| Tom Martinak 2004-12-27, 5:45 pm |
| >2. Online play
quote:
>Establish a playing server (a la ICC, Plychess.com) and provide a
membership as part of the basic member benefit package. This is not
very expensive, but if cost is an issue, then arrangements for a
discounted membership fee can be arranged with one of the major
services.
No. That has already failed once. Offer centralized rating services
for "serious" on-line games and allow any of the current organizations
to run them, just like the USCF doesn't (well rarely) organize
tournaments in every town but allows local affiliates to run them and
send them in for ratings. We don't try to rate every skittles game
played at your local club and we similarly don't need to rate every
on-line game.
quote:
>3. Chess Life Magazine
quote:
>Make it into a purely elctronic magazine that goes to members weekly,
rather than monthly. The content gathering can be done without problem
if the right workflow and submission prcess are enforced. This is quite
simple and cheap. The benefits of going purely electronic are many:
content will become relevant once gain; no more reporting on
tournaments that happened 6 months ago. Printing costs will be
eliminated; writers will submit their material
online, from their own location. Magazine will be put together
automatically! Members will be given access to a games library from
where they can download study material, game collections, etc
This is probably the most difficult question of what is the right
model. Eliminating CL does save a lot in costs (@$12/year/member), but
getting it into members' hands does provide a major advertising and
promotional benefit. I can understand going electronic and could
support that, but I still think there is value in paper CL.
quote:
>4. Finances
quote:
>A large part of the budget should be allocated to hiring a
PROFESSIONAL fund-raising firm in the USA. Yes, hire an outsider that
will bring sponsorship money to the USCF. They know where to go and how
to go about it. That's how most non-profits work.
But the USCF can't raise tax-deductible money. That is why I want to
move so much into separate non-profit organizations - they could. Use
the model of the US Championship - let others organize and raise the
money. They either then provide income to the USCF in their bid or at
the very least reduce USCF expenses by running an event that would lose
money. Sure they take their cut of the money raised, but they do the
work themselves.
- Tom Martinak
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