A New Dawn for Phantom Regiment

Over the past year, the Phantom Regiment board of directors has taken a more aggressive approach to expanding our educational reach and improving our competitive success.
 
The financial pressures of maintaining a top-level presence have increased dramatically over the past few years, and it’s imperative that our income stream rise to the task.
 
With this in mind, our various committees (Development, Governance and Finance) have upped their game to unprecedented levels. This energy carried over into our recent board retreat where we tackled our obstacles and addressed our opportunities.

• The addition of Stan Mauldin as executive director was a lucky break for the organization. He joins us at a time of rapid change in the marching band scene in Illinois. In addition, his connections to the southern band markets have opened the door to an entire menu of possibilities there as well. We now find ourselves with more income opportunities than previously imagined. Stan is a driven, development-oriented talent who puts Phantom Regiment in a unique position for success.
   
• Stan’s immediate role is to understand our culture, bring an outside perspective to our programs and partnerships, and lead the organization’s overall exposure and growth.
   
• With a major commitment to the expansion of our alumni and supporter database, we have implemented Salesforce to consolidate all of our alumni contacts and fundraising programs. Merchandising and membership integrations will follow.
   
• We have developed three new, planned giving programs, showing immediate results.
   
• Over the next few months, we will announce a new fundraising event that will widely diversify our exposure and donor base while also aligning with several strategic partners.
   
• Stan has begun conversations with several organizations to partner, provide intellectual content expertise and design exciting new programs within the marching arts industry.
   
• Our commitment to drum corps success took a big shift over the past few months. We have hired a tremendous design team and instructional staff. We quietly fundraised to pay for this increased cost.  We retained almost 70% of our eligible membership. The average age of our membership will increase by 6 months. With many other factors, we believe the placement of the drum corps will significantly improve this year.
   
• We are excited that we have David Warren running the drum corps. He and his team are doing a fantastic job. And we are just as excited to have Lori Valenzuela as operations manager to keep the organization running smoothly.
   
• Phantom Regiment is transitioning. We have to evolve. Our drum corps is the foundation and crown jewel of the organization and its legacy will continue with the utmost focus on success. With that said, we also know there are opportunities out there. We are committed to seeing this organization become a best-in-class education operation. For now, all we can say is stand by, support us, and get excited for what’s about to happen.