latest fundraiser

[Baldrick]

linky............http://www.vulcantothesky.org/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4760

and here..........http://www.vulcantothesky.org/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4762

[Pujgnie]

Great idea and good to see things actually being done at LONG last.

It may be late in comming... but IMO this is 'Last Chance Saloon' time. Daily update of funding shows a HUGE dip in takings. Personally - I would have liked to see the event done a lot earlier in Feb, rather than near the deadline.

Hopefully local press and local TV coverage will follow the story. The funding situation should have been brought to the publics attention weeks ago via the National newspapers, but wasn't.

As usual... It's 11th hour stuff Some of it could have been avoided ages ago . Questions have been asked and ignored all along the way.

JMO

[MadNaddy]

Can I just play piggy in the middle here for a mo.............

This has taken a heck of a lot of organisation. They've actually brought it all forward from when it was originally being organised for, so it's all been rejiggled in order to (hopefully) bring in the much needed funds.

The logistics, the people to 'man' each location etc has all had to be sorted, as has the packages for each location etc. And the guys actually doing the scramble have to be taken into consideration here.

This isn't a minor thing here - this is a major event! No guessing as to why things have been quiet on the information front!

And, being ME here writing this post, you know for sure I'm not sticking up for anyone in particular. I'm just saying it as it is.

[Spitfire]

I agree it is good to see a larger scale major event - but I also agree with the previous post that it's very late and would have been better in January (re-jigged or not) - and can anyone honestly see it raising £3/4 million

I also remember Eddie saying he may have one final 'substantial' donation to make but wanted to 'keep his powder dry' till nearer the deadline - so with a combination of the 2 they may just scrape it But there's the rub it will always be in a financial scrape and it wont stop there will it - it's a bottomless pit and unfortunately without a longer term substantial sponsor it can't be kept going on a wing and a prayer and pledge pushes now and then - It will lurch from one crisis to the next as it already has a habit of doing

Sadly - in my view - its just not mathematically viable - much as I'd like it to be. It is a victim of the current financial climate where everyone I talk to about it in my sphere of friends and family says they have more pressing things to spend their hard earned money on than a big 4 engined bomber that they will probably never see (thinking about where I live).

Also I can't afford any more pushes on that edonate button - I have spent far far more than I should have done already
I will honour the pedge I've made if they get called in - but then I'll not give anymore. It needs big sponsorship not £20 here and £30 there and one major event.

So not wanting to be universally castigated as a doom monger pessimist and pariah - rather than a realist - I'll stay over here and more power to the ones with the optimism Good luck

[Xplumberlives]

Is this event really going to be big enough to fill the massive hole in the funds, without a change in the management, I can't see the project coming back from the edge of the abyss!

REALIST/PESIMIST you decide?

[Mayfly]

I don't think anyone exoects it to fill the funding gap, it's designed more to raise awareness & get media attention - but not sure a Sunday is the best time for that especially at this time of year, I know Norfolk & LIncolnshire radio /tv stations only have skeleton staffing at the w/e but it is good to see a different idea coming to the fore, I wish them the best of luck.

[XH558 Press Office]

With many thanks to one of our dedicated supporters, an official
PLEDGE VIDEO has been posted to YouTube.

Please see:


It reminds us of what we are fighting for.
Any support you can give will be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Any Press or Media wishing more information should contact: Richard Clarke - 07714 898548
For Sponsorship Opportunities please contact: Michael Trotter – 07803 141483

[MrTim]

Quite right Pam. It would be naive to think that this event would on its own bring in that kind of money directly, but it is a rather interesting event that hopefully will get the media's attention and gain us much needed publicity. Obviously just going bust these days is a non-event and not newsworthy, but hopefully this will be. Forget the £s - 2200 pledges so far isn't very good so God knows we need some decent coverage.

[MadNaddy]

Quite right Pam. It would be naive to think that this event would on its own bring in that kind of money directly, but it is a rather interesting event that hopefully will get the media's attention and gain us much needed publicity. Obviously just going bust these days is a non-event and not newsworthy, but hopefully this will be. Forget the £s - 2200 pledges so far isn't very good so God knows we need some decent coverage.

[Dee]

First time ive seen this video, its excellant!! well done

With many thanks to one of our dedicated supporters, an official
PLEDGE VIDEO has been posted to YouTube.

