"Missing Investors"

[divas]

Part of the reason for the move to Bishop Auckland's Heritage Park is that there are more facilities for matchday hospitality.

There won't be any boxes of course but there will be the usual match sponsor, matchball sponsor, advertising boards, player sponsor etc. There will be something to suit everyone's budget from £20 upwards.

I'm hoping if there's enough interest that there will also be the opportunity to have an "exec package" where an individual can pay a bit more and get car parking, a premium seat, a meal, meet the players etc. on a match by match basis.

[craig_mckenna]

Tori,
re'data protection act,
problem to you ok, BUT how about trying to get crowdcube to contact the people on the clubs behalf? They will still have the data, and surely something could be worded as coming from the club direct with the benefits you name.

PS, in light of comment higher up the thread, perhaps the last should move to the head, and be printed in bold letters.

I think the fact that the Crowdcube team have already done a hell of a lot of admin work and have not received a penny for it kinda puts the kibosh on that.

Crowdcube would help if they could but bottom line is that once the accounts are closed on there they are unable to keep the data. The ones are that are still open are mixed in amongst all the other accounts they have on there so wouldnt be a useful exercise anyhow. We were lucky they managed to be able to send two out for us.

[BaronsCourtQuaker]

Thanks again Diva's

Just for speed I’ll ask here. When trying to set up a bank transfer 1883 ask for the reference to be my email address. However it is far to long. Is that actually an issue or simply use my name?

[divas]

Thanks again Diva's

Just for speed I’ll ask here. When trying to set up a bank transfer 1883 ask for the reference to be my email address. However it is far to long. Is that actually an issue or simply use my name?

Yes use your name, i did that with mine. It's just so they can tie your payment to the online form you fill in.

[AIDO]

Hey Craig (and anybody else actually) ... I noticed the statement "I don't want to back a club playing out of town" .... There are clearly people who feel that way but surely it would be a good idea for CIC (or its members) to promote their "own" return shuttle bus to Bishop Auckland from town (picking up wherever). At least gauge the level of support for such a scheme and show a proactive initiative with regard to illiminating excuses for not supporting CIC. I realise their lack of support for the venture might be more deep rooted, but this is a real issue. Some people went to the Arena (in the early days) because of the security of the football bus service then stopped when it stopped. People don't need much of an excuse as we all know, but a gesture such as this would be massive in my eyes, and might entice them to jump on board in more tways than one.

The issue of actually getting to the match is too big to ignore or have a passive opinion about. It could be made cost effective and could establish habits (which we all love); a captive crew so as to speak.

Leaving it to the supporters club to sort out is certainly not the way forward. It's gestures like this that need to be addressed to get the wider public interested again. at the very least the idea could provide CIC members with something to vote for (or against).

[BaronsCourtQuaker]

Thanks again Diva's

Just for speed I’ll ask here. When trying to set up a bank transfer 1883 ask for the reference to be my email address. However it is far to long. Is that actually an issue or simply use my name?

Yes use your name, i did that with mine. It's just so they can tie your payment to the online form you fill in.

Thanks again Diva's. Money transferred. Curiously should I expect any receipt / confirmation.

[divas]

Thanks again Diva's

Just for speed I’ll ask here. When trying to set up a bank transfer 1883 ask for the reference to be my email address. However it is far to long. Is that actually an issue or simply use my name?

Yes use your name, i did that with mine. It's just so they can tie your payment to the online form you fill in.

Thanks again Diva's. Money transferred. Curiously should I expect any receipt / confirmation.

I'm just trying to find that out at the moment - i never got anything, just checking on the 1883 forum whether that's the norm?

[Spyman]

Hey Craig (and anybody else actually) ... I noticed the statement "I don't want to back a club playing out of town" ....

Isn't it ironic that if more of the football supporting population of Darlington had that mentality, we'd probably never have been in this mess.

[AnthonyP]

Hopefully with Doug at the helm this will get sorted.

I hope Doug does not get sidetracked with Feethams and take the focus away from investing in 1883.

[super_les_mcjannet]

Thanks again Diva's

Just for speed I’ll ask here. When trying to set up a bank transfer 1883 ask for the reference to be my email address. However it is far to long. Is that actually an issue or simply use my name?

