Interested non-profits
The two ideas underlying Non-Profit Comedy, a Tuesday night show at the Comedy Underground in Seattle, are (1) to do thoughtful, political-ish comedy, and (2) to make each show a benefit for a worthy non-profit. As a partnering non-profit, you'd get an easy opportunity for staff/board/major volunteer appreciation (they can get comp tickets), you'd get to go home with at least 50% of the door revenues (historically $100-$900, so we're not talking big money, but it is easy money), and you'd get to have a fun time with some terrific comics on what would otherwise be a slow Tuesday night. All that we'd ask of you in return is for you to be excited about being part of the show and for you to translate that excitement into some relatively low-stress, low- time-and-energy promotional efforts, e.g., encouraging staff/board/volunteers to come and bring their friends. (You could of course do more promotional work if you wanted to, and just as a warning it's not easy to bring people out to the club on a Tuesday night :)
You can read the information for participating non-profits to get a stronger sense of what we'd expect of you. If you're interested in being involved in a future show, I'd love to chat more and/or put you in touch with previous non-profit partners and/or invite you to an upcoming show so you can check it out. (I can provide comp tickets if you need one or two.) And I'm open to any and all suggestions/comments/etc, so don't hesitate to contact me at yoram AT standupeconomist.com or by phone at 206-351-5719.
Before proceeding, you should make sure that the decision-makers at your organization are comfortable participating in a non-PC event. Thoughtful, political-ish comedy can still be foul-mouthed and potentially offensive, so you might want to check out a show or talk with one of our previous non-profit partners before signing up.
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Participating non-profits
Thanks for being a part of Non-Profit Comedy! These shows are intended to celebrate and showcase Seattle's comic talents as well as bring in some cash for your non-profit and put on a fun appreciation event for your staff/board/volunteers (who can get comp tickets), so come prepared to have a good time! Here's the deal:
Step 1: You pick a date. See the list of available dates. Before picking a date, though, you should do an internal gut check to make sure that everyone's on board with a non-PC comedy show. If you want to check out a show first, let's make that happen before picking a date. (I'm happy to provide up to four comp tickets: just tell whoever's at the door that you're thinking about doing a show and that they should bring me over for a minute so we can have an in-person introduction.)
Step 2: We decide on ticket prices. As a starting point toward the twin goals of raising money and getting a good crowd, we recommend $12 at the door, $10 for tickets you pre-sell (if you're pre-selling tickets), and $6 for students with ID (either at the door or in advance). Please note (1) that we provide comp tickets to potential future non-profit partners and to friends of the comics; and (2) that you can provide comp or discounted tickets to staff/board/key volunteers. Remember, this is a decision for us to make jointly, so make sure to keep us in the loop. As of March 2008, you now get 100% of any ticket sales over $800---plus the usual 50% of the first $800 of ticket sales---instead of just 50% of all ticket sales! (The other 50% of the first $800 is shared between the club and the comics.)
Step 3: You decide if you want to do a stage pitch. If you want 2-3 minutes of stage time to promote your organization, terrific. You should also consider bringing literature and donation envelopes to put on the tables. More on this in the section below called "At the Show"...
Step 4: You decide if you want to do a raffle. You can make some extra money by doing a raffle at the show. (As an added bonus, you get 100% of the raffle money as opposed to only 50+% of the ticket sales.) The club has raffle tickets and a bucket for the drawing. The club is also usually willing to chip in a couple of tickets to a future show, but other than that you're on your own in terms of finding things to raffle off. Also, the raffle will cut into already-scarce stage time, so to make it happen fast please limit the number of items to 3-5. (Also note that once the show starts you won't be able to sell tickets easily.) Finally, if you're into legalese then you should read the state Gambling Commission's rules on raffles. (See in particular the info on the first page and the section on "Unlicensed Auctions--Public Auctions" on the second page of their General Information PDF.) Compliance with these rules is your responsibility, not the responsibility of Non-Profit Comedy or the club, but the main ideas seem to be (1) you have to be a non-profit; (2) tickets have to be sold by an over-18 member of the organization; and (3) you can't have more than two raffles in a year, and their combined revenue can't exceed $5,000.
Step 5: You decide if you want to pre-sell tickets. Tickets will always be sold at the door but your organization can also pre-sell tickets if you want. This is 100% optional, so here are some things to know about this option:
- One advantage is that it's easier to get someone to commit to going if you're actually selling them a ticket ahead of time.
