Official 2015 Oregon Rockfish Classic Announcment

I will have an update on prizes and all by weeks end as we are still signing with some new vendors but the larger commitments are starting to really take hold and promise a great payout to those lucky to place!

I'm not seeing the BIG prizes going to raffle? By your wording as prizes there not "gambling" and I was told by how that the simple and only answer for donations is " talk to your financial adviser to see if your particular situation is tax deductible" not a simple "no".

There are also fine lines to walk with the write-offs with tournaments- lot of federal red tape that simply isnt worth the risk to reward ratio for these organizations.  Also with our events benefiting 2 different organizations things do get more complicated so at end of day most vendors will chalk it up as a Marketing Expense and call it good.  The amount of direct donations that are solicited to them are ridiculously high- they have all the tax writeoffs they can use and then some.

I would like to thank everyone that is organizing this year's event and the prior years events that have taken place, Craig, Jeff, Michael and Mark plus others that I am not aware of. I have done similar events in past and it is ALOT of work. Time passes and things change. If someone is not happy about event, that's easy just don't come. At least you know before what the awards are going to be.

On another front..... Many think that there is something magical about donating items for this type of event or any event. Bottom line when someone donates an item to this type of event the only deduction for tax purposes is what they paid for it, that's it... You donate a $1,000 fish finder that costs you $500 then your donation is only going to be your cost. You donate 2 weeks for a timeshare you own that is "worth" $2,000 to someone your donation on that is Zero/natta/nothing.
Why Zero because donating the "use of something" for the donor is not deductible because you have not given up any future rights to it.

After 30 + years of doing and owning my tax practice, and going though and winning audits, I got a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about. 

So, every dollar that has ever been raised for HOW through raffles should of never been collected by HOW? We are talking thousands of dollars here. Sorry, I seriously did not know that. I know there are certain steps or methods needed so HOW can access this money and supply a 501c, but I had no idea that all that money you've been collecting and giving to HOW for years was unacceptable.

That's too bad, I've been talking with Derrick (HOW) and we were hoping to donate some raffle funds this year from Lowrance Rockfish event which he volunteers for. Hopefully we can figure this out, he's a cool cat and possibly get you HOW guys some loot. I plan on contacting my tax guy and Jim from HOW corp directly and get a better understanding.

Again sorry, I was under the impression based on years of past experiences that it was OK to give HOW raffle funds. So I guess you could just have everyone at ORC write a check to HOW for $25 directly, that would fix it. You could still have a raffle and use that money along with the remaining $25 from entry. Use these funds for tourney expenses and cash prizes for top 10 and maybe still be able to buy a boat. You just need to do the raffle first. Just a thought.

 I really hope that everything works out great for NWKA for an awesome event. You guys have a great club. Unfortunately me and the crew will have to miss this one but maybe next year. Take care guys n be safe out there.

Mike

It seems like a lot of this discussion could be broken off into a separate thread.

So, every dollar that has ever been raised for HOW through raffles should of never been collected by HOW? We are talking thousands of dollars here. Sorry, I seriously did not know that. I know there are certain steps or methods needed so HOW can access this money and supply a 501c, but I had no idea that all that money you've been collecting and giving to HOW for years was unacceptable.

That's too bad, I've been talking with Derrick (HOW) and we were hoping to donate some raffle funds this year from Lowrance Rockfish event which he volunteers for. Hopefully we can figure this out, he's a cool cat and possibly get you HOW guys some loot. I plan on contacting my tax guy and Jim from HOW corp directly and get a better understanding.

Again sorry, I was under the impression based on years of past experiences that it was OK to give HOW raffle funds. So I guess you could just have everyone at ORC write a check to HOW for $25 directly, that would fix it. You could still have a raffle and use that money along with the remaining $25 from entry. Use these funds for tourney expenses and cash prizes for top 10 and maybe still be able to buy a boat. You just need to do the raffle first. Just a thought.

 I really hope that everything works out great for NWKA for an awesome event. You guys have a great club. Unfortunately me and the crew will have to miss this one but maybe next year. Take care guys n be safe out there.

Mike

I or the HOW coordinators I am sure are happy to discuss this with you offline as Jeff pointed out but basically a Not for Profit can not in themselves conduct a raffle.  Benefit raffles must be hosted by a 3rd party and the items are in most cases not treated as tax deductible by the vendors as they are not given directly to the cause.

Where buying a boat becomes a concern is that if we spend 1500.00 on a boat that is 30 participants full entry fee just for a prize.  Are we going to draw an additional 30+ people that we wouldnt have without a boat to ensure this is profitable?  And if used as a raffle item will we sell at least that much in tickets that we wouldnt sell with other prizes that could be offered in a raffle situation at no cost to the event?

If youd like to discuss further I am always available to openly hear your thoughts and have a discussion to find a way for everybody to win.

CJ, thanks I will talk to HOW and my tax guy to figure it out. HOW is a great cause and we'll figure it out down here.

Where buying a boat becomes a concern is that if we spend 1500.00 on a boat that is 30 participants full entry fee just for a prize.  Are we going to draw an additional 30+ people that we wouldnt have without a boat to ensure this is profitable?

No need to talk off line, I think transparency is the best practices when it comes to a club event. Guys already know NA is a great retailer and a supporter of NWKA, this will only I think enhance that relationship.  Also let's not use the word profit, ever. This is a non-profit event.

In my experience, I feel that having a boat will get you a good draw, especially if it's a great angler boat, Threasher or something, a salt boat. Now since NA is running this thing, they can easily bring a boat with them, leave it on the truck and if you guys meet the admission quota to pay for the boat, so be it.