Yes use your name, i did that with mine. It's just so they can tie your payment to the online form you fill in.

Thanks again Diva's. Money transferred. Curiously should I expect any receipt / confirmation.

I'm just trying to find that out at the moment - i never got anything, just checking on the 1883 forum whether that's the norm?

I got a receipt but it was from PayPal and email was from Paypal aswell as opposed to a Bank Transfer.

[Darlo_G]

I have heard quiet a few people say that they were looking forward to their framed share certificate from crowd cube. They had a tangible concrete piece of paper that showed that they owned a piece of their football team (even though it was minuscule), it hasn't made a difference to me as we have re-invested already, but it may sway the on the fence investor.
Perhaps all investors could get some kind of certificate to recognise their investment?
Also, can crowd cube release the email addresses of the investors so you (or one of the fans groups) can make contact with them directly and ask them to re-invest?

When we first went live with the CIC site, we said that members benefits would follow and our site has been updated to state what the benefits are:
• You will get the opportunity to elect the board to run the CIC.
• You will get to vote on matters relating to Darlington Football Club.
• You will get to attend events exclusive to CIC members, some will involve the playing and management team.
• You will get regular newsletters covering the things that really matter at DFC
• You will get priority booking for match tickets and fan events
• You will get to attend fan forums with the board of 1883 Ltd and management team
• You will get a £5 voucher for use at the club shop
• You will get to know that you helped to revive the great football club that is Darlington FC
• You will get a personalised individually numbered membership certificate

In relation to CrowdCube, it was against Data Protection for those details to be released to us which was a huge shame but there was nothing that we could do.

I hope this clarifies things a bit further and thanks for re-investing. Hugely appreciated.

What we need is the more "affluent" fans to invest more than the £100 minimum. What is the incentive for them to invest more than the minimum?

With the CrowdCube pitch, you would have a bigger say on how the club is run in the future, as you would have a bigger voting share. I just don't see why anybody would want to invest more than the bare minimum.

[wylam_rangers]

It has been suggested we ask, so I am asking.

So far the take up of CIC memberships has been lower than we had expected, we did expect some fall-off but not quite the level we have seen.
It would be useful to understand why, in a constructive way

I have added a Poll...Feel free to add reasons if we have missed one

Craig

Whatever happened to all those 1000 email addresses that we all had to use when using CrowdCube. I hope you're not going to tell me that you don't have access to them for direct mailing because of DPA etc.....

If that is the case then you MUST tighten the agreements to allow 1883 to be a 3rd party marketing. Most of us signed up expecting to be kept informed and NOT hit with silence.

I will reinvest. BUT like many (I guess) - when I start to see some personal messages/email and not only when prompted through the medium of Uncovered, the Echo and Gazette.

[divas]

What we need is the more "affluent" fans to invest more than the £100 minimum. What is the incentive for them to invest more than the minimum?

With the CrowdCube pitch, you would have a bigger say on how the club is run in the future, as you would have a bigger voting share. I just don't see why anybody would want to invest more than the bare minimum.

Its only applicable for those who have between £100 and £500.

If you put in £100 you put £100 in the CIC and have the same say.

If you have more than £500 you can still buy shares directly in DFC exactly as you would have under the CC model.

For those with £101 - £500 you either sign family members up to the CIC and have more of a say or you spend the extra money on sponsorship or matchday hospitality - something that will benefit the club AND give you a return.

Easy.

[super_les_mcjannet]

What we need is the more "affluent" fans to invest more than the £100 minimum. What is the incentive for them to invest more than the minimum?

With the CrowdCube pitch, you would have a bigger say on how the club is run in the future, as you would have a bigger voting share. I just don't see why anybody would want to invest more than the bare minimum.

Its only applicable for those who have between £100 and £500.

If you put in £100 you put £100 in the CIC and have the same say.

If you have more than £500 you can still buy shares directly in DFC exactly as you would have under the CC model.

For those with £101 - £500 you either sign family members up to the CIC and have more of a say or you spend the extra money on sponsorship or matchday hospitality - something that will benefit the club AND give you a return.

Easy.

Problem with that is membership fees at say £10/£20 a year per £100 you may need another £100 in fees or not continue membership in which do you then lose your vote on issues. I originally bought in the 2 for 1 and then reinvested in this in the CIC and was going to dip in again but this will now cost me further membership fees which certainly puts me off.

