Given the frequency of games we have, I am not sure where people think money would actually come from.

[Gopherbashi 1,757]

43 minutes ago, socceronly said:

The biggest source of confusion on this point, and only potential source of revenue really, is ticketing. 

TM will put $13.50 on a ticket, that actually costs me $16 to buy.  Then we add Pay Pal fees to resell those tickets and round up, so it is now $17.  People  think The Voyageurs are making $3.50 a ticket, when it's actually 23 cents. 

We sold about $1300 worth of scarves at Joe's on Tuesday which cost about $800 to buy.  $500 takes a small dent out of the hosting fees.

Given the frequency of games we have, I am not sure where people think money would actually come from.

It was a joke about how many thousands you've sunk into this. 🤔

[socceronly 3,024]

31 minutes ago, Gopherbashi said:

It was a joke about how many thousands you've sunk into this. 🤔

lol, sorry. 

 

[zeelaw 277]

Great news.  Big step for us - thanks for getting it done @socceronly!

[gator 973]

19 hours ago, socceronly said:

The biggest source of confusion on this point, and only potential source of revenue really, is ticketing. 

TM will put $13.50 on a ticket, that actually costs me $16 to buy.  Then we add Pay Pal fees to resell those tickets and round up, so it is now $17.  People  think The Voyageurs are making $3.50 a ticket, when it's actually 23 cents. 

We sold about $1300 worth of scarves at Joe's on Tuesday which cost about $800 to buy.  $500 takes a small dent out of the hosting fees.

Given the frequency of games we have, I am not sure where people think money would actually come from.

I bought one of the Red Voyageurs hoodies Tuesday, it looks great and is a fabulous deal for $25!

[JamboAl 459]

1 hour ago, gator said:

I bought one of the Red Voyageurs hoodies Tuesday, it looks great and is a fabulous deal for $25!

In light of this, I think we need to develop a strategy to come up with consistent, on-going sources of revenue which will help us create more branding for the V's (e.g. large in-stadium banners, flags, and other promotional material) to increase awareness.  The challenge is that except for a small handful of home internationals, it's difficult to generate a more regular buzz about the V's.  Hopefully with the CONCACAF Nations League, things will change a bit for the better.

Or do we even dare try to enter the club supporter scene to increase exposure knowing how polarizing the MLS rivalries between the Impact and TFC are for example?  Maybe it won't be as bitter in the CPL. 

[Gopherbashi 1,757]

13 hours ago, JamboAl said:

In light of this, I think we need to develop a strategy to come up with consistent, on-going sources of revenue which will help us create more branding for the V's (e.g. large in-stadium banners, flags, and other promotional material) to increase awareness.  The challenge is that except for a small handful of home internationals, it's difficult to generate a more regular buzz about the V's.  Hopefully with the CONCACAF Nations League, things will change a bit for the better.

Or do we even dare try to enter the club supporter scene to increase exposure knowing how polarizing the MLS rivalries between the Impact and TFC are for example?  Maybe it won't be as bitter in the CPL. 

Optional monetary contribution on ticket sales?

[socceronly 3,024]

15 hours ago, Gopherbashi said:

Optional monetary contribution on ticket sales?

Yeah, like those optional Ticketmaster fees....

[Winnipeg Fury 95]

 

Back in the day, I used to keep everything rolling by doing on-line auctions.  Everyone seemed to enjoy that.  There were some tasty bits up for auction that would otherwise be non-existent.  Definitely worth looking into.

 

 

 

[tg02 11]

On 10/19/2018 at 9:27 AM, gator said:

I bought one of the Red Voyageurs hoodies Tuesday, it looks great and is a fabulous deal for $25!

I'll second That!

Bought two of these for my kids and they love them.  

Not sure if it makes sense to add more items to the online store but, as the Vs continue to grow, possibly these sales would also?

Venue sales are great as you are able to meet other Vs and put faces to names however, not everyone can make it to these.  If available online, could be a win win.  

Just throwing it out there.

[The Ref 186]

On 10/17/2018 at 12:11 PM, socceronly said:

As of Monday we are now officially a federally incorporated non profit. 

I was busy with the game, so this announcement probably lacks the pomp and circumstance it rightly deserves. 

Currently there is only the initial start up structue.   That will change as soon as a plan is developed.  How that plan is shaped will be determined in a large part based on an upcoming (and not yet planned) meeting with Canada Soccer.   The goal of this meeting is to determine the scope of what can be done, expectations from each party and what we hope to acheive come 2026.  

While our board will consist of Voyageurs, it will be a professional board.  I am currently the sole board member for set up purposes, but will recuse myself when the final structure is created.  I will not be on the board as I am not qualified to be on it no matter how many tickets I have sold or tifos painted.  I'm a grunt and will continue to be as I am happy to do that kind of stuff.   Commitment and professional credentials will trump any desire or percieved need to spread the board out or try to hit any check boxes. 

The board will consist of five people.   We are looking at lawyers, CMAs, MBAs, and people with specialties in marketing, communications, operations and logistics.  

Canada Soccer wants us to succeed.  They have  opened the door for us and it is now up to us to orgnanize and seize what is an amazing opportunity to build something awesome.  Exactly what that is will be shaped here by us on this forum and in meetings across the country. It will be Voyageurs in nature and definately unapologetically Canadian.  Sorry. 

Welcome to Voyageurs 2.0 beta release 1. 

My congratulations for incorporating the society and obtaining a non for profit status.  I am live too far otherwise I will offer myself as a director.  What is unclear to me is why do we have to work with the CSA at all.