2024 Update from BGF & Proud Ultimate
Hello and Happy 2024! Thanks for being a member of our community and helping make 2023 the biggest and most social year in BGF’s 10-year history.
We’re writing this note to give updates from BGF and Proud Ultimate leadership’s plan for 2024, and how you can be involved as a participant or leader.
First Things First
If you’re newer to BGF, you may be wondering what Proud Ultimate is and how it’s different from BGF. Good question! Proud Ultimate is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides the administrative structure and support to keep BGF going and growing year after year. Proud’s governing board is currently made up of six BGF veterans: Michael “Juicy” Nguyen as President, Charles Kerl as Secretary, Aaron Smyth as Treasurer, Manit Limlamai and James Wang as at-large members, and Mark Shapero in his role as BGF Commissioner.
Right now, BGF is the main program run by Proud Ultimate, but we have big plans to change that in the years ahead. You can read more about our plans for expansion in the rest of this note.
2023 Recap
Last year was a year of growth and change. We welcomed new leaders, and held our biggest season ever – twice! Highlights include:
Spring 2023, the final season of Commissioner Toby Quaranta, fielded a record 221 registered players on 12 teams. Thanks to Toby for being a champion of BGF’s extraordinary growth!
Fall 2023 had 251 players, and for the first time ever we had 16 teams. Our new commissioner Mark Shapero – a 9-year BGF veteran – brought some new ideas to the league:
Hosting open listening sessions to understand what players valued in BGF and what changes they wanted to see.
Experimenting with smaller teams and a 16-team structure.
Creating co-captaining system where each team had two leaders.
Introducing an automated drafting process that further randomized teams to pair up new players and shake up teams.
Doug Frisbie and Quinn Jonas took over leadership of tournaments and put on a spanking-good-fun Folsom Tournament in September and January’s Sin City Classic in Las Vegas, where we welcomed athletes from the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago, New York, Arizona, and Colorado.
We held two mixers/clinics with the Bay Area Disc Association (BADA), the Bay Area’s major Ultimate organizer, with more to come.
We implemented a player conduct policy that all league participants sign, committing to good sportsmanship, adhering to the Spirit of the Game, and prohibiting harassment or unacceptable treatment of others at any BGF event or social. We outlined a process for addressing complaints or violations of this conduct agreement.
We committed to keeping BGF a safe, inclusive space for all athletes involved, and implemented a player conduct and Spirit of The Game policy that all league players agree to.
Proud Ultimate Fundraising Campaign Update
Outside of league and tournament registration fees, the major source of Proud Ultimate’s revenue comes from fundraising. To celebrate our 10th year as a community, we kicked off a year-long, $10,000 fundraising push in the fall. With four months to go before our fiscal year ends in June, we are thrilled to announce that we have already exceeded our goal!
The donations we receive allow Proud to explore new opportunities for organizational expansion, to grow our catalog of no- and low-cost skill development clinics and workshops, and to provide financial support for community members with fewer resources to engage with our queer Ultimate community. We thank all of you for your ongoing support of our vision for a future with Queer Ultimate Everywhere.
In particular, we want to shout out:
Everyone who attended the Jock fundraiser at Lookout, the beer bust at Hi Tops, or the Mx. BGF Drag Pageant at the Sin City Classic – $3,550 raised
Our donors at the 10-Year Anniversary garden party, which was generously hosted by BGFers Alex Rafter and Jeff Moulton – $1,050 raised
All of our athletes who made small-dollar donations as they registered for one of our seasons or tournaments – $1,500 raised
Those of you taking advantage of your employers’ matching programs to provide even bigger bang for your buck – $3,200 raised
The folks out there looking cute in a custom BGF pickup jersey, and the brilliant designers, Isaac Roman and Zack Jafek – $900 raised
The anonymous BGFer who donated the cost of all of our summer and fall pick-up field rentals – $620 raised
If you want to host a fundraiser, or just want to support our mission with a donation of your time, resources, or money, you can email info@proudultimate.org or reach out to Treasurer Aaron Smyth.
