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Tom Stuff - Archived Article |
Sail MV annual dinner and auction is a success
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Synopsis: Tom reports on plans and status of Sail MV Source: The Martha's Vineyard Times, July 14, 2005 |
More than 300 guests helped Sail Martha's Vineyard raise better than $100,000 at the nonprofit's dinner and auction Saturday evening at the Tisbury Wharf Company. The annual seafood buffet, known widely as a great party, helps to fund ongoing operations for Sail Martha's Vineyard, whose mission is to "celebrate the maritime heritage" of the Vineyard.
"We still have some calculations to make, but it appears that we will net just over $100.000, which is enough to sustain the free Island youth sail training program and start to reach out to a broader audience," said Tom Rancich, executive director. "However, I am more interested in judging success based on the excitement in the room. I received a great deal of comments, questions and advice on the expanded focus of Sail Martha's Vineyard. People were very supportive of the merger effort with Vineyard Voyagers and the energy from the launching of Grace [a volunteer-built rowing gig, one of two that will be crewed by Islanders in rowing competitions] certainly carried into the seafood buffet. People like the idea of adding programs and encouraged me to reach more people and to increase the attention on maritime heritage."
Sail Martha's Vineyard's total expenses were approximately $184,000 in fiscal 2004. Seventy-one percent of that funded the free Island youth sail training programs or supported the high school sailing team. Twenty-six percent of the remaining overhead was attributed to mandatory insurance.
Mr. Rancich said this deployment of funds testifies to the organization's sharp focus on delivering service to the community and not wasting money on overhead.
"As SAIL MV begins to grow," Mr. Rancich explained in a press statement, "this virtue is central to the planning process."
John Christensen, chairman of the Sail MV board, was delighted by the festive evening.
"I think the auction went very well, and the raw numbers look good, but I think that Sail Martha's Vineyard has gotten to the point where we can no longer count on one event to sustain us. For years, we've been scaring ourselves with the threat of a three-day northeaster on the day of the auction, so that, combined with our growth, plans have us looking at diversifying our events and providing more value rather than begging for more money.
"The important thing here," Mr. Christensen said, "is that with very little advertising, our attendance was strong. People are interested, and even if they can't throw down large chunks of cash they still want to be involved, and they like being around people who like being involved."
To accommodate the interest of so many, Sail Martha's Vineyard will reopen the Seafarers Center in Vineyard Haven to support local maritime activities and transient boaters. The nonprofit plans another fun effort at the Agricultural Fair and looks ahead to sponsoring more events on the water. People interested in volunteering or otherwise being involved should call 508-696-7644.
"We still have some calculations to make, but it appears that we will net just over $100.000, which is enough to sustain the free Island youth sail training program and start to reach out to a broader audience," said Tom Rancich, executive director. "However, I am more interested in judging success based on the excitement in the room. I received a great deal of comments, questions and advice on the expanded focus of Sail Martha's Vineyard. People were very supportive of the merger effort with Vineyard Voyagers and the energy from the launching of Grace [a volunteer-built rowing gig, one of two that will be crewed by Islanders in rowing competitions] certainly carried into the seafood buffet. People like the idea of adding programs and encouraged me to reach more people and to increase the attention on maritime heritage."
Sail Martha's Vineyard's total expenses were approximately $184,000 in fiscal 2004. Seventy-one percent of that funded the free Island youth sail training programs or supported the high school sailing team. Twenty-six percent of the remaining overhead was attributed to mandatory insurance.
Mr. Rancich said this deployment of funds testifies to the organization's sharp focus on delivering service to the community and not wasting money on overhead.
"As SAIL MV begins to grow," Mr. Rancich explained in a press statement, "this virtue is central to the planning process."
John Christensen, chairman of the Sail MV board, was delighted by the festive evening.
"I think the auction went very well, and the raw numbers look good, but I think that Sail Martha's Vineyard has gotten to the point where we can no longer count on one event to sustain us. For years, we've been scaring ourselves with the threat of a three-day northeaster on the day of the auction, so that, combined with our growth, plans have us looking at diversifying our events and providing more value rather than begging for more money.
"The important thing here," Mr. Christensen said, "is that with very little advertising, our attendance was strong. People are interested, and even if they can't throw down large chunks of cash they still want to be involved, and they like being around people who like being involved."
To accommodate the interest of so many, Sail Martha's Vineyard will reopen the Seafarers Center in Vineyard Haven to support local maritime activities and transient boaters. The nonprofit plans another fun effort at the Agricultural Fair and looks ahead to sponsoring more events on the water. People interested in volunteering or otherwise being involved should call 508-696-7644.
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