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Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
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What I meant by contracting out was to have an interested party assume total management and keep any profits it generates from CFC activities. What the CFC wants is increase in membership, increase in popularity within the country, etc. (the specified goals); it may also wish to have a token 'royalty'. It also needs to ensure that due process is followed in selection of national teams, its vote, etc. (the specified processes). It has failed in being able to manage finances, and hence just 'hiring' a contractor for day to day operations is not going to work...
So give such a contractor carte blanche the authority to set fees, publish the newsletter, organize the national tournaments, CYCC, WYCC, etc?
Several issues come to mind.
1) We just acheived NFP status at the 11th hour using a bare-bones constitution. Contracting out these duties would probably mean starting over.
2) If we are talking OTB chess, such a party would have to do it while working with individual tournament organizers and clubs across the country, and convince them to "buy in" to the whole program.
Pardon the metaphor, but it sounds like trying to create a chess Amway. I don't see how it would work.
Let's not lose sight of the real goals of our organization...CFC is not using its potential financial strength to satisfactorily achieve those goals (after all volunteerism has its limitations)...
Ok, let's accept your premise as-is. Suppose we were willing to give Larry or Gerry the proverbial keys to the place.
What would you envision a private company would do differently than what the CFC has done to date? What would said company need to ensure that neither they nor the CFC goes bankrupt within 3 years? What sort of vision/business model do you see working?
Is there an amateur sporting organization in Canada that has done what you are suggesting?
A lot of hard work, a lot of innovation (national and provincial chess leagues at the club or city levels, chess 'pools' to borrow terminology from soccer), a lot of publicity through traditional as well as contemporary media, and above all a lot of leadership to rally the wonderful folks in our chess community...
Let's not lose sight of the real goals of our organization...CFC is not using its potential financial strength to satisfactorily achieve those goals (after all volunteerism has its limitations)...
What if someone created robot volunteers? Easily manufactured, easily programmed... armies and armies of volunteers!
Of course, there's always the "OMG, the robot just ran over the 5-year-old prodigy!" problem.
Only the rushing is heard...
Onward flies the bird.
Then why is the CFC, and Vlad in particular, endorsing either Candidate? If that quote is the message Vlad really wanted to get across, then abstention in the FIDE election was the only correct action. Abstention sends the message: 'Neither of you will make a difference to us in Canada.' Instead, Vlad pushed for endorsement of one candidate even though the voting members were totally polarized on the question. Bad judgement on Vlad's part, imo.
You're right! Threatening to abstain would have got the attention of both candidates with subsequent promises of largesse (which may not eventually be forthcoming, but at least we may have gained a future bargaining chip).
Kevin's editorials have been getting better over time. You don't see the vehemence you used to see. They are well reasoned. His reasoning here is a valid viewpoint, and one I have not heard before. Note that he is not condemning the CFC's decision, just giving a different one.
"BUT, the chess world is a tough sell: chessplayers are thinkers, and they recognize that Kasparov the politician is NOT the same thing as Kasparov the legend. And this election, coming on the heels of a humiliating defeat in 2010, is heading into one of Kasparov’s worse nightmares. Unofficial counts give Kirsan an overwhelming lead, close to 75% of the vote.
Many believe that Kasparov has overplayed the ‘Putin card’ in the FIDE election, trying to sell his campaign on some sort of anti-Putin platform rather than the normal FIDE election held every 4-years that it is. Spaceships, aliens and Russia-phobia apart, Kirsan is one of the most popular figures in the chessworld’s history, enjoying overwhelming support for his efforts to reconstruct the chess world from the ruins that Kasparov left it in 1993…."
Canada voted against Kirsan in the last two elections - I see nothing wrong with voting for him this time - Spraggett tells it like it is in the quote above and we have nothing to gain from being on the losing side of this.
"BUT, the chess world is a tough sell: chessplayers are thinkers, and they recognize that Kasparov the politician is NOT the same thing as Kasparov the legend. And this election, coming on the heels of a humiliating defeat in 2010, is heading into one of Kasparov’s worse nightmares. Unofficial counts give Kirsan an overwhelming lead, close to 75% of the vote.
Many believe that Kasparov has overplayed the ‘Putin card’ in the FIDE election, trying to sell his campaign on some sort of anti-Putin platform rather than the normal FIDE election held every 4-years that it is. Spaceships, aliens and Russia-phobia apart, Kirsan is one of the most popular figures in the chessworld’s history, enjoying overwhelming support for his efforts to reconstruct the chess world from the ruins that Kasparov left it in 1993…."
Canada voted against Kirsan in the last two elections - I see nothing wrong with voting for him this time - Spraggett tells it like it is in the quote above and we have nothing to gain from being on the losing side of this.
Nope, you did not read Spragget's most recent opinion about this that just came out. He calls a spade a spade and supports Canada voting for Kasparov see quote below. "BUT I don’t have a vote. None of us do…only the member-federations have that privilege. How should Canada’s chess federation (CFC) vote? Back in 2010 I argued that the CFC should support Karpov (Kasparov).Chess federations are NOT individuals, and I believe that it is vital for those incharge of their federation to vote NOT according to their personal opinion, but instead to vote according to the best interests of their country.
What are Canada’s best interests? Notice that I do not ask ‘What are the CFC’s best interests?’ For the Canadian chess federation, it makes little difference which candidate wins: Canada is a minor player in the chess world, participates in the regular FIDE-calender events and pays its dues on time. A federation such as the CFC–which is struggling to survive day to day in a non-chess country–has nothing to gain; Kasparov or Kirsan at the top will make no difference.
BUT, the CFC should vote in a manner that best serves the country’s interests. The CFC should vote according to Canada’s long-held values and beliefs. And historical alliances. Canada, its closest neighbour (US), western Europe and the Commonwealth share the same values and beliefs. Unless there is a very good reason to do otherwise, we should support one another. Besides, everyone recognizes that it is time for FIDE to see a change at the top…
Voting for Kasparov (regardless of what one thinks of him personally) is in Canada’s best interests. If we don’t like the way he runs FIDE in the next 4 years, then we can always vote him out in 2018. The present leadership of the CFC has already decided to support Kirsan…but one of the perks of living in a free country is our right to change our minds."
Last edited by Sid Belzberg; Friday, 27th June, 2014, 11:57 AM.
I thought the CFC chess foundation, which they own, has close to $250,000.00. They also topped up the Pugi fund recently.
How is that "failing in being able to manage finances"? Possibly you aren't aware of this.
There is $285,770 in the foundation including the Pugi fund, as of April 30th, 2014 our year end. This year that generated a $10,359 check including $923 earmarked for the Pugi fund awards. The governors with my support bumped up the amount awarded by the Pugi trustees by $1000 with a transfer from the youth fund which at the moment is simply sitting in our short term bank account in effect if not in fact. Once all the bills for Tromso come in we will look at possibly transferring some of the short term funds into longer term instruments or into the foundation. The CFC is being run prudently when it comes to finances.
There is $285,770 in the foundation including the Pugi fund, as of April 30th, 2014 our year end. This year that generated a $10,359 check including $923 earmarked for the Pugi fund awards. The governors with my support bumped up the amount awarded by the Pugi trustees by $1000 with a transfer from the youth fund which at the moment is simply sitting in our short term bank account in effect if not in fact. Once all the bills for Tromso come in we will look at possibly transferring some of the short term funds into longer term instruments or into the foundation. The CFC is being run prudently when it comes to finances.
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