I'm wanting to start a fencing club in my home town that will be open to the general public, but cater primarily to all the local high schools that surround my town. Right now I'm in the process of gathering a public census of how popular a fencing club would be by sending out emails, Twitter and Facebook updates, and posting information on Craig's List. So far I have a decent amount of interest, but I'm lacking the personal funding to purchase (or lease) a building large enough to hold pratices (and eventually tournaments) in, as well as purchasing enough dry gear to do even a basic intro class.
I'm wondering if there are any grants besides the ones offered by the USFA for a starting club, or possibly other ways to get money to offset the cost of a building, equipment, and advertising. Anybody have any ideas?
I've also checked with my local YMCA about offering fencing classes in their building, but being centrally located in Indiana means that basketball get priority over any other sport, so their courts are reserved for basketball only, and despite them having 3 gyms, there appearently isn't enough room to let me have half a court to do a fencing class.
I think it's going to be extraordinarily hard for you to start with a dedicated-space facility, given that you appear to have minimal, if any, capital available.
Talking to the Y was a good first step. Now go talk to every community center around. Churches that might have gyms or multi-purpose facilities. Schools that have the same. The local municipal recreation departments. Parks.
For equipment you're likely going to need at least a little bit of start-up capital. Have the first X week session cost $Y, where $Y is enough to buy a set of basic equipment. Use that first session to repay yourself what you needed to spend. Use the next X weeks to build the stocks up more. At some point you have plenty and start using the proceeds to buy different equipment, including eventually strip equipment (THIS session is for a machine. THIS session is for reels.). At some point you have enough (for now) of everything, so you can start paying yourself for your time. You also now have a club.
If you have some additional capital available at the start you can jump a couple of rounds. If you need to bootstrap it then the above will work. If you really are sitting a $0, the first one is slightly tricky as you have to get money before you have equipment. Have the first week be nothing but footwork and use the tuition to get equipment in-hand before week 2.
-B
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"Oh but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you!"
I'm wanting to start a fencing club in my home town that will be open to the general public, but cater primarily to all the local high schools that surround my town. Right now I'm in the process of gathering a public census of how popular a fencing club would be by sending out emails, Twitter and Facebook updates, and posting information on Craig's List. So far I have a decent amount of interest, but I'm lacking the personal funding to purchase (or lease) a building large enough to hold pratices (and eventually tournaments) in, as well as purchasing enough dry gear to do even a basic intro class.
I'm wondering if there are any grants besides the ones offered by the USFA for a starting club, or possibly other ways to get money to offset the cost of a building, equipment, and advertising. Anybody have any ideas?
I've also checked with my local YMCA about offering fencing classes in their building, but being centrally located in Indiana means that basketball get priority over any other sport, so their courts are reserved for basketball only, and despite them having 3 gyms, there appearently isn't enough room to let me have half a court to do a fencing class.
Do it right.
Creae a presentation you can market to local companies in photoshop/illustrator, etc. Tell them what you want the space to look like and so forth. Create 3-5 levels of sponsorship starting in $5k increments
Start a not for profit immediately. Go to local companies and get sponsorships.
Go to local building suppliers and flooring companies. Ask the to donate materials and time. if not then materials. You never know unless you ask.
finally find a space in a minimall that is middle of the road. Preferably one that has lost a major anchor tenant. You might work out a deal that looks something like this:
1) 3-5 year lease with graduated increases in rent.
Year one, free... but its donated to you so you give him a receipt for tax time.
Year two 50% of negotiated rent. The other 50% same deal
Year 3 75% of negotiated rent.
Etc.
You'll need to seek out someone who is familiar with not for profit tax accounting. It seems to me however that the above is doable. If not exactly as above, the solution is similar.
All of this savings should then be set aside for rainy day fund.
Many, MANY Aikido Dojo around the country do something similar. Often what happens is that one student ends up being the landlord and gifts the space to the not for profit for use. He may or may not get a receipt depending on what the tax law is.
