I've written a letter to the paper - gosh Angry from coventry,
Non fundraising at the Cheylesmore festivalI would like to thank the organisers of the Cheylesmore festival for a well organised day at Quinton Park on Saturday. The weather also added to a day that was enjoyed by all.
Coventry Cat Group had a stall there to sell fairly inexpensive toys and our ‘Mucky Dip’ (tag line “what’s in your litter tray” - you had to be there!) at 20p a go was very popular with the children – maybe because we decided that we were going to do an ‘everyone’s a winner’!
However as we were packing up after a long, hot day we were approached by the organisers of the event demanding that we cash up to give them 20% of our sales. We had already paid £20 for the pitch and I was surprised that they could ask for so much more.
We raised £100 on the day and therefore our total cost for the stall was £40.
Normally we are lucky to get a 30% profit on items we sell. Our decision on Saturday to let everyone win a prize mean our profit margin was probably nearer 10% , and maybe not even that.
Even at 30%, we need to sell about £75 of stock to take £100. At 10% this rises to £90.
Therefore the day’s fundraising cost us between £15 and £30.
I told the organisers that next year the three of us would either spend the day caring for all our foster cats or even have a lie in – and save our charity some money!
For all those people that came to the stall to buy things to support the Coventry Cat Group, I can only apologise. Luckily any money put in the collecting tins was not subject to this 20% theft however it certainly did not make us in profit when everything was added up the next day.
In the old days, the religious organisations had their tithes, a 10% levy but I guess that’s inflation for you!