[divas]

It has been suggested we ask, so I am asking.

So far the take up of CIC memberships has been lower than we had expected, we did expect some fall-off but not quite the level we have seen.
It would be useful to understand why, in a constructive way

I have added a Poll...Feel free to add reasons if we have missed one

Craig

Whatever happened to all those 1000 email addresses that we all had to use when using CrowdCube. I hope you're not going to tell me that you don't have access to them for direct mailing because of DPA etc.....

If that is the case then you MUST tighten the agreements to allow 1883 to be a 3rd party marketing. Most of us signed up expecting to be kept informed and NOT hit with silence.

I will reinvest. BUT like many (I guess) - when I start to see some personal messages/email and not only when prompted through the medium of Uncovered, the Echo and Gazette.

To be honest I could say that's a poor attitude, because I think it is. However I'm sure many are thinking along the same lines. To be honest it disappoints me as with that attitude the club will get nowhere. I understand the need to make people feel wanted but people also need to stand up - this isn't you buying a product, this is you supporting YOUR football club. I guess the club means different things to different people and some will blindly back it while others want to be made to feel important.

Apparently Crowdcube were emailing everyone who invested in the DFC pitch with details of the CIC - don't think I ever received anything though

[charlie]

1883 are not allowed to legally approach potential investors as per FSA guidelines, they need investors to approach them
Please bear in mind that 1883 are mostly a bunch of volunteers and they really need our support at the moment, come on guys give them your backing

[Robbie Painter]

It has been suggested we ask, so I am asking.

So far the take up of CIC memberships has been lower than we had expected, we did expect some fall-off but not quite the level we have seen.
It would be useful to understand why, in a constructive way

I have added a Poll...Feel free to add reasons if we have missed one

Craig

Whatever happened to all those 1000 email addresses that we all had to use when using CrowdCube. I hope you're not going to tell me that you don't have access to them for direct mailing because of DPA etc.....

If that is the case then you MUST tighten the agreements to allow 1883 to be a 3rd party marketing. Most of us signed up expecting to be kept informed and NOT hit with silence.

I will reinvest. BUT like many (I guess) - when I start to see some personal messages/email and not only when prompted through the medium of Uncovered, the Echo and Gazette.

To be honest I could say that's a poor attitude, because I think it is. However I'm sure many are thinking along the same lines. To be honest it disappoints me as with that attitude the club will get nowhere. I understand the need to make people feel wanted but people also need to stand up - this isn't you buying a product, this is you supporting YOUR football club. I guess the club means different things to different people and some will blindly back it while others want to be made to feel important.

Apparently Crowdcube were emailing everyone who invested in the DFC pitch with details of the CIC - don't think I ever received anything though

Spot on divas.

Wylam - your post really pissed me off. Some people seem to still have the same old attitude towards the club as when Raj, Houghton, etc were in charge and just expect things to be done.

It's our club now, if you are a fan and you previously invested then I am not sure why you are still waiting to reinvest. A fucking personal email for gods sake! Just sounds like an excuse to me.

[darlotoon]

Something that has been said to me on numerous occasions by different people is that they have no idea where the £70k was going or where the £200k was going/was needed for exactly. With crowdcube the 2 initial phases were said to be to pay footballing creditors and then other creditors then the final stage would help get a team together etc . This time the whole message has been less clear and distinct. ( I have re-invested but thought I would share what others have said )

[m62exile]

I've reinvested although not at the moment all of my crowdcube funds. Have also tonight started reinvesting on behalf of the few people who had asked me to sort out last time. I'll either reinvest the rest of my crowdcube funds shortly or more likely use it to sponsor a player or something. Not exactly a logical reason why to do that, just what I feel like doing.

I'll also be buying a ST for me and the youngster, so am sleeping well at night about my support to the 1883 project and hoping that others are getting on board too.

I'm disappointed that we're playing in the NL next season but to be honest I'm looking forward to it quite a bit. I think it'll be a mile more enjoyable than the last couple of seasons watching 10 away fans in that 5000 stand.

[Spyman]

It has been suggested we ask, so I am asking.