Another student might provide flooring, another might provide carpenter skills and fixtures, etc.
Often those students build live in space for themselves and become uchideshi(primary, live-in students).
Aikido uses a very costly, costly expensive sprung floor system. i've built many of them as gifts to help them spread what they know. Aikido is good stuff.
Seems to me there is so little money in fencing that people without the necessary savoir faire to do the above cannot make it.
I havent consulted a NFP tax attorney on this but it should be possible to have a yearly suggested donation of x dollars, to which a fee is added if they wish to have it debited monthly from the bank account.
If they wish to have private lessons with a MdA then those are actually 'paid' for. I SERIOUSLY urge the OP to consider 'PACKAGES' that both the MdA and the student adhere to. it should never be possible for someone to pay for ONE private. At minimum its like 4 or something. Missed lessons are not refunded. Its too much hassle.
Finally, it should be made clear that any MDA salary arrangement made should INCLUDE strip presence for any competitive fencer.
Your club should handle registration with the USFA as part of the suggested yearly donation. That way you can give the appearance of controlling who becomes a 2nd tier(higher priced) competitve fencer who gets the wonderful benefit of strip time from your MdA's.
That's how I would do it.
FF
PS: The one MANDATORY thing should be that students at all levels greet the prospective newcomer and family. Say hi. Offer them coffee. Get the parents to feel at home. Make them eat something. Nothing clinches a sale like getting someone to eat something.
Last edited by fatfencer; 06-08-2009 at 10:59 AM..
I believe the most recent American Fencing had an article about setting up a new club.
The next issue will have an article about what goes in a business plan and discussing general steps to creating one.
Those, and non-fencing-specific resources might prove useful to you. Without this level of detailed planning done ahead of time it should be very difficult to get donations or loans. And considerably more difficult to be successful.
-B
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"Oh but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you!"
One of the problems in starting a large club, fully formed from the start, is that the financial community does not have a good business model for a fencing club. This does not mean that you should avoid looking for grants or donations (I, too, am a big fan of organizing a fencing club along a nonprofit model) but it does mean that you will have to have a very compelling plan, with considerably more detail and research than another type of business.
The more work you do before you walk into a room to pitch a donation, or to apply for a grant, and even before you lay down a sheet of plywood for a floor, the better.
My own experiance with fencing clubs is not to be afraid to start small, and build a base of fencers to draw expertise, information, and even funds from. If you've done your homework right, and you really have a product you can "sell" to the community, you may find that after a modest start, your club will fund its own expansion.
My own experiance with fencing clubs is not to be afraid to start small, and build a base of fencers to draw expertise, information, and even funds from. If you've done your homework right, and you really have a product you can "sell" to the community, you may find that after a modest start, your club will fund its own expansion.
I will agree with Allen's comments above. Fatfencer's idea is bold, but premature. Until you have a base of students and an actual program to pitch, you're not likely to get many donations. Nobody wants to throw money away, so you need to first demonstrate you know what you're doing, business-wise.
Brad's idea to keep things cheap and simple makes sense, though I'd argue (quite strongly, in fact) that his financial advice is meaningless. The idea that your first session (whatever "session" means) costs only enough to pay for equipment is an unnecessary constraint. There are a lot of factors determining pricing--how wealthy the neighborhood is, how many students you can expect to bring in, how your program is structured, what your expenses will be, etc. Only by understanding these components will you be able to correctly plan out your finances.
That being said, since I'm sure you don't really know anything about starting or running a business, I'd suggest beginning by keeping your expenses as low as possible and minimize your risk as much as possible.
I would definitely argue against signing a lease for any space until you have a base of students and a decent understanding of the business side of a fencing club.
basketball courts are not a requirement. i'd suggest looking into aerobic-type rooms. you could look at other fitness centers if there are any for rooms of appropriate sizes.
like it has already been said, start small and build up. you don't want to drop a lot of your own time and money into something that fails after 3 months.
