>>>, the purchasing of items to mark the trail; a small completion
award and payments to vets(usually the vets are owners of our sport, as well,
and only charge according to the number of horses) all else is considered
FRILLS.
Again, I am a no frills person, but for my ride there were lots of
incidentals...like having someone come from out of state and driving around
borrowing water tanks and hauling water to remote locations for a couple of
days. Even when he wouldn't accept anything but gas it was a fair amount (but
worth twice that!). Some of our SERA "professional volunteers" come from a long
way off and work their butts off. Gas is about all they charge for working so
hard but that is another ride manager cost that is worth much more and
appreciated *immensely*. I consider those costs as basic as paying vets.
Here are a few items from my checkbook I wouldn't have thought of in
pre-ride budget:
Stamps (boy have they gone up!)
Copy paper for rider cards
Copying ride flyers & cards
100 Brown envelopes for rider packets
Gas to run around town doing that.
Food & drink for volunteers
Lots of flagging
Paper plates & 4 rolls of colored duct tape to make arrows (that
stuff's expensive!)
Staples for staple gun
Office materials, legal pads, packages of ink pens, staples, paper clips,
etc.
Gas money for those who spent a lot for the "privilage" of volunteering
>ha!<
more gas money to go clear trails (at $25 per trip to my trail I'm afraid
to add it all up!)
cattle markers
electric posts to lay out vet check
Big markers (those are expensive) to make signs.
That's not even getting into T-shirts & awards expenses.
The last time I was ride secretary I believe I paid $1.50 per entry to AERC
(could be wrong...1988 or so). Was a little shocked to see I owed AERC $6 per
entry and SERA $2.
Regions could save managers a *lot* of money by making a list of riders who
absolutely know how to use the internet and don't need their flyers mailed to
them. Riders should update their e-mail address with AERC. I wrestled with that
trying to find a way around it, but when one person who bring 3 entries almost
didn't know about the ride if it hadn't been for me mailing it out by snail
mail, I realize that mailing may be worth the expense.
I still did OK financially. There is a profit. I had good weather and
people decided to come despite gas prices. It would be fun to think "Hey, I made
a profit being a ride manager, this is a good deal!" Except...I realize
that if they'd forecast rain for 4 days prior to my ride and if it had been
lightning at the start like this morning I might have suddenly had 45 starters
instead of 90 and lost more than I gained this year...so I'm just shooting for
averages. I'm *so* thankful to get to start out ahead or there would be no "next
time" but since I did, the ride can have its own emergency account for next year
rather than risk my family's finances. When Wesley Crowe can tell me he
lost money with 160 entries I know I'm walking on thin ice.
One thing I won't do is limit entries by raising the price. When I said I
might have to limit the ride someone said, just raise the price and that will
limit it, but I don't care for that route. I'll keep the entry reasonable and
first come first serve.
