New "Licensing Fee" for Kingdoms

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New "Licensing Fee" for Kingdoms

Postby ElSpeth Sharrisselva » Wed Jul 24, 2019 10:42 pm

You have seen the first item of importance from the 2019 Interkingdom Circle of Monarchs at Clan. It’s time for the second one. This is something which will change how we promote Amtgard and certainly impact our futures.

A proposal was made and accepted to impose a yearly $2,000.00 fee to each kingdom every year in perpetuity…payable to the Amtgard International Board of Directors. The first is due January 1, 2020. For lack of a better phrase, it is a “licensing fee” for the kingdoms to be part of Amtgard. I will fess up that I was the only monarch present who did not vote for it. If it were a one time cost, I have no doubts we could pull out the stops and meet the demand. I’m less certain about year after year. At any rate, it passed and we must live with the decision.

It IS a lot of money and so alternatives to a flat fee were tossed around. None of them stuck and the flat fee is what was voted in. The first thing it is to pay for is the legal fees for the trademark battle. After that, where the money ends up is decided by the AIBoD.

So what happens if we don’t pay? This first year there will be no penalties. After that—likely next Clan—what penalties applied will be decided. One strong “potential” is this: first year, stern warning; second year, the loss of a kingdom to give out higher awards; third year, the loss of a kingdom to grant knighthoods; fourth year…dissolution of the kingdom. This is serious business for us and so we must look to ways to meet this fee and not break ourselves in the process.

Now, Sir Gorin has some big fundraising ideas. Westmarch’s BoD has heard a few of them. He spoke of more at Clan. Sir Blackthorn and I have invited him (at our expense) to attend the kingdom althing at Feast of Odin this year. He will be our guest speaker and the first to speak at the althing. I ask you give him your full, open-minded attention and then let loose your questions. It is clear to me that we cannot succeed without solidarity and new perspectives with fundraising in this regard.
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ElSpeth Sharrisselva
 
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