profit chess organization/non-profit chess organization

Chess Clubs
1

Is there more for profit chess organization where you live?

Do some organizers participate in both? Is there tension (with other organizers) if they do?

-------------------About us---------in Central Alabama----------------------------

I stopped playing chess for about 10 years (or longer) and came back a year or two ago. One big change is the increased number of for-profit chess organizers in chiefly tournament organization (but also Chess Tutoring and books)

None of them locally are anything like Cagen (sp) Chess but one does have at least a lot of tournaments.

Unfortunately there is tension with some players and perhaps some of it is justifiable (odd use of the club checking acc’t/personality conflict). Also this organizer (and another a little further way) are involved with a non-profit organizations (our club in the primary example)

But possibly the biggest problem is that some player don’t like for-profit chess organizers. Or rather the second biggest problem. The biggest problem is likely personality clash

So anyway I am trying to understand comparable situations.

2

Whether one is a for-profit organizer or a non-profit organizer is not really the issue.

The real questions are: How much money is being collected? Who is it being collected from? On what basis is it being collected (dues, entry fees, sponsorships, donations, tuition, program fees)? How is that money being spent? To whom is it being disbursed?

“For-profit” and “non-profit” organizers can both charge money for what they do, and disburse money to employees, prizewinners, contractors or for other expenses.

So what’s the beef?

3

seems to be the beef in this situation.

Club members do have some right of ownership of how the club assets are used.

But perhaps I wasn’t clear. I am not condemning either activity (for-profit or not-for-profit). I am trying to understand trends and reactions.

If it isn’t a problem in your area; cool beans

4

Here’s a trend: In our state, people who are involved in chess tend to be involved in multiple ways. A tournament organizer might also be a high school coach. A chess teacher may also be the leader of a local club. Someone who runs a chess-related business might be on the state affiliate board. There’s always a potential for conflicts of interest.

Another trend: There have been earlier forum discussions on “ownership” of clubs. Chess players want to show up at a club and play, but hesitate to volunteer or serve as club officers. So the club ends up with one leader who does all the work and figures he can make unilateral decisions for the club, including decisions about club funds (assuming there are any funds!). That’s a club governance problem, and it happens in non-chess groups, too.

5

Oftentimes, even if the use of the funds are voted on, many club members are hesitant to vote in opposition to the primary leader(s). I’ve found that sometimes both pro and anti arguments need to be mentioned by the proposer before there is any real discussion and thus membership buy-in.
This can become even more of an issue if it is the activities of the leader(s) that brought in the majority of the club’s funds.