Do non-members still have to pay the extra $10 fee for XC Tier charity events??

You have to ask the TD. For the special grant tournaments he can waive the $10, or he can donate the $10 to the charity.

Bruce knows his stuff!!

Here is the document
http://www.pdga.com/files/documents/2009CompetitionEndowmentProgram-Details.pdf

steve timm

I'm new to disc golf (less than a year), so I'm still learning all the rules procedures. I was told XC tourney give you points but not a rating. I played an XC tourney in January, but did not receive points. Does it matter or should I ask someone about it?

Wait until the Ratings update on 3/17. The points should show up then (assuming the TD had his act in gear and submitted everything).

As another season approaches, choices need to be made.
Sanction or not? Will the Comp. Endowment Pgm remain?
Will the 25% donation be raised again this year?

I noticed a little blurb in the last pDGA pub.
28 different charities were supported by over $4000 in 2009.
Does that mean only 28 charity events were held?
How does that compare to 2008?

Just removing our little Pot of Gold from the program
would have reduced the financial support to $2,400 from
27 events.

Did the PoG really provide 40% of the financial
support of the entire program?

The event worked for the PoG, the park and the charity.
I am just concerned that the change last year
had unintended affects on the program.

respectfully
steve tim

Ah yes, much better forum:

As 'forced donations' become more and more prevalent at tournaments like the Magnolia Open, players are forced to choose between supporting someone else's agenda or not playing the event. As a capitalist, I support giving only in exchange for something else. For example, if the Magnolia Open donates proceeds to a children's charity, then I think that the recipients should be present, spotting on holes and helping the tournament directors. It would be a great lesson to those children to learn that work garners reward, rather than the concept of naked need earning reward, not to mention the healthy sunshine and exercise the kiddies could get.

As it stands currently, if my views do not coincide with the charitable agenda of the PDGA or a TD, then I am encouraged not to attend an event.

Why does the PDGA encourage agendas that force people into paying for something they may not believe in, or choose to not participate? How does this encourage growth of the sport?

Why not separate the charitable agenda and the sport? Mandatory donations should be disallowed so that personal decisions do not prohibit growth of the sport.

Is there a financial reason for this? Does the PDGA receive tax deductions or some special exemption status? (And I ask this ONLY in relation to tournaments that automatically donate out of entry fees, not their freedom-offering counterparts that hold legitimate raffles, auctions and side games to raise money; those are perfectly fine)

I noticed a little blurb in the last pDGA pub.
28 different charities were supported by over $4000 in 2009.
Does that mean only 28 charity events were held?
How does that compare to 2008?

Just removing our little Pot of Gold from the program
would have reduced the financial support to $2,400 from
27 events.

Did the PoG really provide 40% of the financial
support of the entire program?


respectfully
steve tim

I noticed that article also as we ran a sanctioned Ice Bowl with over $3000 raised for charity

I think that the PDGA was only counting the $2 per head from C Tiers as "the PDGA contribution" and not the whole big picture and laying claim to club or promoter charititable money

Steve, the calculation was that of the player fees as the complete total will be calculated at the end of the year... if the information was given to us by each TD. We want to also have a page on the website listing the donations/events/causes. Thank you for what you do in LA!!!



In regards to Sarah's post/email:

You (in general) are entitled to your opinion ...and the same holds true for a TD who wishes to give to a charity. I believe the majority of competitors view this as an opportunity to serve others and do not feel they are entitled to anything in return.

We are growing the sport with charity events to be quite honest. Disc golfers giving back. Case in point (regarding Magnolia Open event) - Columbia County built our facilities here at the IDGC and now we are grateful we can return their generosity by donating to a local charity here. "Pay it forward!"

But if a return is what someone is looking for when attending the Magnolia Open... There will be a players pack, free dinner, free camping, free entertainment Saturday night and a brighter future for the VFW Children's Home. These are all included in the entry fee in addition to the competition itself and the bonds we will make.

I would only argue your point if it wasn't announced in advance. You do not have to attend charitable events. There are 900+ events that you can choose from that are strictly money-in money-out if that is what's most important.

One more thing Steve... I only did the calculation from the events we had at the time of printing. Several events gave to the same charity, so no need to list them twice. It was indeed a quick blurb with a more extensive one to follow once we have more numbers submitted. Glad the "blurbs" are being read though!

