Charity ticket selling advice

HannahElinor

Hi!

I'm organising a big concert to mark the beginnings of a foundation set up in memory of a dear singer friend of mine but I'm having trouble finding a way to sell tickets online, as his foundation is not yet a registered charity. Does anyone have any ideas on sites we may be able to sell tickets through that don't charge a per centage?? Also, we'd ideally like to set a minimum ticket price, but have people able to donate as much as they like (so a site which doesnt require a fixed ticket price would be ideal). We're looking to sell about 800 seats.

Thanks for any help you can give!
Hannah

Savvy_Sue

Welcome Hannah

I think you will struggle to find sites which treat groups not yet registered as charities as favourably as charities.

Does the venue you're using regularly sell tickets? If so, then obviously discussing with them what means they use is a good first step - but I'm guessing they don't, or you'd be locked into their system ...

paddyrg

800 seats one-off gig isn't particularly big, so I'd suggest using either eventwax or eventbrite. Eventbrite charge a higher % but offer more for your money, eventwax is less frills but simpler. Both are fundamentally similar though. They are both free if there is no entry fee, and a % if there is a fee (which also covers card processing). Doesn't the venue have a box office who will insist on doing the ticketing anyway?

HOWEVER I will fire a warning note - if you have never organised a music event before BE VERY CAREFUL as there are all kinds of gotchas, licensing, curfews, contracts, logistics etc to deal with and get right.

One very common and crucial thing to know is to NEVER cashflow the event from ticket sales. It is a recipe for disaster. I know people who've lost their homes doing this - being a promoter is a big deal, high risk. You find you need cash (pay for stages, PA, lights, bands, hotels, bookers, etc etc) just when you have none. The service companies will not give a line of credit without a deposit, they have all been burnt before. Lack of cashflow can kill your event, and leave you out of pocket. Make sure you have ALL the cash upfront, or your cashflow will kill you, and that's not how anyone wants your foundation to start!