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?

You did the right thing. She's crazy if she thinks you'll get similar results without some ingredients!

This is something that could potentially impact your business. Yes you are giving your time but you are working with potential future clients too - so it's important to maintain your high standards. I think it is very important that you don't compromise, you are doing a really good thing here and they are taking advantage of the situation.

Is it possible there's been a bout of Covid in your area and you don't feel very well today?!

Hope it all gets sorted!

I'd turn the whole thing into a massive joke against the Treasurer and make it clear that anything that goes wrong this evening isn't my fault and go ahead anyway, because protecting your reputation by cancelling peoples' Saturday night out could do more damage than bravely soldiering on against the odds. You'll have no control over what the people who've bought the tickets are told by the organisers. They could privately spread the word that you were impossible to deal with and ruin your reputation anyway. Who knows, if you're good at what you do maybe everything will be fine without your normal high-end ingredients. Make a virtue of coping. Remember, the people watching may have to cut corners themselves.

I'd open the evening's event with your usual introduction and saying how delighted I was to be there but add: 'Now, I need to be frank with you before we start. The organisers of this event said they'd provide all the ingredients I need to make XXX as usual and I provided them with a detailed list of my requirements, but it's become clear that quite a few things are missing because they were deemed too expensive or not of the quality I'd normally expect. I've been told that I'm going to have to work with what I've been given. So I'll be doing what I can with some unknown materials. But as we go along I'll tell you what I would normally expect to be using. So this evening will be something of an experiment. Let's see what happens, shall we?' You turn it into an adventure and none of what happens will be your fault.

Every time an ingredient is missing or not working as you'd like I'd say: 'Now at this point I'd usually add XXX, but apparently someone on the committee decided it was too expensive, so I'm going to improvise and have to use ZZZ and YYY instead.' Or 'Now, when you're doing this at home I suggest you buy XXX from Fortnum & Mason, which is what I usually use, but it will be interesting to see if the Lidl substitute will work just as well.'

You could make it very funny and make you and the audience complicit in the drama. And if your cake doesn't rise or your cookies don't crumble, you can blame the missing ingredients. Remember that there may be lots of people in your audience who wouldn't be able to afford the expensive ingredients anyway.

I think this would be far better for your reputation than calling off at the last minute. And if you ever get asked to do this again, make sure you get it in writing that they'll supply the ingredients you specify. I have some sympathy with the Treasurer, who needs to raise as much money as possible for the organisation. It would be really gutting to sell all the tickets and then find that half the income is going on ingredients. Add in the cost of the hall and other expenses and there may be very little to be made from the event.

She's out of order, but I'd suck it up and buy the ingredients yourself.

Think of it as marketing. People will tell their friends how good it was and adding in the good will of it being for charity you should get lots of bookings out of it.

Play the long game.

I had a response from the chair of the group (not the treasurer) saying what they had bought was all they could afford and I would have to manage, and they are relying on the margin they have budgeted as their only fundraiser this month.
I've pulled out and told them to run it themselves. I feel bad for people who have bought tickets but I know the organisers are only spending around 10% of the fee on materials (and the hall belongs to them so no additional costs). My name will be mud with them, but so be it. Thanks for your advice!

Well bloody done OP!!

You’ve done the right thing. They’ve engaged you to do something you know how to do and then told you to “manage” it with the wrong stuff. They didn’t even ask you, tried to force you to do it badly. I’m glad you are able to stand your ground - many wouldn’t have been able to.

I’m glad you stood your ground.

People don’t care about the professional reputation of others being trashed. I would have done the same.

Well done @caffelattetogo. I’d now get out ahead of the Committee and put something on your social media profiles to say something like:

“With deep regret I have been forced to pull out of tonight’s event. I am fully supportive of the ethos behind the fundraiser but am not prepared to compromise my reputation by offering a substandard product. I hope that those who purchased tickets understand my position.”

OH dear, OP, think you just pissed on your chips. No one likes a quitter. 30, 40, 50 people all now feeling annoyed that their night out has been cancelled.

Imagine what they'll be saying now. 'I hear she was such a diva, impossible to work with. It was all about her and her reputation. It all got a bit ridiculous. She was asking for X and Y and Z, which would have cost us far too much to supply. No one around here cooks with X and Y! She knows we're a voluntary organisation but she couldn't be flexible.'

Oooof.

I wouldn’t do this - she would be allowing them to completely take the piss out of her. Also - when you get into a situation with cheeky fuckers, they only become more cheeky and unreasonable, they don’t turn around and say sorry.

I doubt she needs the marketing anyway.

A very poor response, and really quite the fib- all they could afford when they’ve taken a lot of money up front and only spent 10% of it! Well don’t for pulling out, do you have a business Facebook account you can pop a statement to say ‘so sorry to those of you who were attending x, I’m so sorry it was unable to run (don’t say why). I have not taken any money so if you want a refund please take it up with (charity) who can assist. Hope I can meet you at a class soon!

It's better that than your professional reputation being damaged. I completely understand, it's like me being asked to give a piano recital and the club says they'll hire a venue with a piano, then you turn up and it's a child's keyboard!
Folks participating wouldn't know that you were working with inferior ingredients, they'd just think your products weren't very good. And probably avoid using you or recommending you in the future. You did right and hopefully the 'club' will be more thoughtful towards people doing them a favour in the future.

Nah i think you did the right thing. They were gouging attendants on the price then it'd reflect badly on you when the results you promise can't be achieved.

Find another venue, run a course yourself as an alt. with x% to whatever fund. If it ain't their venue, fuck all they can do. Do it swiftly and most people won't realise its a different set up at all!

If you have a social media account I’d be putting a statement on it explaining the exact situation.

This is actually outrageous of them. They have put you in a really awkward position as if you did it and the result was crap - then that’s your local reputation tarnished- but also by pulling out that’s also damaging (as it can be spun whatever way).

It could damage your professional reputation so I would refuse to do it unless they provide the supplies you specified.

It's very heartening when a poster decides not to be taken advantage of and stands up for herself.

Well done op!

Well done OP.

well done fpr pulling out, that takes guts. Maybe the people involved will think next time before trying to take advantage of others who volunteer their time.

I would absolutely beat them to the punch by issuing a public statement that you have had to pull out.
If you have all your exchanges in writing then I would keep your powder dry on the whys and wherefores, unless they start tarnishing your reputation in which case I would go public.

I no longer sit on committees or give my time to organisations because this kind of behaviour is rife.

What did they respond to THAT?!? Go u OP, and definitely take the advice of PPs, by issuing a statement first!

I'd absolutely make a public social media statement saying either the full truth, or "unfortunately the wrong ingredients arrived and (charity) is unable to provide the correct ones".

I might have misunderstood, but they charged what you normally charge but the venue is free to them and of a lower standard than you normally book, you are giving your time and expertise for free and the only thing they were paying for is the ingredients, which they won’t pay for. And that’s not enough profit for their charity? But you are running a successful business for less profit than this because you pay for better venues and yourself!

I am glad you have told them to do one, margarine and squirty cream in post bake off Britain indeed 😁