Event Planning, Weather, and Knowing Your Worth (Monetarily)
One thing I have noticed with Heathens, and Pagans more generally, is that they do things as a labour of love. (I mean… coughs …. Look at this blog. Don’t worry, I get the irony. Even though this blog is often just as much for me as my readers I could definitely monetize it if I wanted the headache.I don’t wish to stick to a schedule for posting for Patreon support though, and I don’t like the added paperwork at tax time.) I am thinking more of physical goods and events though, in this case. One of the members of my Kindred was asking how much they could sell an item for that they were making and we were happy to help them set a fair price, which allowed for people trying to negotiate them down as well. It was much higher than what they thought they could get for that work, despite their skill and quality techniques and materials.
I am thinking on an even larger scale though, like Pagan events. I am surprised what events are free or by donation, that have a huge overhead cost to the hosts. At the very least a suggested donation amount should be included. For a day event between $5-20 to cover the venue costs, more if there is food. For a weekend event $30-40 (without food beyond coffee and tea) would be totally reasonable. With inflation that might even be low. I am thinking in particular about one weekend event I recently attended that was by donation, but without a suggested donation cost. I think they only got $100-$150 the whole weekend in donations, completely unreasonable for the calibre of event they put on and with 60+ people in attendance.
The other thing I have been thinking about, from an event planning perspective, is how many Pagan/Heathen events are outdoors but without a weather related contingency plan. If you are having a picnic in September in Canada, you might want to at least book one of the park shelters, or say you will meet instead at Tim Hortons or Boston Pizza or something in case of torrential rain. A little rain can be manageable if you include in your advertising to dress for the weather and have a shelter. Unless it is -30 or colder, a tornado/hurricane, or the roads are closed for some reason then you shouldn’t have to cancel outdoor events if they were planned carefully. Aren’t we usually celebrating the seasons, and all they have to offer?
As a Prairie Heathen, we rarely hold events outside after Winter Nights or before Sigrblot. If we had a more adventurous group, we might. There are a few of us who would be down for it. Both Winter Nights and Sigrblot have the potential of very unpredictable weather but they are still almost always outside. Midsummer also tends to be stinking hot or else a thunderstorm, or both, and is still held outside. What allows it to be successful is careful planning. The weather makes events memorable. It adds to the stories, and makes each year special. A fond story is the Midsummer we took shelter in a horse stable to do a ritual during a giant thunderstorm. (Hail Thor!) We talk about the Winter Nights where it got so cold after dark that we all huddled around the fire and one person melted the bottom of their boots. No one regrets these events because of unpredictable weather, they relish the memories.
Image Source:
"Field in Autumn" by Lisá Yakurím https://www.pexels.com/photo/field-in-autumn-18684339/
Please note this is an opinion piece so there are no sources attached.
