Hannity Follow-Up Part 2
Please make sure you read this very carefully to understand the refund process and reasoning. As you know we promised to have a refund process available within 48 hours of the event. This is it.
First – thank you. I was humbled by the amazing outpouring of sympathy, gratitude and inspiration that came from tons of people Friday and Saturday regarding this event. Your words and e-mails were overwhelmingly positive.
My favorite e-mail, summing up most people’s sentiments, was a very short note which said – “When the buzz spread about Sean bailing…the little Peruvian lady who was selling tea shirts next to me asked me several times for a translation, she paused, smiled and said “he is not the Tea Party, we are.”
Absolutely amazing, and of course, entirely accurate.
Both the leaders and supporters of this movement are absolutely amazing! You have given so much to your families, our nation and the leaders of this incredible story called the Tea Party movement. Thank you!
A recap of where we stand:
Event had to be ticketed (due to raw costs of event – close to $60K), so we opted for a mix of seats/prices which would cover cost of event and allow people to choose seating based on preference. We were hoping for a small net positive after this event, so we could fund events and activities of the CTP in 2010. In this same way, previous events donations and ticket sales have funded everything we do. If we weren’t keeping our heads above that water line with these events, the organization may have folded long ago.
To address the idea of making a “profit” on this event. CTP is non-profit entity. That means it is illegal for us take profits on anything the CTP receives. And, to clarify even further, not a single person takes money in the form of salary or compensation from the CTP. Also, CTP is not a Political Action Committee, so no funds can be used to support or fund candidates or issues.
In short, CTP is not a profit center of any kind. Not one volunteer or leader receives salary or is reimbursed for time, mileage, etc. We do this because we believe down to our very souls that this movement is the only thing standing between the American people and a complete decline into a very left leaning and very dangerous future for the American people.
With that understood, if the primary charge from our friends at Soros funded Media Matters is that Hannity is helping the Tea Party “profit.” It is simply false.
I think Mike Wilson’s review of the Hannity cancellation at the April 15th event was pretty comprehensive in explaining the events as they unfolded. See blog post “Hannity Follow-Up Part 1” to review the newsletter sent hours after the event.
In addressing the funding of this event, and what no one knows except those present at our planning meetings is – we had a very difficult internal debate over whether to even charge for tickets at all. When it became clear that the costs seemed too much for standard fundraising to cover, we developed a mix of local business sponsorships, donations and tickets to cover the costs.
In ticketing the event, much like a concert or sporting event, we charged more ($20) for seats closest to the action. Why is this important? Because seats not close to the Hannity stage were considered premium seats as well. “Premium seats” were just seats closest to the action, including the real action – our speakers!
In this case, about 2,000 seats were sold for $20. As mentioned above – almost the entire lower level of the arena was ticketed at $20 (an additional 2,000 to the ones already listed). But we gave most of those seats to our community groups and they contributed back $5/ticket for fundraising. Some gave a little more if they could help the event. But, either way, at least half of the $20 tickets ended up selling for $5/ticket.
We felt like we should offer these premium seats at a discount to the most faithful tea party supporters – our community group members and leaders.
To review – almost every other seat of the 13,176 possible, was sold for $5 or given away for promotions, volunteers, students, etc – totaling 11,176 not sold at a $20 rate. The handful of VIP seats on the floor were part of a gift for larger donations, business sponsorships or speakers’ family/friends. Just over 100 of these seats were used.
Total attendance according to UC ticketing is just over 8,000. So, over 5,000 tickets were not sold at all. And, over 500 tickets of attendees were given away at no charge to students, volunteers, etc.
I hope this clarifies the ticketing question. We sincerely believe the ticketing mix was appropriate and balanced.
With that said, people are disappointed, and I don’t blame them. Many people bought tickets to see Hannity, get on TV, or just be closer to the guests who would be featured on the show. While this was not the primary purpose of this event, I understand many came for that reason.
We understand that, and we were as disappointed as anyone.
In order to address that concern, we are offering refunds.
