Would you pay extra for a Charity Freestyle?
Would you be more likely to go?
Would it be likely to put you off going?
Would you avoid a freestyle because it was for charity?
Would you expect ALL takings to go to Charity?
Would you expect only the venue costs to be deducted?
Would you expect promoters/crew/DJ to get paid?
Inspired by Andy and Lee's handbags on another thread....
Like others, I've been thinking about running a freestyle to benefit a charity. BUT I was wondering whether the fact its for charity would positively or negatively affect attendance/revenues? Do people actually care or is it a matter of absolute indifference.
Personally I'd make more of an effort to get along to an event that is fundraising for a charity - but I'd be going as much to support the person making the effort to run the event as anything else - if I want to give to charity I can just send off a cheque. I'd probably also round up a few other people to go along as well.
Going by my past two charity events, I would say it positively affects attendance. I had no problem getting the venue to fill, whereas I suspect if I had just run a normal freestyle, I would have struggled. I found the positive response from lots of the dancers very heartwarming. As for the last option on the poll, my DJ's and crew etc all donated their time for free, but if that wasn't possible then of course you should pay them from the takings. Otherwise it would cost the organisers an awful lot of money from their own pocket. I wouldn't however expect anyone to make any profit from doing the event.
Saying that though, although I was thinking of doing another one this year, I'm not so sure now. It's been too much of a headache to just sort out an available date!
Last edited by Cruella; 25th-May-2008 at 08:39 PM.
While I'm sure the majority of charity events are motivated purely for charitable reasons, I fear that some are motivated to increase the standing of the organiser, and/or to make it easier to organise.
It's easier to get publicity from competitors for a charity event.
It's easier to get DJs and other help for a charity event.
You can sometimes get a venue easier or for less if it's for charity.
Sorry for being such a cynic, but before attending a charity event, I'd want to know what the charity is and what the motivations of the organiser are. And if then I'm happy, yeah, I'd probably be more likely to try to attend.
Let your mind go and your body will follow. – Steve Martin, LA Story
To requote a posting elsewhere .... WHO GIVES A STUFF? If the Charity is going to benefit and the promoter isn't lining his/her pockets, isn't it all for the good? If the promoters do get some publicity .... so what? If they've had the kahunas to get off their butts and help someone else ... isn't a little bit of publicity ok?
Who gives a stuff? I guess I do. I guess the folks who gave time, services or publicity for free might do to.
Sure it's good that the charity benefits, but I guess I'd rather avoid the feeling that I'd been used – more so if I were a competitor who'd publicised the event, or someone who'd given my services for free.
Let your mind go and your body will follow. – Steve Martin, LA Story
This isn't true. I am not a competitor, as I only ran the two charity freestyles and have no other connection with any organisation. Yet I still wasn't allowed to advertise at some organisation's events. I doubt very much that any MJ organisation would advertise a rival one's event even if it was for charity.
It is, but surely that's to the benefit of the charity as it means less expenses need to be taken from the funds raised.It's easier to get DJs and other help for a charity event.
I so wish this was true!You can sometimes get a venue easier or for less if it's for charity.
Of course, this is understandable.I'd want to know what the charity isSurely the only motivation is to raise as much money as possible for the charity.and what the motivations of the organiser are.
An example would be that Franck, from what I've seen, usually allows charity events to be promoted on this forum.
Absolutely, but if the event is really about raising the profile of a particular individual or organisation, wouldn't they feel a bit used?
I don't know, as I've never organised anything, but, for example, I'd guess that church or school halls could maybe be easier to hire if you said it was for a charity.
A venue close to me that I considered holding a birthday party in charges less for charitable organisations. I guess they might extend this to other organisations when it for a charitable event.
You'd hope so. Different people have different motives.
I remember a lot of people being upset about a party that turned into a launch event for the organiser's new dance classes, and that had nothing to do with charity.
Let your mind go and your body will follow. – Steve Martin, LA Story
I've run a couple of charity events (barn dances, in my pre MJ days). Both were a case of 'I want to help, there is a limit to how much I can give etc, if I run an event then I can raise money, people will have fun and the profile of the project will be raised'. The focus is on the project/charity, not the organiser.
