Hello BHS Class of 2000 members! The Reunion Planning Committee is actively working to develop a plan for our reunion. Our goal is to make the event inclusive and accessible to all.
We polled our Facebook group [160 members] and learned the following:
- 89% of respondents would attend a reunion event on Sunday, July 5th
- 76% of respondents would be comfortable spending $50-$60 per ticket for the evening party
- 65% of respondents plan to bring a +1 to the evening party
This data has been helpful as we work to identify the best venue for our reunion event. We have three options to share:
1. Treehouse Café
Pros: a casual space for class members to meet up and is the lowest financial commitment as attendees could simply pay their own way. Stage for band or DJ optional.
Cons: 3.5 miles from the ferry and would require some form of transportation to access
2. Winslow Rooftop Event Space
Pros: beautiful space above Bainbridge Brewing Alehouse that is 0.1 miles from ferry terminal
Cons: simply an event space -- we would be responsible for set-up/clean-up; sourcing all food, beverage and service items AND covering all these set-up costs upfront. [Do note the cost flexibility: '99 hosted here and kept costs down by accepting food and alcohol donations from classmates in the industry/small business owners.]
3. Wing Point Golf and Country Club
Pros: full-service event space that is 1.2 miles from the ferry. Lots of space to facilitate a variety of ways to reconnect. Dance floor and band/DJ optional.
Cons: High minimum food & beverage commitment [$5,000], with event space rental, 20% service charge AND taxes -- the starting venue expense is $7,391.
All three venue quotes have been consolidated into this BHS Reunion Budget and Venue Comparison Google sheet. To access click the link. It will help give you a sense of the line item details involved in planning an event of this size.
The reunion planning committee is taking the following steps to offer complete transparency into event finances:
- Utilizing the site FundRazr to display real-time progress into the amount of money raised, the number of contributors and the progress against the $10,000 goal [which would make the event free to attend]
- Establishing "Bainbridge High School class of 2000" as an official entity
- Securing an Employer Identification Number [EIN] with the IRS
- Setting up a class bank account to collect donations and ticket sales from class members and to cover all reunion planning expenses [#2 & #3 are requirements for #4 says the internet]
Now. Our biggest obstacle right now is cash flow.
There are a variety of hard upfront costs required for an event of this scale such as rental deposits, liability insurance, food and beverage "inventory" and marketing/merchandising materials. The reunion planning committee has committed to donate their time and/or talent to hosting this event. However, the goal of this fundraiser is to shift the immediate financial responsibility away from the reunion planning committee so that they do not also have to assume the risk of potentially not being reimbursed.
Additionally, this fundraiser is an opportunity for those class members who are not able to participate in reunion planning to still contribute and make an impact. Together, we hope to reach the goal of making the event inclusive and accessible to all.
This fundraiser will remain open through March 31st 2020. At that point, 100% of the balance will be applied to the reunion budget and directly deducted from the total cost of the event. We will finalize the venue location based on post-fundraiser adjusted total cost/price per person. If in the event we raise more money than the total cost of our 20th reunion, we will leave the remaining funds in the class bank account so that it is accessible for future class events.
Lets do this Class of 2000!!!!