Please keep in mind, as mentioned above, the balanced event budgeting relied on the ticket mix that was sold. And, I think that mix was extremely conservative. So, while I can’t correct the disappointment from Hannity not attending, I would ask you to consider that ticket cost as a donation to the Cincinnati Tea Party.
At no point would these proceeds have turned into “profit.” As mentioned above, we do this without pay of any kind because we all know how important this fight has become.
The amount of refunds will determine whether we remain in the black or go red for this event.
If you still wish to have a refund – just send an e-mail with your Name, Section, Row, Seat number and confirmation number to refund@cincinnatiteaparty.org .
If not an electronic transaction, please mail a ticket stub and refund request to:
Cincinnati Tea Party
P.O. Box # is 11357
Cincinnati, OH 45211-0535
We appreciate everything you do for this movement. Thank you for all the sacrifices you make. We look forward to your continued support and accomplishing great things for the cause of Liberty in 2010 and beyond.
April 20th, 2010 at 1:08 am
It’s a blessing that the fool that is Sean Hannity didn’t visit after all. It might have very well enraged the Tea Party crazies a little bit more than they were before.
Don’t like taxes? Government not making the cut for you? You do not understand the fundamentals of a capitalist democratic society. Taxes are needed to make sure this country functions properly. Quit complaining about them – they’re here and they aren’t going away.
Social spending? It takes a decent human being to see the dignity in spending money on those less fortunate than we may be. Various social programs help millions of people everyday – from helping an elderly woman keep her heat on during the winter to providing HEALTH CARE REFORM for millions upon millions who need it, desperately need it.
Yep, there’s some taxes from that ol’ healthcare. But it’s going to reduce the deficit over time, it’s going to provide HUMANITY to people, and it’s the right thing to do.
Obama is a fantastic president. Far better than Bush, years head of Reagan already – he helped save this country from another depression, he helped bring equality to homosexuals, he brought about sweeping healtcare reform. If you Tea Party lot figure you can do any better than you have really, truly lost your minds, and may God help you.
Here’s to 2012. Let me know if you want to celebrate Obama’s reelection. It will be fantastic.
April 20th, 2010 at 9:05 am
someone with sense – I have no idea how any of that information is relevant to ticketing and refund process, but thank you for the comments.
April 20th, 2010 at 11:04 am
Just wanted to add another perspective. At church on Sunday I was talking to one of our “seasoned” citizens who told me she purchased some of the $20 tickets not to be close to Hannity but becuase she was bringing some of her friends and they didn’t want to sit on the bleachers. I think there was a certain percentage of people who attended because of Hannity and his guests, but I think that was a very small percentage.
I am continually humbled by the depth of support for truely principled conservatives and their efforts to take back our government, at all levels.
April 24th, 2010 at 12:44 am
I had heard about this controversy and decided to look at both sides. So yes, I have seen some of what Media Matters had to say on the matter. What I got from them was not that you were making a profit, but that you were fundraising (which you admitted). The problem is that according to them, Hannity- who is a journalist/newsperson, is supposed to be impartial. Appearing at a fundraising event for a particular party/platform denies that impartiality and compromises journalistic ethics.
April 24th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Response to Jen:
1. Hannity is neither a journalist nor a newsperson. He is a commentator and makes no bones about being very partial in his opinions.
2. This was not a fundraising event. We host fundraisers when necessary, and this wasnt one. This was a rally which had to be ticketed because of cost. Our fundraising efforts leading up to event had not yielded sufficient results, therefore ticketing was necessary.
3. We are not a political party and we do not have a platform. In fact, we are not even a political action committee, and therefore do not advocate or support specific candidates or political parties.
Hannity, the radio station, book tour and Fox producers knew the set up the whole time – cutting commericals and linking the ticketing site to their webpages.
Sadly, Fox executives yielded to pressure from the left and didnt bother to just state the truth. There was no impropriety, therefore never a reason to hide or run.
Sunlight is always the best disinfectant.
May 1st, 2010 at 9:12 am
When is pressure going to be applied to Soros???
His methods of operation and the groups he backs
should be highlighted for all to see!!
It should be obvious that through his life–he
has cared for NO one but himself and he will stop
at nothing for more gains for himself!!
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