April 20 2009
The Pianobabbler spent this past weekend toiling. Working his buns off. For free. A charity event.
The event was successful, thankfully.
But it brought home truths I had until now only known as truisms. To wit: charity is a business. Non-profit entails profit. Generosity is the offspring of self-interest
Jazz for Herbie- jazzforherbie.org. It's the kids' charity benefit the Pianobabbler has co-produced for 7 years. What a job it is. Volunteers volunteer. Donors donate. Everyone works hard. Hard, hard, hard.
When we first began Jazz for Herbie we had ideals. Everyone would work for free. The proceeds would go to the charity. A to B. Clean and simple.
From the beginning. we've enjoyed successful events. And Jazz for Herbie has grown. It's been attracting more attention, more money, and more people. What could be more gratifying? And isn't that the point of a benefit- to have as much impact as possible?
Sure. But as we move along this path, those founding ideals have been back seated to social and financial realities. If we want the best musical talent, we need to offer honoraria. If we want to run the show well, we need professional staff.
Bottom line: If we want to attract and retain audiences, we have to put on a show as good as, or better than, any mainstream theatre show. We have to be professional. Business-like. But still a charity event.
The Pianobabbler is not complaining here. He is observing.
He is not surprised. He is aware.
And he is not diminishing the terrific volunteer work that was done. He is acknowledging that it was taxing. One cannot expect people to work that hard, and to sacrifice as much as our volunteers did, no matter how good the cause. One source close to the Pianobabbler insisted that you have to be wealthy to volunteer. I don't know that I agree. But I understand the sentiment.
That's the way it is. The spend-money-to-make-money law of economics applies universally.
And so Jazz for Herbie will continue. We all hope it will grow and flourish. Next year, I hope we will find the budget to hire professional production and administrative help. I hope we raise more money than ever. I hope we have the best show ever.
And I hope that, at the heart of Jazz for Herbie- like Rosebud, the sled in Citizen Kane -will lie the same carefree, untethered spirit that is the child's special domain. The very spirit that attracts people to dedicate charities and charitable events to helping children in the first place.
- Click here for the Jazz for Herbie web site.
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