So far the take up of CIC memberships has been lower than we had expected, we did expect some fall-off but not quite the level we have seen.
It would be useful to understand why, in a constructive way

I have added a Poll...Feel free to add reasons if we have missed one

Craig

Whatever happened to all those 1000 email addresses that we all had to use when using CrowdCube. I hope you're not going to tell me that you don't have access to them for direct mailing because of DPA etc.....

If that is the case then you MUST tighten the agreements to allow 1883 to be a 3rd party marketing. Most of us signed up expecting to be kept informed and NOT hit with silence.

I will reinvest. BUT like many (I guess) - when I start to see some personal messages/email and not only when prompted through the medium of Uncovered, the Echo and Gazette.

Ralph, for someone who was so vocal against the old Trust regime, and the way it operated, that view reminds me entirely of 'Old Trust'. Expecting everything to be given to you on a plate and ignoring the several very acceptable and popular methods of communication.

Fuck off with your 'my way or the highway' attitude. It stinks of s***. You know what's going on, you know the score, you're a smart chap, so show a bit of initiative.

[Wing Commander Darlo]

I don't know what the buzz is around Darlo outside of the people who use this messageboard but one thing that could prevent people engaging with the new set-up and, crucially, stumping up to fund it is that it can be very hard to connect with what is going on.

I work in the field of engagement and connection and one of the great stumbling blocks to effective engagement is "The Curse of Knowledge": the all-pervading assumption that other people have your level of understanding. One of the symptoms of this is the overuse of acronyms. I'm sure many of you work in jobs where things are compressed into two or three initial letters that your colleagues fully comprehend but which, by their nature, exclude outsiders.

I would suggest that if, when you are talking to people about investing in Darlo, you keep talking about "The CIC" you could be unwittingly presenting people with a concept that they may not understand and which they may not feel confident about asking about. The advice I frequently give to people in business who want a message to land effectively is "explain it to me like I was five years old..." This automatically prevents people from trying to impress you with unnecessary complexity, buzz-words and jargon.

It's a minor point but if we are all trying to make this new venture accessible to as many potential investors as possible we should do what we can to boost a complete understanding of what we are trying to achieve.

[princes town]

I don't know what the buzz is around Darlo outside of the people who use this messageboard but one thing that could prevent people engaging with the new set-up and, crucially, stumping up to fund it is that it can be very hard to connect with what is going on.

I work in the field of engagement and connection and one of the great stumbling blocks to effective engagement is "The Curse of Knowledge": the all-pervading assumption that other people have your level of understanding. One of the symptoms of this is the overuse of acronyms. I'm sure many of you work in jobs where things are compressed into two or three initial letters that your colleagues fully comprehend but which, by their nature, exclude outsiders.

I would suggest that if, when you are talking to people about investing in Darlo, you keep talking about "The CIC" you could be unwittingly presenting people with a concept that they may not understand and which they may not feel confident about asking about. The advice I frequently give to people in business who want a message to land effectively is "explain it to me like I was five years old..." This automatically prevents people from trying to impress you with unnecessary complexity, buzz-words and jargon.

It's a minor point but if we are all trying to make this new venture accessible to as many potential investors as possible we should do what we can to boost a complete understanding of what we are trying to achieve.

I suspect the CIC may be easier to understand than your vocation ('I work in the field of connection and engagement') Nevertheless you do make an important point that communication is key. However, my own view is that it is less about the message and more about how widely the message is being circulated. It is probably time to think more creatively about how we communicate the share issue. For me, one sensible proposal would be to get a full page spread in the local Echo and the freebies highlighting the share issue, the structure of the CIC and defining the footballing objectives. 'the story so far' if you like.

[al_quaker]

It has been suggested we ask, so I am asking.

So far the take up of CIC memberships has been lower than we had expected, we did expect some fall-off but not quite the level we have seen.
It would be useful to understand why, in a constructive way

I have added a Poll...Feel free to add reasons if we have missed one

Craig

Whatever happened to all those 1000 email addresses that we all had to use when using CrowdCube. I hope you're not going to tell me that you don't have access to them for direct mailing because of DPA etc.....

If that is the case then you MUST tighten the agreements to allow 1883 to be a 3rd party marketing. Most of us signed up expecting to be kept informed and NOT hit with silence.

