The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
Fundraisers: Are They Doing The Job?
I recently read an article about fundraising and what they actually raise for fire departments and it really makes you wonder: are we getting our money's worth?
Getting together for a fundraiser is certainly a great way to gauge public support, but let's face it; a pancake breakfast won't buy a thermal imaging camera. If you look at prices, cameras can cost $10,000. If you charge five bucks a meal, that's 2000 meals! Most likely, it will take a couple of years or more than one fundraiser a year just to get a camera.
Sure; you're putting your face in front of the public, but it's a lot of work to come up short on your much needed purchases.
So, my question is still: what do you expect from your fundraisers?
I'll be right over there.
TCSS.
Art
Getting together for a fundraiser is certainly a great way to gauge public support, but let's face it; a pancake breakfast won't buy a thermal imaging camera. If you look at prices, cameras can cost $10,000. If you charge five bucks a meal, that's 2000 meals! Most likely, it will take a couple of years or more than one fundraiser a year just to get a camera.
Sure; you're putting your face in front of the public, but it's a lot of work to come up short on your much needed purchases.
So, my question is still: what do you expect from your fundraisers?
I'll be right over there.
TCSS.
Art
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Phil Ferris on
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I certainly understand that you want to keep yourselves visible in the community, but there are better ways than busting your stones BBQing chickens, flipping pancakes or calling out bingo numbers during a funding raising event that may not fall in the black ink after a cost/benefit analysis.
Have an open house several times a year and rub elbows with the public that way. Do some of your training drills right out in the community. Pick a street, and practice laying off the hydrant on that street. I’m not saying you have to flow water every time, that would certainly upset the natives.
Some times I want to bang my head with a hammer trying to make certain individuals in our department understand that holding some kind of wacko fund raiser that makes $500 is not worth the time and effort. After we take out for heating/cooling the social hall, paying electric charges, etc we end up in the red. But we here the same old poo from the community, “well that’s $500 you didn’t have before.” Duh!!!!!!!!! We spent $400 to make $500. You do the math.
It is long overdue that the communities at large wake up and smell the fertilizer! Expecting to fund the operation of a volunteer fire company totally from donations will leave volunteer fire companies to go the way of the dinosaur.
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Permalink Reply by Tiger Schmittendorf on
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That's blasphemy Phil -
That bingo that lost $400 a night paid for those fire trucks you get the privilege to ride on, and it paid for your new gear and the new jaws-of-life too.
It's amazing how far you can stretch a losing business venture to pay for everything you've ever received in the last 20 years.
Or at least that's what some of our members used to try to convince us of...
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Ain't that the truth. Now I'm going to use this next situation to my advantage. Two nights ago an intoxicated driver crashed into the town's one and only police car. It was a good thing that there were no significant injuries, but the police car suffered some major damage.
Now what I want to know is when the submarine sandwich sale, or the roast beef dinner will take place so the police will have enough money to get the car fixed. You all know that is not going to happen. Geeze Louise, some people just don't get it!
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Permalink Reply by Damon Dyer on
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Sorry buddy but we did our fundraiser for our extrication equipment . We had a call about a month later . On that call we had to cut her out and med flight her out .When the helicopter started to leave she coded but they brought her back . The on board nurse said if it would have taken any longer we would have lost her. With any other equipment it would have been 10 to 15 minutes longer . I have seen the lady since and she was very grateful . To me and my crew it was worth it . Iwould bet if it was someone you knew you would think it was worth it also .
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Permalink Reply by Moose on
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No offense to you Tiger, because I respect you from what I read of your posts and blogs...but both you and this strtcopr guy need to just learn to agree to disagree and stop jumping on everyone that adds their 2 cents to this discussion. Believe it or not, this site exists so that ALL firefighters can share their views on things, and it gets ruined when people like you 2 always constantly jump on everyone simply because they add their opinions. You have your opinions which you explained very articulately and professionally, now let others share theirs. If you do not like it than that is really too bad. Everyone has the right to share their opinions, and before you say it, I AM NOT DEFENDING THEIR OPINIONS OR SAYING EVERYONE IS RIGHT...I am merely saying that everyone has the right to discuss their opinions on this SOCIAL firefighters forum. Again, I respect you Tiger, and I hope you take this for what it is and not a jab at you and your comments.
Can everyone move on now and share their ideas and opinions on fundraisers?
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Thanks for your comments Brian -
I was in no way attempting to jump on someone for expressing their opinion.
What I was trying to do was share my sense of urgency for saving or salvaging the volunteer fire service. My goal was to provide a wake up call.
We need to wake up to the fact that our ranks are getting thinner by the minute and that for too long we've allowed ourselves to be the poop boys of the industry. Everyone needs to realize that fundraisers necessary to underwrite the delivery of emergency services are obstacles to time availability for training and other key components of our core mission.