You said 30 participants, look at years pasts, you've had a 100+, that's more than enough to get a boat.  Now I'm not saying peeps are showing just to win prizes, I know it's way more than that. But having a boat to raffle off, 1 entry per registered angler and a grab bag, this should get you some numbers. Any extra funds can be used for cash prizes. Now guys are not dumb, they know how many folks have attended, how much that boat costs, they can do the math.

Now since NA is not taking the HOW write off and since all the manufacturers who supplied the raffle product are 3rd party, well there is your PIF funds from the raffle. So raffle these items using the individual item collection bags, give HOW the proceeds after subtracting random expenses (potluck, ice , etc.) as I suggested earlier. That should make them very happy.

And if used as a raffle item will we sell at least that much in tickets that we wouldnt sell with other prizes that could be offered in a raffle situation at no cost to the event?

The above should answer this question. Raffle sales from manufacturer sponsored items only, not the boat, it's free to enter as a registered angler for ORC.

So again you'll have HOW with fat donation, Guys happy they can win a boat and ca$h, plus a raffle that you can enter your tickets into on items you want to win. That's about it, you can adjust however but you see the bottom line!

CJ, It's a lot of work, I think you'll do a great job and let guys know that NA has their backs and supports the club 100%. Good luck man.

I think we all need to take a deep breath and exhale. Think about the ORC and what the event stands for. If anyone needs a reminder, it's about a big group of like-minded folks getting together to have fun catching fish from our kayaks.

I was polled by CJ in casual conversation at the Sportsmen's Show regarding raising the entrance fees and forgoing the kayak this year and I thought they were both good ideas. And here's why.

We can significantly increase the amount of good we can do for both charities involved.

9 times out of 10 the prize kayak ends up on Craigslist and that's taking a potential sale from the shops that support us, both HOW and NWKA.

Everyone of us has different tastes in kayaks but we all love nice fishing related prizes and merchandise, so why not make that a primary focus of the prize tables.

Lastly, the event is not about the prizes to begin with. It's about bragging rights and seeing the faces of your friends both old and new, drinking beer and sharing stories. 

It is true that HOW must have a 3rd party host raffles, but if it's prizes you all want I will volunteer to help with the planning committee and see if we can call in some favors from some of our friends to up the ante.

Maybe all the attention from Hobie last year has our perspective a little skewed. Next Adventure is our partner in this. Let's treat them as such.

No need to talk off line, I think transparency is the best practices when it comes to a club event. Guys already know NA is a great retailer and a supporter of NWKA, this will only I think enhance that relationship.

TRUTH.

I think a championship title belt, much like the pro wrestlers of WWF use, would be hilarious and amazing as the coveted first place prize for ORC. You can get them custom made for your event. It would be badass, and as far as I'm concerned, far better than a kayak.

I would wear a WWE style championship belt everywhere   Thats an awesome idea

The second tournament I ever won had a cash payout and a custom made rodeo style belt buckle as grand prize.   That thing was so much cooler than a kayak.  I'll have to polish it up and bring it to ORC this year and show it off.

No need to talk off line, I think transparency is the best practices when it comes to a club event. Guys already know NA is a great retailer and a supporter of NWKA, this will only I think enhance that relationship.

TRUTH.

To be clear I meant talking offline about HOW specific requirements not about the ORC.  The discussion about the internal workings of HOW are not needed in this thread or any other public thread.  I only offer my guidance as a past HOW coordinator and can relate my experiences in fundraising to you.  Transparency in these matters are not up to you or I and are up to Jim Dolan and the rest of the HOW national group- I am simply offering my views on the situations to you to aid in your missions to support HOW.

In the spirit of disclosure I exchanged a few texts with Mr. Siebler and he took me up on my self invite above. The pc is meeting up next week and we'll get some fresh eyes on some stuff. Meanwhile keep up the banter, chatter, and hype and he'll post up some updates mid to late next week.

Rest assured that Next Adventure is aware that the vacation calendars of many people on this board gravitate around this event and if we all pull together we cannot be denied a totally freaking awesome weekend.

Concerning Ninkasi: How many kegs requested? What kind? Last year we had 3 different styles & drank all of it.

Too late this year, but here's a link for Oregon rules on charitable raffles. With appropriate delegation & some timely effort, it looks doable to me. http://www.doj.state.or.us/charigroup/howtoraffle.shtml

There's no magic involved with tax or any other official paperwork & it should be obvious most of us know that. Furthermore, I don't think it's at all clear at this point what the awards are going to be. I just might ask the previous organizers who haven't already spoken out how they really feel about this (offline). Depending on the outcome of the next planning meeting, there might be quite a few members who don't show up this year. We await the results of the meeting.

Anthony - I'm glad to hear you're going to the next pc meeting. You do great work & we see eye to eye on most things. Although... you know as well as I do there's a difference between opinion & fact. 9 out of 10 yaks won wind up on Craigslist? How may yaks are won in contests annually? Unless they're really hurting for money, I'd be willing to bet most folks who win a new detailed Outback don't sell it right out of the gate. A lot of things can hurt sales figures, like stagnate wages for example. I can see why a retailer may not want to put up a tricked out Hobie for 2 years in a row, especially since the price has gone up significantly. It's water under the bridge for this year anyway.

What I'm not seeing are some facts on exactly how the increase in the entry fee will significantly improve the charitable donations as well as who put the kibosh on the Hobie World Qualifier & why.

We all very much appreciate Next Adventure's ongoing support of NWKA & the ORC. I'm sure NA knows, even when given the benefit of the doubt, a new hired gun has to make their bones for credible NWKA status. Time will tell.