I will reinvest. BUT like many (I guess) - when I start to see some personal messages/email and not only when prompted through the medium of Uncovered, the Echo and Gazette.

A personal e-mail!? Why may I ask? Did you receive a personal email asking you to invest in Crowdcube?

[OHDFC]

I have just become a member of CiC this morning.

My money has been sitting in my UK account since before the Crowdcube initiative started. I donated to the DUFF fund for the players at Barrow but I didn't invest in Crowdcube because I was unhappy using the website. I would have done a bank transfer to CC but by the time that was an option, the initiative had stalled and I was unsure of the way forward. However, the money remained in my account

I view this website and message board several times a day, even if I sign on and post infrequently, and I always intended to invest but had simply not got around to it. I looked at the CiC website to invest the other day (possibly as a result of this thread) but had to look around the site to find the link to the joining page - it didn't leap out at me.

This morning I opened uncovered and WHAM!!!! - Invest Now smacked me in the face. It's the first thing you see and the link takes you straight to the join page - quick telephone call to my UK bank and I'm now a member of CiC.

I just needed that jolt - I would have invested eventually but the link made me do it now. The CiC website needs something similar - a big Join Now button on the homepage to attact attention instead of a small link hidden amongst the other links.

[wylam_rangers]

It has been suggested we ask, so I am asking.

So far the take up of CIC memberships has been lower than we had expected, we did expect some fall-off but not quite the level we have seen.
It would be useful to understand why, in a constructive way

I have added a Poll...Feel free to add reasons if we have missed one

Craig

Whatever happened to all those 1000 email addresses that we all had to use when using CrowdCube. I hope you're not going to tell me that you don't have access to them for direct mailing because of DPA etc.....

If that is the case then you MUST tighten the agreements to allow 1883 to be a 3rd party marketing. Most of us signed up expecting to be kept informed and NOT hit with silence.

I will reinvest. BUT like many (I guess) - when I start to see some personal messages/email and not only when prompted through the medium of Uncovered, the Echo and Gazette.

Ralph, for someone who was so vocal against the old Trust regime, and the way it operated, that view reminds me entirely of 'Old Trust'. Expecting everything to be given to you on a plate and ignoring the several very acceptable and popular methods of communication.

Fuck off with your 'my way or the highway' attitude. It stinks of s***. You know what's going on, you know the score, you're a smart chap, so show a bit of initiative.

Thanks for all the comments on here I agree with both you and Robbie. I'm actually pissing myself off with my own dithering.

I'm not sure that my message came over correctly so I'll have another go. What I was trying to put across is that having "captured" 1000 emails or so there should have been some attempt to contact those people personally to

a) thank them for the initial investment
b) keep them informed
c) encourage them to put some more in

this should have been done before the whole crowdcube thing collapsed because most of us have been left with the feeling you get when you've backed a non-runner on the horses. Went to the bookies to pick up my winnings and got handed the cash back instead

I've also been more proactive than some in getting my whiskers sponsored, raising well over £200 - with some late payers still to cough up. That will also go into the kitty as well as my own personal investment.

So don't have a go at me - I'm just exhausted from the whole saga of the last 3 seasons and my batteries need recharging

[shawry]

If you have more than £500 you can still buy shares directly in DFC exactly as you would have under the CC model.

This needs publicising more, people are bothered about their votes, or seem to be.

[divas]

No i agree with the communication, for too long this club has taken money without a thanks or goodbye.

That must change, it costs nothing to say thanks.

[divas]

If you have more than £500 you can still buy shares directly in DFC exactly as you would have under the CC model.

This needs publicising more, people are bothered about their votes, or seem to be.

It's a tricky one as it's against FSA rules for the board to advertise it. Bonkers i know.

[al_quaker]

If you have more than £500 you can still buy shares directly in DFC exactly as you would have under the CC model.

This needs publicising more, people are bothered about their votes, or seem to be.

It's a tricky one as it's against FSA rules for the board to advertise it. Bonkers i know.

Are others (the Echo) allowed to advertise it?

[charlie]

Its where the echo get the information from, if say a supporter who `legally` has nothing to do with 1883 other than investing themselves were to tell the echo then im sure that would be ok