We're at an important crossroad in the history of the volunteer fire service where we're going to have to make difficult decisions that affect our future and determine whether or not we want to be a community center - or a community centered emergency services agency.
Last I checked, our contract included fighting fires and saving lives. It didn't mention any of the other stuff.
We need to get smarter and more agressive about educating the public and the public officials of the importance and value of what we do and the fact that it needs to be funded appropriately.
Guess what, we're not alone in this fight. A fire captain friend of mine just e-mailed me about the financial woes of her paid department in California. Every day we read an article where a career fire department is having its staffing cut to unsafe levels by ignorant city hall dwellers. I just had this conversation with Billy Goldfeder at about 6am this morning.
And that Brian, is my opinion, with a little fact thrown in just to keep everyone on their toes.
PS - As far as Strtcopr goes, he feels the same way I do, he just doesn't have as much patience, tolerance or tact for slow-to-change organizations as I do. Besides being a jerk, he is a recruiter's dream catch! Just ask him. LOL
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I do live in the now and with the price of tools and the amount of money we have to work with each year the fundraiser was the only way it would work . I did not see us going without extrication tools any longer .
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I see your point Tiger, you are correct, but you forget a major killer of members in the volunteer service. Its unfortunate but true, its the length of training hours and the lack of free time due to having to work 2 jobs to support a family thats killing membership, no the fact that we have fundraisers. I mean, dont get me wrong, they do tend to turn people off to being a member, but I dont feel its the main reason. We are just lucky here in my dept I guess to have members that just want to help with fund raisers, administrative stuff like writing grants, and fire police/exterior ops at calls. Most depts have a slight overkill on fundraisers too I guess, but for the most part we only have the few annual fundraisers I mentioned earlier and 98% of that income goes to operational costs and equipment, the rest gets used for the membership like paying for the burgers and dogs ot our annual BBQ, or paying for a DJ at our banquet. We dont use tax money for fun stuff, we use money we earn at the fundraisers.
Anyway, I digress here! I feel that the daunting, but all too important length of training is what turns volunteers away. But to a point, thats a good thing, cause if they do not want to train than I do not want them to fight fires with me.
Good points, stay safe.
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Did you get me a shirt???
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Permalink Reply by Patrick J. Petronico on
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Basically, we expect to get our operating funds from fund raisers. Of course, that does not happen. We are on the verge of closing the doors due to the lack of operating funds. I have tried and tried to get to public involved in meetings to let them see the cost of operating the department, but nobody really seems interested. All they care about is calling 911 and getting a fire truck. A couple of years ago, the county tried to implement a fire tax to offset the costs, but the public voted it down. Their comments; We haven't had to have a tax in the3 pasty fopr fire service, why should we have one now?
Oh what to do, what to do?
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I will never be able to prove you wrong which is my point. You respond to everyone that posts their opinions as if their opinion is wrong and yours is right, thats what I was saying.
And I have been fighting fire for 20 years now myself and have been a volunteer the whole time, but I do not have a small training file, you can feel free to stop by my page anytime you want to sir, and you will see I do not take training lightly, and I take firefighting serious...even though I work 2 full time jobs and have a 2 year old daughter at home I still make the effort to train and stay current.
The Problem with MOST volunteers is they let too much go to their heads, and if thats the way you view volunteerism, being one yourself, than thats the way it will always be...until someone steps up and tries to change it for the better.
But, as is always the case with this site, everyone always turns it into the same argument. I was merely saying to you both to let everyone post their opinions and thoughts on the matter without your pointless one liner jabs at members like the above jabs taken at Mr. Dyer. Im not trying to argue or fight, just trying to use the site what its for and thats sharing opinions. AGreed?
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I see most of your points, and yes it is frustrating to know that the HIGHWAY dept is treated better than the fire dept, and they beat their equipment daily because they know its not theirs and they will get new equipment whenever they need too. Yet here in the fire service we have to beg and borrow to make it by. Trust me, as both an employee of the Village Highway and a volunteer...I KNOW what you are saying. The highway super only has to ask for a new plow truck and he gets it...why? Because the roads need to be maintained in order to make the "Voters" happy. BUT...The fire chief brings up the point that his fleet of trucks is ailing and falling apart, his crews wear turnouts that are 20 years old, and he needs a bigger budget to get this stuff replaced and he is shot down quicker than he can explain it...Why? Because the fire service is viewed as the "Red Headed Step Child of the Community" and is not viewed as important until someones house is burning....THAN all of a sudden you see the mayor in his/her PJ's running around looking to help (get more votes) the firemen any way they can, and praise the firefighters for a job well done (even though the house was a loss due to poor equipment, lack of manpower and poor response due to being a daytime fire)
Its a problem for every fire dept and one that needs to be addressed I KNOW, but it isnt the sole blame of fund raisers. This is a problem we all need to address, but how can we start? Can anyone address that? What can we do to make it better?
Thanks.
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