Thanks to the generosity of attendees, sponsors, donors and auction bidders, the June 9 Virtual Gala and Tour attracted over $43,000 in revenues—very close to what our last live tour grossed in 2019.
Final expense figures are still being totaled, but as of this writing, expenses were less than $11,000, leaving a net revenue of nearly $32,000 before sharing with our nonprofit beneficiaries: Friends of the Marin City Library, Performing Stars of Marin, and the Bay Area Muscular Dystrophy Association. We also committed $4,450 in Fund-A-Need proceeds to specific community projects: encouraging the marinas to add charging stations for electric vehicles, and purchasing Adirondack chairs with plaques commemorating neighbors who have passed on.
Ticket sales brought in almost $8,800, and our live and silent auctions each attracted just over $10,000 in bids.
Since this pioneering effort was a learning experience for all concerned, a few inevitable glitches crept in. Apologies to those few who purchased tickets but were unable to log onto the webcast. A link to the full Gala is now on the FHA website and may be viewed for free by frustrated ticketholders. Others who missed the Gala webcast can view the video for a suggested donation of $10.
A special apology goes out to Jenny Silva for the technical glitch that cut off her closing comments about her home, the Big Ahoy. A full version of that segment will also be posted on the FHA site.
Many people pitched in to make this Gala a success. Some were veterans of past tours, and others joined in for the first time.
For the next few weeks, we will be busy wrapping up the details from this event, including putting together the various auction packages and shipping or delivering auction items to winning bidders. If you’d like to help with this effort, please contact co-producer Julie Durbin.