- Another advantage is that you might be able to get a (modest) financial benefit from no-shows: if you sell someone a $12 ticket and they don't show up and you don't say anything about it, is the club going to know that you sold that ticket? No, in which case you end up getting 100% of that money.
- The main disadvantage is that pre-selling tickets complicates your life: you need to keep track of how many tickets you sell at what prices, you actually need to sell the tickets, you become financially responsible for the ticket sales you do make, etc. (Read on for details.) So: the choice is yours. If you don't want to pre-sell tickets, skip the rest of this section.
If you want to pre-sell tickets, here's even more info (sorry, but this is serious business, and it can get tricky):
- The easiest way to pre-sell tickets is to do it electronically: just collect the money and bring a list to the club with the names of folks who have already paid you for tickets, e.g., "Mary Smith +2". If you really want to sell physical tickets you can do that too, using tickets of your own design or you can use this template and ticket text that looks like this. (Email me for a version of this in Microsoft Word.)
- If you think you might sell out the 200-person capacity of the club, you should (1) tell ticket holders to show up 30 minutes before the show, and (2) keep an approximate count of how many tickets you sell. (If you're selling physical tickets, one option is to hand-write numbers on your tickets: 1, 2, 3, etc.) Remember that tickets are also sold at the door, so we need to stay on top of this to avoid problems.
- In theory, the financial accounting works like this: the club collects your "tickets" at the door, either by actually collecting physical tickets or by checking names off a list you provide, and then you are responsible for handing over the ticket sales that correspond to those collected tickets. In practice, the financial accounting works like this: the club tallies up its ticket sales and your ticket sales and whoever has more pays the balance to the other. So if the club sells $500 in tickets and you sell $300, you get $400 of the $800 in total sales, so you keep your $300 and the club pays you an additional $100. If the situation is reversed---the club sells $300 and you sell $500---then you owe the club $100.
- If you're selling tickets at different prices, make sure to keep close track of how many tickets you sell at what price so we don't end up with a disaster when it's time to do the accounting with the club management at the end of the night.
- Better safe than sorry, so don't hesitate to ask me questions by email or phone: 206-351-5719.
Step 6: Email us drafts of save-the-date emails, etc. Please keep us in the loop so we can help! (Sending us drafts also gives you a extra pair of knowledgeable eyes to proofread and help you avoid sending out incorrect information.)
Step 7: Send out a save-the-date email and do other advertising. There's a sample below of an email you can send to your staff, board, key volunteers, and (if possible) your broader email list. Getting staff/board/key volunteers excited about the show is one of the keys to success, since (1) they'll bring their friends, and (2) the show is a staff/board/volunteer appreciation event as well as a fundraiser, and it's best to appreciate people when they're in the room. Comp tickets are available for staff, board, and key volunteers. You should mention this to them, either in this email or (preferably) in a separate email PS/follow-up to this email. Also, please use this early email to check for internet problems like webpages not coming through in emails.
Sample email (modify as you see fit)
Subject: [Month date] comedy benefit show for [XYZ]!
Text: You and all your friends are invited to join the staff and board of [XYZ] for Non-Profit Comedy, a benefit show for [XYZ] with thoughtful, mostly political comedy from some of Seattle's best comics!
Basics: Tuesday, [Month date], 8:00-9:30pm [or 8:30-10:00pm for summer shows]. Doors open at 7:30pm [or 8:00pm for summer shows], recommended arrival time 7:45pm [or 8:15pm for summer shows] to get a good seat and avoid waiting in line. The show is at the Comedy Underground, now at 109 S. Washington St. in Pioneer Square; here's a map, and note that the entrance is around the corner. Tickets are $12 at the door, $6 with student ID.
Details: There is no drink minimum but food and beverages are available. The Comedy Underground is open to all ages except Fri/Sat, but it is always a free speech zone, so think twice if you're easily offended or bringing impressionable youths. The club is down a flight of stairs but elevator access is available if arranged in advance. Free street parking is often available nearby, as are pay parking lots and most downtown buses. For more information please visit Non-Profit Comedy.
Have questions? [Phone or email contact for your organization]
If you want some logos, here's a small Non-Profit Comedy logo and a large Non-Profit Comedy logo (both JPEG files, and thanks to Christopher Cox for designing the logo!) and here's the Comedy Underground logo (a GIF file).
You can also hand out or post flyers, or follow these instructions to get a free 15-second PSA on KOMO4's Northwest Afternoon show, but these should not be seen as a substitute for making personal invitations. (Even when groups flyer like crazy, most of the audience has a strong personal connection to board/staff/volunteers.) Here's a generic quarter-sheet flyer in Microsoft Word for Windows for you to modify as you see fit. Please keep us in the loop by email so I can proofread, provide feedback, and otherwise help out.
