Donate to the FlightPlan

[rines]

Ok.. I hate to say it, but is enough enough already?

Is anyone else now getting seriously sick of the actual requests to donate being pumped down their throats all the time?

I get that it is important and it is a big investment and needs more money but at a time when lots of us are struggling with cost of living increases, one of the highest memberships costs of ANY club in the league (thanks reserved seating only etihad home stadium deal) and it seems job losses every day.. I just feel they are going over the top to squeeze blood from an ever bigger stone.

The reality is that most of the money will come from big club donors/corporates and government anyway. Just feels like the message has become OTT and actually is having the opposite effect than intended. I feel LESS inclined to donate now than I ever have before and just wondered whether anyone else thinks we are overdoing it? Two emails and text message in one week? arghhhh

Oh and now you are finished reading this; Donate to the FlightPlan.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

Oh noes. Emails and text messages. What an inconvenience that must be.

That people are using certain aspects of the club's approach or whatever other little nitpicks they have with the administration as a rallying cry to not support the club they claim to support is really pretty disappointing, especially given what Evans and co have done for the fans in their administration already.

 

[Call Me Cake]

The club isn't putting a gun to your head.

You can donate as much as you like.

But yes, I do agree that sometimes you need to bite the bullet and go into debt. If it was truly an investment in terms of success for the club, then going into debt shouldn't be a concern as it will pay dividends 10, 20, 30+ years down the track. It's a part of being an organisation.

Meanwhile...

[YOUTUBE]cFuo3LoVWsk[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Jaymin]

Ok.. I hate to say it, but is enough enough already?

Is anyone else now getting seriously sick of the actual requests to donate being pumped down their throats all the time?

I get that it is important and it is a big investment and needs more money but at a time when lots of us are struggling with cost of living increases, one of the highest memberships costs of ANY club in the league (thanks reserved seating only etihad home stadium deal) and it seems job losses every day.. I just feel they are going over the top to squeeze blood from an ever bigger stone.

The reality is that most of the money will come from big club donors/corporates and government anyway. Just feels like the message has become OTT and actually is having the opposite effect than intended. I feel LESS inclined to donate now than I ever have before and just wondered whether anyone else thinks we are overdoing it? Two emails and text message in one week? arghhhh

Oh and now you are finished reading this; Donate to the FlightPlan.

You should donate to the flight plan.

 

[Drummer_19]

 

[rines]

KK.. the tribe has spoken.

Saturation media appears to have worked.

Donate to the FlightPlan.

 

[Drummer_19]

Or don't. No need to throw a fit.

 

[Tommy08]

Won't somebody think of the children?

i donated this morning

 

[Lord Nicholson]

If you're losing your job and can't pay the rent, Rines, I'm pretty sure that the club won't begrudge the fact that you can't spare $50, and by extension you should have no issue in just ignoring the Flight Plan push.

 

[rines]

I must have been somewhat unclear in my OP (as is my way) but I was talking about the fact that I feel the "donate to the FlightPlan" push has become overwhelming and thus LESS likely to attract donations than if the club had taken a less annoying approach rather than say the merits of the project or my own personal situation. But I can always count on you LN to be a complete tosser.

Donate to the FlightPlan.

 

[Tommy08]

I must have been somewhat unclear in my OP (as is my way) but I was talking about the fact that I feel the "donate to the FlightPlan" push has become overwhelming and thus LESS likely to attract donations than if the club had taken a less annoying approach rather than say the merits of the project or my own personal situation. But I can always count on you LN to be a complete tosser.

Donate to the FlightPlan.

The latests email IMO was the most necessary of all after the recent issue with Government funding. My view was that we were always getting Federal and State funding so 'why should I donate when it's already getting paid for'. With that now not being the case, I think you'll find a lot more people donating.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

but I was talking about the fact that I feel the "donate to the FlightPlan" push has become overwhelming and thus LESS likely to attract donations than if the club had taken a less annoying approach

Which is what I'm saying would be and is hugely disappointing. That people look for a reason to not donate if and when they're in a situation where they could.

 

[Burzum]

I just don't like that they have tried to guilt people into donating with stuff like "I've donated and you haven't so you're clearly not as passionate about the club as I am."

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I think the club is just trying to reinforce the absolute importance of this project.

Its reality: without proper training facilities, we can’t be continually competing for premierships in the long term. Our current set-up is literally that of a well-resourced local footy club.

If the club’s a bit frustrated I can understand it, reality is we have large sections of our supporter base which are smug, cynical and negative (not saying this applies to you rines, just something I’ve observed). Reckon the club might have learnt that. We have a lot of people who aren’t actually interested in supporting, they just like to be associated with something successful.

It’s just very important for the club. Whilst the goal of $5m from supporters was and is ridiculous, the results so far have been pretty poor. I’d encourage anyone to donate. Even if it’s $10, just chuck in something. And yes, I realise even that isn’t possible for a lot of people, and that’s fine. But I think a lot of people are capable of giving something, no matter how small, and aren’t out of spite. To them I’d say get the **** over yourselves and your petty hurt feelings, and try to recognise the overall goal. It’s a giant move toward something we all want, premierships.

 

[rines]

I just don't like that they have tried to guilt people into donating with stuff like "I've donated and you haven't so you're clearly not as passionate about the club as I am."

This is exactly what I mean.. the whole campaign seems to have been about guilt and questioning your dedication based on a $$ amount.

 

[Tommy08]

This is exactly what I mean.. the whole campaign seems to have been about guilt and questioning your dedication based on a $$ amount.

That's what you've made of it.