Please see:


It reminds us of what we are fighting for.
Any support you can give will be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Any Press or Media wishing more information should contact: Richard Clarke - 07714 898548
For Sponsorship Opportunities please contact: Michael Trotter – 07803 141483

[Mackrick]

Another piece in the latest edition of the RAF News, so 558 is getting the right coverage within the RAF.

[Saracenman]

as I've been banging on about for over 12 months now - it's publicity and awareness that'll save 558 - nowt else!

[MadNaddy]

as I've been banging on about for over 12 months now - it's publicity and awareness that'll save 558 - nowt else!

[RLN]

as I've been banging on about for over 12 months now - it's publicity and awareness that'll save 558 - nowt else!

Of course you are right. It's no good pandering to the TVOC forum as they are already converted. They need to go to to a bigger audience, and posting on UTube is a step in the right direction.

[Spitfire]

as I've been banging on about for over 12 months now - it's publicity and awareness that'll save 558 - nowt else!

Of course you are right. It's no good pandering to the TVOC forum as they are already converted. They need to go to to a bigger audience, and posting on UTube is a step in the right direction.

Yes I agree with that totally .... and one thing I am totally pi$$ed off with is the word 'pledge' - if I see or hear that one more time I shall .......well be very annoyed
I remember it being broadcast a while back that a years expenses were £1.5M ..... now the end of Feb target is £1.0M...... so what that says to me is about August/September time - whoops we are short of money - again - pledge again that's what REALLY gets to me the constant demand.

[Ducati Boy]

as I've been banging on about for over 12 months now - it's publicity and awareness that'll save 558 - nowt else!

Of course you are right. It's no good pandering to the TVOC forum as they are already converted. They need to go to to a bigger audience, and posting on UTube is a step in the right direction.

Yes I agree with that totally .... and one thing I am totally pi$$ed off with is the word 'pledge' - if I see or hear that one more time I shall .......well be very annoyed
I remember it being broadcast a while back that a years expenses were £1.5M ..... now the end of Feb target is £1.0M...... so what that says to me is about August/September time - whoops we are short of money - again - pledge again that's what REALLY gets to me the constant demand.

Well Spifire, whilst I agree with the need for more publicity such as the UTube video, the constant begging by various Charity organisations is a fact of life and will always be so and Vulcan to the Sky Trust is just a charity. I guess you must be p****d off with Oxfam, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research etc too then? They continually ask for "only £2 a month" and if they didn't they would get 3/5ths of 5/8ths of sweet FA from Joe Public and Zero from the idle rich!!. £2/month would be a very considerable sum if all the supporters who would or could afford to donate(won't say P***ge it actually did so. Most people with a hobby pay much more than that and it's less than 1/4 of a pint of beer a week! So the begging must go on.

However, whilst giving due credit to all the efforts made by employees,supporters of the club and volunteers, I do believe it may be time for a candid assessment of the whole money raising organisation, it's methodology and effectiveness. I am sure there may be adequately qualified supporters who could do this at no cost to the Trust. We really do need to reach out, for instance with an attention getting advert on prime time, National TV after Emmerdale and Corrie, to reach the masses and let them know what is really at stake. Nothing less is likely to grab the attention needed in the time we have left.

[Dan4th]

Is that you, Pat?

If it IS, then Welcome! Glad to see you....

If it ISN'T, Welcome! Glad to see you anyway!

Dan4th

[Spitfire]

Well Spifire, whilst I agree with the need for more publicity such as the UTube video, the constant begging by various Charity organisations is a fact of life and will always be so and Vulcan to the Sky Trust is just a charity. I guess you must be p****d off with Oxfam, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research etc too then? They continually ask for "only £2 a month" and if they didn't they would get 3/5ths of 5/8ths of sweet FA from Joe Public and Zero from the idle rich!!. £2/month would be a very considerable sum if all the supporters who would or could afford to donate(won't say P***ge it actually did so. Most people with a hobby pay much more than that and it's less than 1/4 of a pint of beer a week! So the begging must go on.

However, whilst giving due credit to all the efforts made by employees,supporters of the club and volunteers, I do believe it may be time for a candid assessment of the whole money raising organisation, it's methodology and effectiveness. I am sure there may be adequately qualified supporters who could do this at no cost to the Trust. We really do need to reach out, for instance with an attention getting advert on prime time, National TV after Emmerdale and Corrie, to reach the masses and let them know what is really at stake. Nothing less is likely to grab the attention needed in the time we have left.