I believe the most recent American Fencing had an article about setting up a new club.
I was quite excited when I saw that actually. It answered a few questions I had thought of already.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason
I will agree with Allen's comments above. Fatfencer's idea is bold, but premature. Until you have a base of students and an actual program to pitch, you're not likely to get many donations. Nobody wants to throw money away, so you need to first demonstrate you know what you're doing, business-wise.
That being said, since I'm sure you don't really know anything about starting or running a business, I'd suggest beginning by keeping your expenses as low as possible and minimize your risk as much as possible.
I like the idea of getting a student base first and that's what I've been trying to do. However, I have no place to hold practices. For the time being I've been giving private lessons in my attic, but the floor is not entirely level and there it is super hot during the summer (even with all three windows open and four fans running).
Both my mom and dad have college degrees in business and marketing and my dad used to run his own contracting business before getting a job as a building trades teacher at a local vocational school, so I'm getting help from both of them on developing the business plan and some of the budgeting issues (like how much to charge for lessons if the rent is $x and equipment is $y per month).
Any suggestions about how I would be able to successfully pitch the idea to a local church to try and use their gym? Or possibly talking with local school administrators about offering after-school fencing programs? Having worked for several of the high schools in my area as a computer tech, I already know most of the administration, but again since I'm in Indiana, basketball takes priority over everything else so I would really have to convince them it's a worthwhile investment.
Nine years ago a group of 6 or so experienced fencers at Richmond Fencing Club decided that we wanted to grow the Club enough to have our own fulltime space and be self supporting. We were sneaking into the local University gym, and they eventually figured out that none of us were students. We started by renting a small aerobics/dance space at a local athletic club for 3 hours a week in the evening, taught alot of beginner classes, practiced when we could, bought some equipment, banked our money. Five years later were at the point where we were renting the dance space 3 times a week, had outgrown the size of the space, and had about $10,000 in the bank. At this point we also hired a part time Head Coach to run afternoon classes...classic catch-22 of "we need more club hours to teach classes, but more hours cost more rent money" We all had day jobs, and we needed someone to make money for the Club while we worked.
With our 10K, which seemed like alot of money at the time, we started shopping for a space to rent and were able to lease a 5300sqft warehouse space with heat and AC...which isn't that easy to find. After deposits, utilities, and building a $6000 sprung athletic floor we were basically broke again. Fast forward almost 4 years and a ton of hard work and were back to a decent cushion in the bank, about 150 members, 6 strips (2 grounded), 40 sets of Club equipment and looking to expand again.
I'm not telling you any of this to brag, although I am proud of what my teammates were able to accomplish, but to point out that sometimes just putting in the hard work and being patient is the answer to getting what you want. Lots of people want to have a fencing Club...not very many want to do the work necessary to nuture and grow it correctly.
since I'm in Indiana, basketball takes priority over everything else so I would really have to convince them it's a worthwhile investment.
You're framing this the wrong way. If you were trying to put together a basketball club, you'd be screwed since, after all, you're in Indiana and everyone already plays basketball. You're offering something different. This gives you an advantage.
Call church administrators and ask them about how available their community space is for rental. Churches are businesses too and they need to pay bills. If my people are allowed in Indiana, you might want to check the synagogues as well--for some reason, people are always renting church basements and forgetting about the shuls, so they may be more available. Making it clear that your business is youth oriented may be helpful.
Pitching your services to schools for after-school programs is something different because rather than you paying the landlords (as with the church) for the space, you're asking the "landlords" (the school) to pay you for a service. As such you need to put together marketing tools (your pitch, maybe some brochures, whatever) advertising what services your business has to offer. Remember: you're not asking the schools for anything; you're offering them something.
I'll reinforce Jason's post: you're approach to organizations is to emphasize the unique character of the sport, your involvement with youth AND adults (incluidng age groups that may not be addressed by basketball) and your contributions to sports diversity and unique experiances in the community, as well as your own skills.
