To think no good deed goes unpunished

[caffelattetogo]

Please tell me if IABU...

I was asked to run a fundraiser for a group my DC attends. It's a class to teach something I do professionally, and I have done for many years. All good, until it came to setting the ticket price - the treasurer looked on my website and saw how much I usually charge for a session. But this is in a village hall, not the venues I'd usually use, which cost much more to hire. I'd thought we could charge less than I usually do, as the experience won't be the same.
But maybe I was wrong: Tickets went on sale and have sold out.
I said I'd buy the materials and invoice them. No need, says the treasurer, and asks me to send her a list.
The session is on Saturday and the ingredients have arrived - with loads missing and much cheaper quality than I'd usually use. There's no way the food we are making will look or taste the same. I rang tonight and she isn't budging - says my list was too expensive and would eat up their profits. In total, the ingredients I wanted were about 25% of the ticket price. I'm giving my time and equipment for free.
Any other circumstances and I'd walk away, but I feel bad for the people who have bought tickets.
What should I do?

I'd tell them you can't provide the service with missing and inferior ingredients and that you're sorry but you are no longer able to do it. Potential customers might judge you on what you teach and produce on the night which will not be your usual standard because you won't have the usual ingredients. I'm thinking something edible with you saying ingredients.

You should pull out unless the proper materials are bought. Your professional reputation is on the line.

If your usual price is being charged, paying customers have a right to the same quality materials.

What @JustACountryMusicGirlInCowboyBoots said.

It would be a bigger headache for her to deal with returning everyone's money and taking a loss on ingredient money already spent, than to cave to you and spend more. She won't like it though.

If you could compromise somewhere on the ingredients it might help.

I wouldn't lose any sleep over people missing out on an event that doesn't go ahead. They will have to get their money back. The problem is the sunk costs of ingredients which will need to come out of club funds if you don't go ahead.

Could you take the hit and buy some of the ingredients yourself? I often run fundraising events that end up costing me time and money, but I write the money off as money I would have been spending at the event, if I wasn't running it (if that makes sense) I'm not sure how you'd resolve it otherwise.

Don't do it unless they provide the materials you specified - if the stupid woman had qualms about it, she should have discussed it with you rather than make a unilateral decision.
When you cancel, make sure the rest of the fundraising committee know why.

From her pov she's trying to raise as much money as possible.

Can you do a reduced menu / alternate offering?

She sounds controlling, remember at the end of the day you are the one doing the favor and any 'profit' from the event is better than nothing.
As another poster pointed out your reputation is on the line. If she cannot see sense then walk, but make it clear why you are doing this.

Like the others say - pull out unless you get the ingredients you need. Your reputation is on the line. I would also give a heads up to the chair of the group too

I would message the entire board and explain without the correct ingredients you will not be able to go ahead as it would be unfair to the people who have paid for the experience and potentially damaging to your reputation.

Then await a response. And next time they ask say no!!

+1 for pull out. Your professional reputation is worth a lot, and people do talk and don't forget things where they feel swizzed.
Treasurer is BVVU

YANBU to put your foot down and insist on the right quality stuff. I'd try not to walk away though.

Cancel and let everyone you know in the village know why

Goodness - I could have written this. The same thing happened to me. I pulled the plug on it, I felt bad but no matter if it’s a fundraiser or not, you cannot allow yourself to be treated like this. She probably has form for this. Very rude of her

I think there is no moral or ethical issue with saying that you specified a list of ingredients and they aren't providing them, had you known that in advance you wouldn't have offered your time for free. It's unfortunate that that they have taken this position but you have been forced by their decisions to pull out. You will communicate the reasons why to the group and let them ask the treasurer for their money back.

This. She should have consulted you.

I said I'd buy the materials and invoice them. No need, says the treasurer, and asks me to send her a list

It's there isn't it. Do you have that in writing? You need to go back to the whole body with this. You need the proper ingredients or cancel. This person is so rude and controlling and after having involvement in a similar group I am completely unsurprised. I just can't ever imagine having the audacity to do that!

I’d either cancel or contact the committee, explain the situation, that you need to buy the proper ingredients yourself and charge them. If the event doesn’t go ahead they won’t be getting any money, so…

Another vote for pull out and let them all know. Say I was giving my time for free and I’m also aware that the venue costs are less than my usual so you will have to make your margins off those, or refund everyone. It is extremely poor behaviour of you not to have communicated with me before unilaterally deciding to choose poorer quality foods/materials and to not bother with some, that wasn’t your decision to make. I offered to buy the materials and invoice you and you refused, presumably as this was your plan all along. I cannot present the session to an acceptable standard with these supplies and to do so would harm my professional reputation, so I must decline to present it at all and cancel. I regret the inconvenience this causes, I was very happy to help.

I think it going ahead with missing / inferior ingredients would be worse for those who bought tickets than cancelling outright. They bought their tickets expecting a certain experience which they will not receive unless you have the correct ingredients.

Thanks so much. I'll start drafting up an email. She's made it such hard work it's taken all the fun out of it, and is making out I'm being precious. But I've been doing this for years - if it worked with cheaper ingredients I'd happily use them. Even the quantities are wrong, she told me this was to avoid waste!

If this is how you make your living, it’s your reputation on the line, she’s beyond unreasonable.

She sounds a miserable git.

I'd be interested to hear what she replies.

When I pointed out that many of the elements were lacking, she said that as we are a voluntary group, people don't expect the usual standard of the workshops I do. But at the same price, I think they might do!

she told me this was to avoid waste!

I'd be tempted to suggest she takes over the role seeing as she clearly knows so much about it. How insulting to you & your skill.

I hope you get this sorted.

They don’t expect shitty cut-price standards either - or they wouldn’t be doing a workshop, they’d Google it.