At the risk of stepping on more toes this morning, lets discuss the matter of Fundraisers and Entertainment. It seems that so many folks equate fundraiser with free, and while budgets for an event might be minimal (or non existent in few cases) there IS, generally, a budget. Giving back to the community is a wonderful, and necessary, thing - but it is the exception, not the rule. (Before I go further, I strongly encourage folks to find a way to give back, whether its financially or in kind by sharing your time, energy, and talents!) With that said, however, just because the board/organizers may be volunteering their time to organize said fundraiser, the DJs, drag queens, comedians, bartenders, etc., likely have not. Thats not to say that some dont join a committee knowing that their services will be used as a part of their giving to a cause. Its one thing if one or two organizations ask for pro bono (Bono. Sonny Bono.) work, but in this town alone the number of organizations and 501(c)3s are in the double digits! ( I, gently, remind organizers that you are not the only folks asking for our involvement.) That is a lot of free for folks who do not work a 9 to 5 job and volunteer in their downtime, but instead, make their living by entertaining or working special events. I kindly ask organizations to factor in entertainment INTO their budgets for fundraisers and events. So many folks, out of the goodness of their hearts, are too nice to ask for compensation for their talents - as anyone who has worked with me knows, Im not one of those people. ;-) This is my full time job and I, nor the rest of my entertainment family, can not give the house away (all the time) no matter how important your cause/organization may be - because they are ALL important. A suggested action step would be to ask the person youd like to work with what their fee is, and if its out of your budget, Im SURE folks in my field will negotiate and work with you - because, after all, it IS an important organization/event that they are helping. I just feel that entertainment (specifically LOCAL entertainment) is the last thing thought about, and/or easily assumed that they will work for free. This should not be the case. Ill add here, too, that it is VERY difficult to price a non-tangible - which is why I think entertainers are not automatically factored into a budget - were not an edible or a rental facility. Every free lancer has free will and can choose for themselves if they want to work for free. I, myself, have and will work for free again. I hope, that this post doesnt deter folks from asking myself or others to participate in their events, but this awareness needs to be raised. I just wanted to toss this out there as a talking point and as a kind public service announcement for those who might not want to rock the boat. This was not written out of anger, frustration, or negativity - quite the opposite as Ive just taken my pre workout supplements and Im in a great mood - its just something on my mind and that needs to be said. Thank you to all the organizations who think of us and ask us to be a part of your event and THANK YOU to all of my brothers and sisters in the entertainment industry who have ever donated your talents and services to help a worthy cause!
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 17:31:39 +0000
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