When the thinking goes 'I think I'll run a charity event, now who can I support...' then the motives are more based on the event, not the project/charity.
The charity still gets some money and profile though.
Last edited by Lynn; 26th-May-2008 at 12:49 AM.
I try to run, or contribute to, one or two charity events a year. Often it is my local hospice. At other times it is a charity event that I've been approached about. Once I even managed to combine the two and was approached about helping with an event that supported our local hospice.
The reason I do the above is because I get pleasure from giving. I take great joy from running dance events and make a modest profit from most, but not all of them - so far just about all the income from our small dance business has been spent on school and university fees for our children. However, once in a while I feel that I really should put something back, so to speak. So I put on charity events and/or help others to do so.
This thread, and the other "charity dance marathon" thread, have made me think about verifiability of funds raised - especially the post by Agente Secreto In future I will ensure that there's a committee for all charity events I run. That way I can have a proper and verifiable set of accounts for the event - and I'll have a team of people to help run them and share the joy of contributing to the charity.
My own opinion about giving to charity is that it's a transaction where you give time or money and receive, in return, a good feeling for having helped. Gav gave us an example of this on the other thread by telling us about an event where he took great joy in a trip to Morocco and made a big chunk of cash for a charity. But we can take pleasure in much smaller ways like buying a tie from Oxfam. We gain by having a new tie and they gain by having some of our cash. It's a win win world
BUT....
Some one had to donate the tie in the first place for you to buy it!
First they aquire the tie, Then sell it, you buy it, you gain a tie, They gain money...
The Poor tie guy had his tie stolen by his wife who has hated it for years, donates it to charity and he completly lose's out! Lol.. And the fact his wife hates it, it clearly suggests it is his most favorite tie!
It is now my favourite tie
Who is to say that my wife, Sue, will not hate that tie, donate it to Oxfam for some other guy with fabulous taste to buy in his lunch break. This cycle could be repeated over and over until the tie falls to pieces, many years from now. All the time Oxfam will be receiving money
Bad taste ties, the gifts that keep in giving
There was a great yearly charity event held in Sydney, on 3 floors of a club.
It was fancy dress only, the club gave the place up for free (but they got the huge bar takings), the DJ's on each floor were paid (I think, memory fades), but the organisers did not get paid.
Raised a LOT of cash.
The organisers were not promoting themselves, as they did not run a dance company, but they had the backing of the local dance companies.
The place was packed and a lot of money was raised.
The organiser has overheads in phone bill and a lot of time spent... but this is part of it, and should not be "claimed".
Idealy staff will contribute thier time for free for a charity event. If there are direct costs such as hall hire, of course that needs to come out before the rest of the monies go to charity.
Andy's idea of a comitee is good, in the charity events I have seen, more than one person is involved.
I do remember a charity weekender in Hove, in fact I taught a workshop there, and I did get paid, the advertising said "all profits go to x charity" to me it was a fun time, and if a charity got money, that was good too.
Phil Roberts allowed people to advertise Charity events at his Ceroc venues until an organiser used one to recruit members to launch a competing class.
He later mellowed and advertised one in aid of a stroke charity after Frances suffered a stroke. (She is the coloured girl in Shades )
The last charity freestyle I went had a 1 hour gap in the middle for fund-raising . I'll only go to an event for the dancing, but I have a fairly strong 'anti-charity-event' bias as a result of the way the London Marathon sells entries to charities, rather than allowing a free entry. (My entry was via the ballot, and that didn't stop me collecting sponsorship)
Don't like the idea of having a large gap in the middle of the proceedings to squeeze extra money out - however any ancillary fleecing of the punters can be handled in parallel in another room. Several dance-related things are possible to drive out extra donations though
I'd be more inclined simply to be having the event and donating the entry fee money as a starter. If venue could be got for free then good, if not then this is an allowable deduction. I'm sure that it would not be too hard to find a friendly DJ and enough people to run the event for free.
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