Step 8: Two weeks before the show. Send an email (there's a sample above) to your staff, board, and key volunteers, and to your broader email list. We are counting on you to be excited about the show and take advantage of low-cost opportunities to spread the word and bring a crowd!
Step 9: One week before the show. Confirm that staff, board, and key volunteers are coming to the show and have invited their friends. This may require some persistence and follow-up, but it's crucial to the success of the show.
Step 10: The day before the show. If possible, send a reminder email to your broader email list. Also do a final confirmation with staff, board, and key volunteers. It can be extremely difficult to get a sense of how many people might come, but if you think there's a chance of packing the house (200 people), you should emphasize that people can buy tickets online or should get there early to buy tickets and get good seats.
Step 11: The day of the show. Remind staff about the show; get prepared if you're bringing literature, doing a brief pitch, or doing a raffle; and get excited! Please show up at least 30 minutes before the show, tell the bartender you're with the non-profit, and then head down the stairs to the club. If you're doing a raffle, you have until the show starts to sell tickets.
Step 12: Have fun at the show! Also...
- The entrance to the Comedy Underground is well suited for tabling, and you're probably better off doing that before the show rather than after (when will be wanting to go home). You can also walk around with clipboards or leave them at the ticket desk or whatever, but the best thing to do (as pioneered by Real Change) is to leave a piece of literature and a donations envelope at each of the 75 or so tables in the club.
- The club has a large plastic container at the ticket desk that can be used to collect donations---please bring a bumper sticker or something else with your name in big bright letters that we can tape onto the container.
- If you're doing a raffle or want to make a brief 2-3 minute pitch about your organization to start off the show, please come prepared for those activities. If you're doing a raffle, you have until the show starts to sell tickets.
- We cut you a check (or just hand you cash) at the end of the show!
Step 13: After the show. If you're a Miss Manners type, you can send a thank-you note to us (Yoram Bauman/Rosalie Gale) and the club managers (Ron Reid and Carl Warmenhoven) c/o the Comedy Underground, 109 S. Washington St., Seattle WA 98104. Finally: feedback and/or suggestions about the show are more than welcome, and hopefully we can do it again next year!
Interested non-profits         Participating non-profits         Interested comics         Participating comics
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Interested comics
The best ways to get involved with the show are (1) to do material at open-mic night or elsewhere that impresses me and/or other comics and to let me know in person or by email that you're interested in participating, or (2) to offer to put together a show for your favorite non-profit. Beyond that, you should read the material for participating comics to get the skinny on the show.
Interested non-profits         Participating non-profits         Interested comics         Participating comics
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Participating comics
General: Thanks for being a part of Non-Profit Comedy! These shows are intended to celebrate and showcase your talents as well as bring in some cash for worthy non-profits, so come prepared to have a good time and (if possible) bring some friends! (I can probably arrange for half-price friend-of-the-comic tickets, so let me know in advance about that.)
Content: I'm looking for material that is kick-ass, thoughtful, and preferably political-ish, in that order of importance, and that will appeal to non-profit staffers and their friends and supporters. The general idea is to (mostly) avoid stupid dick jokes and instead do stuff that will appeal to 40-year-olds-with-kids as well as 20-somethings. Please note that non-stupid dick jokes are fine and that "40-year-olds-with-kids" is not a euphemism for "fuddy-duddy PC troglodytes". And, BTW, the occasional stupid dick joke is fine too; ultimately I am placing no restrictions whatsoever on the material that you do, but I may not invite you back on the show if audiences repeatedly indicate that you're boring, offensive, or just not that funny.
Producing a show: I would love to get other comics involved in doing shows! So if you know of a worthy non-profit---or can find one in the list of non-profits here---and want to put on a show for them, please let me know. You'd get fame and a modest amount of fortune (if you take care of the entire show you get 25% of the first $800 of after-tax ticket sales; the club gets a similar cut, and the non-profit gets 50% of the first $800 and 100% of any ticket sales over $800) and essentially unlimited control in terms of designing and producing the show. It's good experience, it's not all that much work, and it's for a good cause.
Last minute changes: If for some reason you won't be able to make a show that you've agree to be in, please let me know ASAP by email yoram AT standupeconomist.com or phone 206-351-5719.
Interested non-profits         Participating non-profits         Interested comics         Participating comics
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