Many people in the community have experience with fundraising. Anyone who serves on boards or in service clubs has at least a general knowledge of what’s required to generate giving to a charity or project.
Because we feel that institutional knowledge already exists in one form or another, we think the Mitchell City Council should not pursue an outside fundraiser to help generate cash to help pay for a renovation of the Corn Palace.
The issue was discussed at Monday’s regularly scheduled meeting of the council. During discussion, Mitchell Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Jacki Miskimins recommended against hiring a fundraiser, saying that “there are more attractive alternatives” available.
She suggested the council seek out others in town who have existing relationships with potential donors.
Already, most of the money is available. The project is approved for a total two-phase cost of $7.175 million, and the city already has $6.5 million set aside from bond proceeds. That means a great amount of the work already is done.
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We know there are people in the community who can offer their advice and service, and possibly for free.
Too, we’ve grown just a bit weary of paying for studies and surveys and the like. There have been a host of them in recent years, and sometimes with little or no result - other than lost dollars.
We agree with Miskimins. The council shouldn’t move forward with plans to hire a fundraiser. It seems like a project that can be better tackled alone, with existing personnel and other leaders in the community.
