Fund Your Attendance to POTD
Being at this conference is an investment in your dance’s future!
We believe that it is not the responsibility of individual organizers to personally fund their entire conference attendance.
If you can and want to pay the fees out of pocket, to support your dance even more than you already do, that’s great. (And maybe you’re a self-employed caller, musician, or other arts pro who can deduct this professional development from your income taxes!)
But for those who find it a stretch, for whatever reasons, consider these ideas:
~ Include conference attendance in your dance’s overhead: If a monthly series kept a modest $15-25 from each dance’s total admission income in the months before the conference, there would be a hefty chunk of cash available to help fund the dance organizer’s participation in the conference.
How? Add another line item to the overhead, taking out that amount from each gate (just as you would for hall rental, publicity/marketing costs, insurance/CDSS affiliation, sound provision, committee stipends, or other expenses.) ~ Worried that this means less pay for performers? Consider that $5 apiece is not a significant difference in pay. Also, most performers will appreciate that you are doing this for your series, given the long-term benefits for performers. ~ Running out of time to save? Make a loan to your series. Pay for the conference out of pocket, divide that amount by 12, and the series can reimburse you over the course of the year by considering it a monthly expense of the dance overhead.
~ Increase admission by $1 or more: Be sure to explain to your dancers that this tiny increase is important to support the dance. Set aside the extra income for conference attendance. (As a bonus, once you’ve raised the conference fees, the additional money in each dance’s income can support your dance in other ways.)
~ Solicit contributions from your community: Let your dancers and performers know you’re giving your organization a big boost by attending, and encourage them get invested in the process too. Your attendance will ultimately benefit them!
- Make announcements and share your excitement
- Put up a poster
- Set out a donation jar
~ Get a grant: Seek out generous donors who would support your attendance, such as local community foundations or individual philanthropists.
~ Spread the word, cast a wide net: Let your broader local community, beyond the dance, know what you are planning and why. Point out the benefits to the locals of having a dance series in your area. Emphasize the positive attributes (intergenerational activity, living tradition, chem-free, live music, healthy exercise, community-building, etc.). Ordinary citizens who value your dance’s contributions to local society may even help get you to the conference! (As a bonus, you will also spread the word about your dance!)
~ Apply for a scholarship: We’re thrilled that POTD3 includes scholarship funding (maximum scholarship award of $100 per person).
- For Mainers: DownEast Friends of the Folk Arts is offering $40 scholarships for up to 10 Maine dance organizers. Contact DEFFA () beginning March 1
- For all: Montpelier Contra Dance is offering 5 scholarships of $100, open to all participants. In addition, POTD is offering 10 scholarships of up to $100, thanks to our sponsors. If the full registration cost is prohibitive for you — and your local dance community is unable to help out financially — ask for a scholarship! We especially invite folks who have trouble meeting their basic needs, have significant debt, and do not have savings, assets, or other financial supports to ask for this funding. Contact beginning March 1
~ Canadian exchange rate: Given the very high exchange rate ($1US = $1.43CAD), POTD3 is pleased to announce that we are able to help offset the exchange rate difference. The first 10 Canadians who register will receive an exchange rate discount of $100USD off the conference fees. Support for Canadian organizers is made possible through the generous support of our sponsors.
~ Other? Tell us your own great ideas for paying for the conference, and we’ll add them to this page!