 

[VelvetSledge]

Won $350 on the Carlton game, donated it to the Flight Plan. After donating it doesn't seem to be that much of an issue, I can kind of ignore whilst thinking "Yeeaaahhh buddy I'm number oooooooone"

 

[Lord Nicholson]

This is exactly what I mean.. the whole campaign seems to have been about guilt and questioning your dedication based on a $$ amount.

But it's not based on a $ amount, nor has it ever been, nor was that ever Evans' implication in THAT address.

The only distinction that is being made is between donating, which could be any amount that you see fit, and not donating in any way, shape, or form. People are getting offended because they want to be, and see a convenient out from coughing up.

 

[Burzum]

This is exactly what I mean.. the whole campaign seems to have been about guilt and questioning your dedication based on a $$ amount.

I don't think it's based on how much you've donated, just whether you have or not.

 

[rines]

OK. so you ask once for a donation, we are cool with that.

You ask again for a donation, we maybe are cool with that.

You appeal at the end of the Hanger, we start to get a little overwhelmed.

You send another text message, we start to get a little sick of it.

You send another email AND text message, we are sick of it.

You make the entire focus of the footy club about donating rather than the team? I get angry.

Those who are going to donate probably already have, those who don't want to, won't EVER donate no matter how many stupid emails and texts you send. That is what I am trying to explain LN. Someone like yourself is probably a prime candidate for all mass marketing because you seem to not understand the human condition. This is the reason why the Salvo's or Red Cross have ONE door knocking collection every year, they don't come EVERY week to your house because eventually, and quickly, you would become irritated and sick of them 'calling' and thus would stop donating. EFC is fast approaching, if not passed for mine, the acceptable limit of what I would tolerate when an organisation is requesting money.

I understand they are pissed that we have 'only' handed over another $650,000 of our hard earned but seriously ask yourselves if they keep with this zealot approach to fundraising does it help or hinder the LONG TERM goals of the club?

Donate to the FlightPlan.

 

[rines]

I don't think it's based on how much you've donated, just whether you have or not.

Well I've donated and they are still sending me crap on a near weekly basis. And to all my fellow supporters who actually can't afford to donate right now? Don't worry I know you are still just as passionate about this club as you ever were.

Passion is not measure by wealth or whether you want to donate to the building of an ELITE training facility in the middle of nowhere but what your heart and soul tell you. I know many passionate supporters of our great club who haven't donated and will not donate now because of the ill will they feel about this campaign.

It is probably their views that have caused this whole thread in the first place. I feel we are alienating supporters of this club because it seems the club feels our whole focus of support should be donating to the FlightPlan..

Donate to the FlightPlan.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

Using the Salvos as a comparison point is nonsensical. That is a charity. The Essendon Football Club isn't. This is a short-term drive for a long-term gain. If it can actually be paid for then that's the last we hear of it when it's done and dusted. The more recent reinforcements are due to the fact that the club will be in danger of going into debt, something that the EFC shouldn't ever have to stoop to. The club is asking its members to help prevent that and maintain the financial power of one of the richest clubs in the league.

You can yell and scream as much as you want about the footy and go to bed with a Jay Neagle plush doll if you want, but if you're passionate about a football club and you want to be a part of that club, I don't understand why you would have any hangups about wanting to actually help said football club secure its future and its position in the league. Just being passionate about the players and loving them all to bits and being content with the way things are is bullshit, minnow, Footscray mentality. EFC supporters, passionate EFC supporters are classically hell-bent on seeing ultimate success, which is why historically the club has never tolerated protracted periods of being shizen. The word "support" should be a dead giveaway.

I understand that the constant niggling is frustrating and that the more aggressive nature of the campaign would annoy many, but if you're fair dinkum surely you can look through the packaging and dismiss the trinkets and realise that this is actually a watershed moment in the history of the the EFC and it is critical that it is done right. Donations to date have been underwhelming and that is in turn coupled with the state funding going kaput - logically, the answer is to push harder, not ease back and assume that it will sort itself out.

If you've already donated, then all power to you, and surely you can just ignore it and be content in the fact that you've already done your part. Why are you worried about how offended other people may or may not be? As for the "focus" of the club being shifted away from football and the players, we're one of 2 (count em, 2) clubs of the 18 in the league that have their own show on Fox Footy*, 90% of which is chiefly focused on the player guff that is being asked for.

*Collingwood have two, what with EMT, but there you go.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Well I've donated and they are still sending me crap on a near weekly basis. And to all my fellow supporters who actually can't afford to donate right now? Don't worry I know you are still just as passionate about this club as you ever were.

Passion is not measure by wealth or whether you want to donate to the building of an ELITE training facility in the middle of nowhere but what your heart and soul tell you. I know many passionate supporters of our great club who haven't donated and will not donate now because of the ill will they feel about this campaign.

It is probably their views that have caused this whole thread in the first place. I feel we are alienating supporters of this club because it seems the club feels our whole focus of support should be donating to the FlightPlan..

Donate to the FlightPlan.

I reckon it is.

If you don’t want to contribute to this (separate from actually not being able to), I’d question your passion for the Essendon FC and it’s future success.

I don’t know what more the club can do to underline the importance of this project.

The overwhelming message from people who don’t want to donate (again, separate from those actually not able to) is a resounding “What’s in it for me?”

 

[Kong]

I haven't received any e-mails or texts, fwiw.

I'm personally pretty tired of hearing the guilt trips and pleas, but that's because I'm going to donate when I'm financially able (have plenty of more important, pressing things to sort out first, starting with my rent and food), and no number of reminders is going to change that.

I'm tired of it, but it won't make me not donate.

 

[lemon chicken]

Got the email this morning, read it, deleted it. No big deal. They havent txt'd me but they've called a few times over the past 6 months. Haven't felt pressure to do anything.