Hi Frank,

I absolutely agree with you that these specific issues are local in nature and that they require local solutions. But regarding the broader issue of growing our sport as a whole, our clubs need the guidance and support of the SSA. It's their stated mission. And now, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, the SSA has the means to help ALL of our clubs by renovating their corporate foundations and receiving 501(c)(3) determinations, which would help them raise revenue, modernize, and grow. In its most basic terms:

1. The SSA's Board of Directors should approve and fund a program to actively help all clubs receive 501(c)(3) determinations.

2. The SSA should then contact each club to explain the program, and to develop a plan for that club.

3. Club volunteers, working with the SSA's 501(c)(3) experts, would then restructure the club.

Yes, some clubs have already received their 501(c)(3) determinations without a program like the one I'm proposing, but they are the exception to the norm. Most clubs aren't aware of the benefits 501(c)(3) offers, while others aren't willing to make the effort to get the certification. An SSA approved, funded and managed program would make the process convenient to everyone.

You mentioned my tenure as a club president. You helped me by pointing me in directions that wouldn't have ever occurred to me. With your guidance, our club was able to restructure, modernize, and grow. Yes, the 501(c)(3) determination was the big fish that got away. But if our small club could do what it did with the limited resources it had, imagine what an average club could do with greater resources.

Think globally but act locally.

Chris Fleming