I'm just curious because I saw the donation pages on your main site. I work for a fund raising non-profit place. It seems to vary a lot from year to year. A few years ago it was a very large number. How does that happen? Are people getting used to the shows now? Do you keep any statistics about? Sorry to be so nosy and you don't have to answer.
I don't mind questions. I'll say when they are too "nosey" to answer.
There are many reasons for large variations from year to year. 2006 was the best year as I recall. It was well over $10,000. See main site for details. That was unusual because we personally matched (actually we double matched) the amount of all donations. On top of that, we got an additional matching contribution of that total amount from a Pink Floyd friend. Last year was the start of a downfall due to the economy and people worrying about job loses. By the looks of the way things are going this year, it will be equally bad or worse.
No, I don't keep any statistics about donations. We aren't doing this for the same reason you are with your organization. You are in the business of collecting money. We are in the "entertainment" business and our main reason is to bring enjoyment to people without them feeling pressured to give up their much needed cash. Christmas is already stressful enough for people. The only statistic we collect is on a spreadsheet of how much money is donated each night in cumulative cash and checks. It helps us keep track of money, and we provide that spreadsheet to the organization with contributions. It also allows us to compare from year to year.
Now having said all that, we've made some casual observations over the years. We don't watch how much cash donation people make, yet it is an intesting observation when we review the security camera files that the people who donate money are not the ones we expect. Relatively speaking, the people who drive away without a donation are in expensive foreign cars, whereas the ones who contribute are people of more modest means! And what is it with BMW drivers? (bottom of the list).
That's a fact and it is very noticeable. Thus, as you may have learned in your business, the people who can most afford to give, are not generally the ones who do! Again, this is just a comparsion. Obviously it is not true of all people. Fortunately some of our richer friends and neighbors are very generous people. Another observation is that donations come in all sizes. Some are a couple dollars. Often they are $10 and $20 bills, and on rare occasions, I've see $100 bill or several $20 bills bundled together. Thus, I never know what to expect, but the important thing is that every single dollars helps these kids and we are happy about that.
Again, it is the thought that counts, but if a carload of kids drive away with a smile on their face, it's not important if they made a donation or not.
