HRCS charging admission to its auction gala?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Venues for a gala should not actually cost money. I know at least one brew pub offered it's space for free to a dcps... Although not its beer. Still, a cash bar isn't the worst thing.

If you are having trouble breaking even on your expenses for your gala, you are doing it wrong. Last time I helped organize one, we found a lot of restaurants to donate food, drink, dessert--a band to donate their time, and so on.

Free venues with capacity for 300+ attendees, plus space for auction item set-up, plus a stage for auctioneer and/or band, with catering and liquor licenses, and a supply of decorative linens, and are upscale attractive are few and far between...

[Anonymous]

The CMI school auction does offer cheaper tickets for qualifying CMI families. Additionally, people may purchase extra tix and donate them to others.

[Anonymous]

You are all absurd humans. Really!!!??? It's a fundraiser to support things that would not otherwise be available to students at that school. If excluding some people from an event gets their kids a better education and that bothers them (or you) then you and they are self centered a-holes who put adults before kids. And, PS, kids aren't invited so this isn't a situation where kids feel excluded. My lord, people in their 20s and 30s really may be as horrible as the press likes to report.

[Anonymous]

YY parent here and I thought having it there was ridiculous. The point is to raise money for the school, not spend it on a venue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are all absurd humans. Really!!!??? It's a fundraiser to support things that would not otherwise be available to students at that school. If excluding some people from an event gets their kids a better education and that bothers them (or you) then you and they are self centered a-holes who put adults before kids. And, PS, kids aren't invited so this isn't a situation where kids feel excluded. My lord, people in their 20s and 30s really may be as horrible as the press likes to report.

Who is you all? Not many Debbie Downers on this thread so saying "you all" is not cool.

[Anonymous]

The auction is a fundraiser. It needs to raise funds. Yes we charge for tickets. Our school does many other events that are free and inclusive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Venues for a gala should not actually cost money. I know at least one brew pub offered it's space for free to a dcps... Although not its beer. Still, a cash bar isn't the worst thing.

If you are having trouble breaking even on your expenses for your gala, you are doing it wrong. Last time I helped organize one, we found a lot of restaurants to donate food, drink, dessert--a band to donate their time, and so on.

I would be very interested to hear how you got all of those businesses to donate food and drink. We tried and were turned down. It appeared that you needed some type of connections that we didn't have. Also, we were asking the same business that are being asked by all the other area schools to donate. Sorry we did it "wrong" but we are volunteers and no one gave us anything for free.

[Anonymous]

You generally do need connections to get big donations from businesses - and yes many schools are competing.

I think the judge-y PP was too harsh. If you are not losing money you're doing well. But if your event is a new tradition keep it simple - school multi purpose room, food from Costco, donated beverages from parents and a parent DJ.

I don't think the relevant elegance of the venue makes that much of a difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Venues for a gala should not actually cost money. I know at least one brew pub offered it's space for free to a dcps... Although not its beer. Still, a cash bar isn't the worst thing.

If you are having trouble breaking even on your expenses for your gala, you are doing it wrong. Last time I helped organize one, we found a lot of restaurants to donate food, drink, dessert--a band to donate their time, and so on.

I would be very interested to hear how you got all of those businesses to donate food and drink. We tried and were turned down. It appeared that you needed some type of connections that we didn't have. Also, we were asking the same business that are being asked by all the other area schools to donate. Sorry we did it "wrong" but we are volunteers and no one gave us anything for free.

It is naïve of the original pp to think that just because one school could get something, every school could. Obviously you need connections, especially if you are not a neighborhood school. I highly recommend that you search your parent body to see who may have connections, even slight ones could help. Cold calls are hard for the reasons you note.

[Anonymous]

At our DCPS, if you can't afford the price of admission at the gala, or even if you can, you're very welcome to volunteer at the event to attend. Who could complain about that?

[Anonymous]

Ross Auction is free and open to the public every year. Cash bar.

[Anonymous]

I think it's fine to price tickets to make the most money possible for these things. I get uneasy with the guilt trips to buy the tickets because it is a hardship for some people

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The auction is a fundraiser. It needs to raise funds. Yes we charge for tickets. Our school does many other events that are free and inclusive.

+1. Some people act as entitled parasites. Ladies, invest in your kids' education just a little bit, or find a cheaper area to live in.

[Anonymous]

If the event is a fundraiser, yes charge admission.

If it is a social event, by all means make it free and open to the school community.

Best case: organize both types of events for your school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DCPS had an admission price for its auction, but it also had an online auction where there was no charge to participate. We couldn't afford a babysitter + tickets to the auction and then buy something at the auction, so we just did the online auction. I thought it was a great way to get people like us to join in on the fun.

This is me. Single parent but not farms. Don't have enough to pay for auction ticket, sitter and who knows, a date? Instead I've bought summer camps at a discount on the online auction. Money for the school on something I would have bought anyway. Win-win.