Addie

Thanks for everything. I realize it is still 2009 but...
will there be any changes in the Charity Pgm for '10?

Our event is approaching and
some decisions need to be made.
I am sure other TDs are in the same position.

steve timm

Yes, the program will remain the same for 2010. All 2010 documents will be released by November 15th.

As 'forced donations' become more and more prevalent at tournaments like the Magnolia Open, players are forced to choose between supporting someone else's agenda or not playing the event. As a capitalist, I support giving only in exchange for something else. For example, if the Magnolia Open donates proceeds to a children's charity, then I think that the recipients should be present, spotting on holes and helping the tournament directors. It would be a great lesson to those children to learn that work garners reward, rather than the concept of naked need earning reward, not to mention the healthy sunshine and exercise they could get.

As it stands currently, if my views do not coincide with the charitable agenda of the PDGA or a TD, then I am encouraged not to attend an event.

Why does the PDGA encourage agenda's that force people into paying for something they may not believe in, or choose to not participate? How does this encourage growth of the sport?

Why not separate the charitable agenda and the sport? Mandatory donations should be disallowed so that personal decisions do not prohibit growth of the sport.

Sarah,

You bring up some excellent points. While we all could get into some rather interesting ethical debates about charity and the concept of naked need earning reward (which for the record I agree 100% with) I think the simple act of charity and giving is what most people are going to concern themselves with. And an optional charitable donation at a tournament is likely not going to raise as much money as withdrawing the donation beforehand from every player's entry fee.

In the end, I think most people and most TDs would simply like to raise the most charity they can. I think you are going to find that we are in the minority and most people are concerned far more with the act of giving (and the amount given) rather than the ethics of charity and teaching a lesson to those receiving it.

what about the charity that someone gave at some point to put in courses you've played on? If you just show up to play on them what are you giving back in return for their charity? Unless the course is a pay to play or you do course maintenance then the answer would be nothing.

Sarah,

I am sure you have already heard from several TD's that do this, but I am going to point at the model that Chris Himming ran years ago for the Texas 10 and the Lance Armstrong foundation. A donation was required. However it was never burdensome and Chris made up for the "forced" donation by giving back more value for the event than was paid in. I run a charity event and yes I require a $3 donation to play. I also give back far more in value than the additional cost. Last year the cost, per player, for full color logo, long sleeve tee shirt was right at $8.50. A lot of TD's would have called it a $10 value and been done with it. I took right at about $5 from the payout per amateur player, loosing $3.50 per t-shirt. Maybe I should have not charged the players the $3 donation and just made up for it with the t shirts, but then the players do not have partial ownership of the charity. I know, just a perception, but Chris Himming ran one of the most successful series I have seen in the 30 years I have been playing and he was a firm believer in giving that partial ownership.

Ask anyone, I give a lot of value for the event I run. One last comment, "forced" implies you must do it. You can simply opt not to play the event and I would strongly suggest you talk with your money if you do not like charity events that require donations. Then if everyone agrees, the event will slowly fade away. On the other hand, if you are wrong about your belief the tournament will grow. Much as mine has......


Ah yes, much better forum:

As 'forced donations' become more and more prevalent at tournaments like the Magnolia Open, players are forced to choose between supporting someone else's agenda or not playing the event. As a capitalist, I support giving only in exchange for something else. For example, if the Magnolia Open donates proceeds to a children's charity, then I think that the recipients should be present, spotting on holes and helping the tournament directors. It would be a great lesson to those children to learn that work garners reward, rather than the concept of naked need earning reward, not to mention the healthy sunshine and exercise the kiddies could get.

As it stands currently, if my views do not coincide with the charitable agenda of the PDGA or a TD, then I am encouraged not to attend an event.

Why does the PDGA encourage agendas that force people into paying for something they may not believe in, or choose to not participate? How does this encourage growth of the sport?

Why not separate the charitable agenda and the sport? Mandatory donations should be disallowed so that personal decisions do not prohibit growth of the sport.

Is there a financial reason for this? Does the PDGA receive tax deductions or some special exemption status? (And I ask this ONLY in relation to tournaments that automatically donate out of entry fees, not their freedom-offering counterparts that hold legitimate raffles, auctions and side games to raise money; those are perfectly fine)