December Board Offsite Decisions
In December ‘23, the Proud Ultimate and BGF leadership spent two days working through a strategic plan that maps out what is next for our organizations. Below are the major decisions:
Create a multi-program leadership structure: Proud Ultimate was founded as an umbrella organization designed to encompass multiple programs that could benefit from the structure and resources of a 501(c)(3). We agreed that part of our 2024 plan would be to explore an expansion of our programming beyond BGF. This will include initiating conversations with other queer Ultimate organizations like the competitive travel team, Rainbow Brigade, and local intermediate Summer/Winter queer league, Universe League.
BGF Leadership Structure: To create capacity for Proud Ultimate to focus on new programming, the day-to-day leadership of BGF will be run by Commissioner Mark Shapero and a team he is presently building out. Proud Ultimate will continue to have oversight of BGF in terms of ensuring that the budget is reasonable, the league is properly insured, and that player conduct standards are maintained.
Player Development Programming: We created a group of leaders outside the BGF Board to focus specifically on on-field programming and skills. This group will be responsible for Beginners Day, mid-season practices, and skills clinics. Present leaders are Charles Kerl, Quinn Jonas and Sam Bowman.
Strategic Fundraising Plan: We will continue to emphasize fundraising as a revenue strategy, including making targeted large-dollar asks, increasing awareness of employer matching, and hosting a broader array of fundraising events. This will allow us to keep the cost of participation low for members of our community, while still providing resources for need-based discounts and scholarships for leagues, pickup, clinics, and tournaments.
Tournament Team: We are excited to share that Proud Ultimate is sponsoring a Tournament Team to compete at 3-4 tournaments in 2024. The team has been named: “Up!” Up!’s first tournament was at the Kaimana Klassik in Honolulu over President’s Day weekend in February. Up! will be an opportunity for our community to engage with the sport at a slightly more competitive level, with practices and competition against seasoned teams. Up! practices will almost always be open to any players. Be on the lookout for future tournament opportunities if you want to join the team. Charles Kerl is the program lead for this initiative, and for the upcoming tournament, Up!’s captains are Aaron Colverson, Jamieson Fritz and Alan Jowett.
DEI Leadership: In order to increase representation and reduce rookie turnover, Proud Ultimate’s board will work to create a permanent DEI position serving all programs. We are presently building out the role and their specific responsibilities. If you have experience in this work and are interested in contributing to this effort, please email info@proudultimate.org or reach out to Manit Limlamai or James Wang.
Who do I talk to about what?
One thing that we want to be clear on is how you can reach out, and to who, if you have ideas, questions, or issues. For reference, a list of everyone on the leadership team is here.
BGF League: bgfsanfrancisco@gmail.com, or Commissioner Mark Shapero
Proud Ultimate Board: info@proudultimate.org, or any board members
Questions on our finances, donations, or fundraising: Treasurer Aaron Smyth
Questions on clinics, player development or Up!: Charles Kerl
Issues with harassment or conduct violations: President Michael “Juicy” Nguyen or Commissioner Mark Shapero.
How can I propose BGF Events
We are blessed with a very active and social community, and our Signal chats are full of informal get-togethers, game nights, happy hours, and of course, tossing. If you want to organize something more formal, we want to hear about it! To propose organizing a social event like a park/beach day, a trip, an activity where you want BGF support/resources, please reach out to Alfred Gruber, our events lead.
Here is what we need to know:
What is proposed, where, when
Who is invited
What BGF/PU resources do you need, including branding/social media posts, time/input from leadership, or financial support.
How can I propose Proud Ultimate Programming
If you have an idea for a new Proud Ultimate Program, we want to hear it! This could be any initiative, activity, fundraiser, or league that serves our community. Please email ideas to info@proudultimate.org or talk to a board member. Proposals should include:
Description and Rationale
Basic budget or financial ask
Proposed team structure
Timeframe
If you’ve made it this far, we want to thank you for your time and dedication to Proud Ultimate, BGF, and the broader queer Ultimate community. Your leadership teams are working hard to ensure that you’re engaged and excited to be a part of it for years to come. We’ll see you on the field!