Advancement · Grants & Funding · Events

A ticket price that
covers the dinner
and meets the goal.

Type the costs, the sponsorships, the expected turnout and the goal. The calculator gives the break-even and goal prices, what happens if fewer people come, and the deductible amount to print on the acknowledgment.

Price the ticketWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Grant writer’s desk, $49 for 32 items.

The ticket pricing calculator

The worked example is made up: a 180-guest spring gala with $6,000 in sponsorships and a $25,000 goal. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

Advancement · Grants & Funding$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
The break-even price, the goal price and a rounded price, net proceeds at three turnouts, and the deductible portion of each ticket with the disclosure rule. It prints as a summary and downloads as a spreadsheet.
Who it is for
School foundation and PTO event chairs, development staff, booster club officers and nonprofit event planners.
Format
Browser calculator for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Grant writer’s desk ($49) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Grants & Funding space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Split the budget into fixed costs and costs per guest.
  2. Type sponsorships, expected guests and the goal.
  3. Estimate the fair market value of what a guest receives.
  4. Check the net if turnout falls short.
  5. Print the summary and use the deductible figure on the acknowledgment.

Price the ticket

How the price is worked out

Costs per guest, plus a share of everything else.

The worked example: a spring galaFixed − sponsors$2,500$8,500 − $6,000+ goal ÷ guests$152.78$27,500 ÷ 180+ $62 a guest$214.78price for the goalRound up$215deductible $140The worked example: a spring galaFixed − sponsors$2,500$8,500 − $6,000+ goal ÷ guests$152.78$27,500 ÷ 180+ $62 a guest$214.78price for the goalRound up$215deductible $140
Every ticket must carry its own dinner plus a share of the fixed costs and the goal; sponsorships come off the fixed costs first.

Break-even and goal

A ticket must cover what each guest costs (the meal) plus an equal share of the costs that do not change with turnout (venue, entertainment), less what sponsors cover. That is the break-even price. Adding the goal, divided by the guests, gives the price that meets it, if the turnout arrives. The turnout table shows the risk: fixed costs do not shrink when fewer people come.

What donors may deduct

When a donor receives something in return, only the amount paid above the fair market value of what they received can be a charitable gift. Fair market value is what the dinner and entertainment would cost to buy, not what the event paid. Under federal law, for any such payment over $75 the organization must give a written statement of the deductible amount and a good-faith estimate of the value.

Sources

  1. Internal Revenue Service. Publication 1771, Charitable Contributions: Substantiation and Disclosure Requirements (irs.gov).
  2. Internal Revenue Code section 6115: disclosure related to quid pro quo contributions (uscode.house.gov).
  3. Internal Revenue Service. Charity auctions and benefit events: fair market value of benefits (irs.gov).
  4. National Council of Nonprofits. Special events and fundraising: planning and compliance (councilofnonprofits.org).

The worked example is made up. This is not tax advice; follow your organization’s accountant on acknowledgments. Your figures stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.