[pasmembers] LIbrary star party
- From: Terri <cosmicstarstuff@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "pasmembers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <pasmembers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2013 13:52:04 -0800 (PST)
Tim
very interesting thoughts.
Thank you for sharing.
Hmmmm.
The reason we decided to make it a fee for PAS to do
schools was for gas reimbursement. We went to several schools this last year in
which I told them we request $20 to $25 per car for gas reimbursement to do the
event. We got $5 at one event to split between 5 scopes. Wow, that didn't cover
the cost of the gas to get there and back, and as you know,
people like Mike are unemployed but a great asset and
addition to the star parties. I'd hate to not have Mike attend
because he can't make it there, no gas in the car.
We also have done schools where we asked that they collect
donations to PAS from their attending students and parents,
and again, got nothing for the work we were doing.
So, we decided to make it a requirement of $25/attending scope,
because some of us bring more than 1 scope which keeps the
lines down at the event, and offers more views. I don't' think
$25 per scope - with allowing them to cap the number of
attending scopes for the event - is going to make a school
go broke. They have a PTA and PTO for that kind of expense.
So far, schools have been fine giving us gas reimbursement.
Plus, all schools feed us.
Now, the Library. The Library may be non profit. But,
if they have any income, they may want to invest in this
kind of educational opportunity. If we want to agree
that the $25 we ask for from the Library goes directly
to PAS, rather than to the participants, that's fine. We just
have to agree that that is the situation with Libraries.
I would love to trade them, star party once every 2 months,
or every month, in trade for use of their meeting room, some
other time during the month. We could do mini astronomy
presentations in their meeting room, and draw in the teens that
way, on other days of the month, than just the star party night.
But I do feel there should be a trade, if not a fee.
When we did the events at North Mountain Park, we
used their grounds for a star party, and also borrowed
their meeting room, on several occasions, to do
some extra presentations, generalized, to draw in more
public. Some times those meetings were not associated
with the star party, and other times, they were together,
same night. But we traded, and I felt that was a good trade.
Maybe, we could borrow the meeting room, do a presentation
an hour before the star party, Mike or someone could do it,
and then the star party, all in one night. And maybe ask
that we have use of their meeting room another night, for
the public to attend, or something. What are your thoughts on
that idea, instead of charging for the star party?
One thing I don't' want is for it to be like they treated us
at the Az Science Center. We asked, many times, can you
make an announcement that we are set up outside in Heritage
Square so that the people leaving will think to swing by and
look through our scopes. We asked that they make sign
that says we are out there. They wouldn't do it and
the people didn't come to our scopes, so we felt we weren't
appreciated and quite doing that venue. I had fun doing
First Friday's at ASC, until we were no longer appreciated.
Terri
Good friends are like stars. You don't always
see them, but you always know they are there.
Terri Phoenix Astronomical Society Event Coordinator
Visit the P.A.S. Blog & My Facebook Page
Visit my Music Page: Private Music Instructor
>________________________________
> From: Bob Christ <bchrist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>To: pasmembers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 8:50 AM
>Subject: [pasmembers] Re: LIbrary star party
>
>I second the "emotion." Over the last couple of years the club has certainly
>grown more "commercial" in scope.
>
>Bob
>
>On Jan 11, 2013, at 8:41 AM, Tim Jones wrote:
>
>> The library system is Maricopa County, not city-based, so the Scottsdale
>> location has no bearing on this and your comment is absurd. Again, they
>> don't charge the kids or families for the programs, so our charging them
>> feels a bit greedy if more than a simple registration fee.
>>
>> <SOAPBOX MODE ON>
>> <FLAME RETARDANT UNDERWEAR ON>
>> Look, I understand that times are tight for many of us, but using the club
>> as a source of income is simply wrong. As most of you know, I don't take
>> money from events that I'm part of with the club because I feel that way
>> about it. In all the non-profit organizations that I've ever been involved
>> with, PAS is the first of such which charges for outreach events. To say
>> the least, I feel very uncomfortable with a practice under which club
>> members are paid to the point of requiring W9's on file with the club.
>> Additionally, since the club now requires W9's for payout, that makes
>> members who receive payment contractors and the club has now become a
>> business entity rather than a club or organization.
>>
>> On the other hand, if there was a club-level "booking fee" of around $25,
>> that would be different. That could be explained as an administrative fee.
>> I don't have an issue with the club making up for the effort of its members
>> (versus private people) to arrange and manage such an event.
>>
>> If there really needs to be a "business unit" from within the club to run
>> paid star parties, it should be a private venture of like-minded members and
>> it should be treated as a separate entity, and not part of the PAS
>> structure. Also, events hosted and managed by these people should not be
>> considered as "PAS Events". Otherwise, it's not outreach, it's "Tony
>> Laconti using the club's status in the community for drumming up business."
>> <SOAPBOX MODE OFF>
>>
>> Tim
>>
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