A Note on Funding for Go Play NW
When we hold in-person events, it’s easy to see where the price of the event goes: we have to rent space for the convention, we may offer overnight rooms, we're contractually obligated through Seattle University to include meals for attendees, we need physical supplies such as signs and badges, we produce shirts, we have to pay admission and sales taxes, and we have general operating costs such as corporate registration and buisness license.
With our event this year being held online, the obvious expenses of an in-person event don’t apply, which may raise questions about why we're charging for this event at all, so we thought a brief explanation would be in order:
Since our founding, Go Play NW has been supported solely by our community; we do not have corporate sponsors or other funding sources. This year’s expenses include approximately $500 in general operating costs with approximately $200 going towards the technical infrastructure (Discord boosts and bots) needed to hold the online event. Our base daily ticket price for this year’s online event reflects our minimum estimate for attendance, the funds needed to cover our expenses, and our desire to be as welcome—and therefore affordable—as possible. All excess money raised will go into our foundation funds.
Our foundation funds are necessary for securing a venue for in-person events and other functional expenses prior to opening event registration each year. They also help us cover unexpected expenses and take advantage of opportunities to grow and improve.
In recent years we’ve been working toward making Go Play NW more welcome and accessible to a wider variety of people., particularly people from historically marginalized backgrounds. Our efforts have included offering sponsored attendance for attendees in in financial need and for hiring consultants to support accessibility and diversity issues. We will be continuing to explore more ways to improve in those respects.
Go Play NW is an entirely volunteer-run organization, and neither board members nor staff receive financial compensation for their time and efforts.
We appreciate your support!