Yes I agree that there is a constant hammering on our doors and conciousness by loads of charities - and you're also right the odd £2 in a collecting box here and £3 there mounts up - but I do feel that with - for instance - the Cancer research charity your money gos to cancer research ALL THE TIME - summer or winter day and night.
Poor old 558 needs copious amounts of money thrown at her just to stand still in a big hangar doing nothing for weeks and months on end. And yes you are right I spend a fair amount on my hobby - but again I get to enjoy my hobby every day - I see what I get for my money and I get to use it when I want to use it. So the analogies you use are sort of accepted but not the same at all.

There was once a scheme down here for everyone to arrange a standing order for £1 a month to go to our local air ambulance helicopter - if everyone in the county did it we could keep it flying for ever at no cost to anyone - but I soon discovered that the £1 standing orders actually arranged wouldn't fill the fuel tanks once a month. Now that was for a helicopter air ambulance that Joe Public might use themselves and might save their lives - but it didn't get supported like they expected - so what chance a large plane that they get no use or pleasure from except to look at ??

Its not even like Tornado - she had loads of money thrown at her when being built and she cost a lot of money - but now she can drag train loads of her supporters arround the country - which they pay for - and she can do that all year round. What do supporters of 558 get in 'the dead months' ..... nothing.
558 needs a big corporate sponsor and very soon - not pledge schemes and the odd donation here and there. But the credit crunch has bitten hard and I suspect the sponsors think a bit like me - what do they get when she's in the hangar??

Don't misunderstand me though - I love the sight of 558 flying - there is NOTHING like it - and I've donated and pledged amounts to originally get her in the air - but now is the time to switch to bigger funding and the lack of that coming forward is VERY telling - do people want to be associated with a bomber - or a billboard they can't write on??

It's a puzzle I know - and I agree with your second paragraph - but personally I do not feel able to support her financially any more.

[Saracenman]

funnily enough Tornado has never had funding problems like we have (in fact last years was their best financial year to date!) - it's just been run by folk who know what they're doing and have kept a very keen focus on what their project was all about

sadly, the education focus intelligently realised by the HLF all those months and years ago seemed to have been largely forgotten about with 558 - just a damned good job that they are finally beginning to see it!

sm

[Mayfly]

I'm not sure just how fair it is compare the ease of funding of Tornado to 588.

Tornado for instance cost £3m over 20 years - 588 £7m over 5years (ish)? Surely that means they didn't need to have such large & aggressive pushes for funding, something that has put a lot of supporters off side as they see it as whatever they give it is not enough....... & as for the last 2 years being Tornados best, I would expect funding to increase the nearer she got to running.

I agree that the management of Tornado appear to have got it right & some big lessons can learned from them............but only if we are willing to listen

[Xplumberlives]

I'm not sure just how fair it is compare the ease of funding of Tornado to 588.

Tornado for instance cost £3m over 20 years - 588 £7m over 5years (ish)? Surely that means they didn't need to have such large & aggressive pushes for funding, something that has put a lot of supporters off side as they see it as whatever they give it is not enough....... & as for the last 2 years being Tornados best, I would expect funding to increase the nearer she got to running.

I agree that the management of Tornado appear to have got it right & some big lessons can learned from them............but only if we are willing to listen

is that the "ROYAL" WE?

[Mayfly]

I was being diplomatic XP [if thats possible for an ex armourer]

[Wedgy]

It all boils down to personal choice/taste at the end of the day. Some are drawn to certain causes or ways of fund raising, others a totally different way.

For example, I am drawn to donate more to Sponsorship events or old fashioned ways of raising money for causes I believe in. In 558's case, I was more drawn to the scramble than the pledging, but preferred the pledging to the one off donating on the site.

If a good cause has five channels of funding, you can bet that supporters will rarely all agree that ALL five are worthwhile. But its the organisations job to get the marketing right and sell the worthiness/effectiveness of each channel of funding.

[IanM]

Just a reminder that a link to an interactive map with all the Scramble locations is http://tinyurl.com/Vulcan-Scramble

[Saracenman]

blimey that map shows the scale of the whole thing doesn't it? thanks IanM

sm