Approaching these organizations as a penitant is not the path you want to take.
And to reinforce Tom's post: Salle Auriol Seattle was meeting in the carpeted corner of a commercial bakery when I first joined it (I had to walk by rows of bread machines on my first visit to the club). It had something like ten members. It moved from that location to a series of small gyms until it found the back storage room of an electronics shop, which it retrofitted and started holding classes. Less than 10 years later, Salle Auriol has something like 5,000 square feet of space and more than a hundred members.
Gary Copeland, of NCFC, started his club in an outdoor park, under some trees (as he tells it).
Your first space doesn't have to be a world class facility, it just has to be a space that you can meet in regularly and that students KNOW you will be there (rain or shine). Conduct your teaching and business in a professional manner, and soon enough, you'll outgrow where ever you've started.
Just to reiterate what some others have said. Do NOT sign a lease without a reasonable knowledge of your customer base, income and expenses. I have friends that are both high level black belts in Karate. The did not follow the above advice for their dojo, and wound up in bankruptcy, which plagued them for many years afterwards.
basketball courts are not a requirement. i'd suggest looking into aerobic-type rooms. you could look at other fitness centers if there are any for rooms of appropriate sizes.
like it has already been said, start small and build up. you don't want to drop a lot of your own time and money into something that fails after 3 months.
Aerobic rooms are much more preferable. Basketball courts tend to be much dirtier and high-traffic. Aerobic/dance rooms will have higher quality, cleaner floors, and maybe even mirrors.
Aerobic rooms are much more preferable. Basketball courts tend to be much dirtier and high-traffic. Aerobic/dance rooms will have higher quality, cleaner floors, and maybe even mirrors.
Very, very true. Try executing a good lunge on a floor slippery with dust. You may find it ends in the splits.
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Never try to say something witty just for the sake of filling a form field.
An off topic bit of advice for you: Incorporate! It will help you avoid personal losses just in case there are financial or legal problems with your club.
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"If I were ever to challenge you to a duel, your best bet would be battle axes in a very dark basement." Misquoted from The Prisoner
"Technical excellence is the antecedant of tactical creativity." - Nat Goodhartz
But those things which belong neither to God nor to Caeser, feeleth free to writeth them off, for yea, they are deductable.
An off topic bit of advice for you: Incorporate! It will help you avoid personal losses just in case there are financial or legal problems with your club.
this reminds me: does anyone have any thoughts/comments/whatever on running a club/salle/venue/whatever as a 501c?
I can't think of any reason NOT to run a full time club as a 501c(3) corporation.
I'm 100% supporting of nonprofits...but how exactly would an individual earn an income from such a venture? Coaches do need to be paid, after all...unless you're forming a club for more social reasons, rather than competition.
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Never try to say something witty just for the sake of filling a form field.
There is this myth that non-profits aren't "allowed to make money" or that "you have to volunteer if you work for a non-profit". I'm not sure where these ideas come from. A non-profit corporation has some limitations on paying "reasonable" compensation and isn't allowed to distribute profits to shareholders, but otherwise functions much like a for-profit corporation, with the advantage of operating without a Federal Tax burden, access to State and Federal grant money (with due application) and other benefits.
As a sole-proprieter, no, you couldn't set up a non-profit to benefit yourself (there has to be a functioning board of directors and some other requirements) but certainly as a coach/employee for a non-profit, you can draw a salary, assuming the non-profit makes money.
If someone's goal is to open up a club and be the sole administrator, office manager, coach, janitor and Tyrant of the Day, then, no, a non-profit wouldn't be the ideal set up for them. But any group of people thinking of opening a club should investigate the requirements for a non-profit and seriously consider organizing under that umbrella.
If someone's goal is to open up a club and be the sole administrator, office manager, coach, janitor and Tyrant of the Day, then, no, a non-profit wouldn't be the ideal set up for them.
Don't forget making unreasonable amounts of compensation/profit.
-B
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"Oh but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you!"
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