We Shouldn’t Need a VIP Budget to Give Families a VIP Experience
“Let me clear my throat…”
There is something I have wanted to say for a while.
I am absolutely in favor of paying people fairly and paying for professional services. Nonprofit does not mean everything should be free. Venues have employees, utilities, insurance, maintenance, equipment, and operating expenses. I understand that.
But we need to have a serious conversation about what it costs nonprofits, especially grassroots nonprofits, to access quality venues in the communities we serve.
At Village Family, we believe families deserve more than simply having their immediate needs met.
Yes, we provide food. Yes, we provide clothing, hygiene products, school supplies and other essentials. Yes, we connect families to resources.
But we also believe in dignity, joy, belonging and experiences.
We want a child who may never have attended a beautiful event to walk through those doors and feel like a VIP.
We want a parent who has spent the month worrying about groceries, rent or keeping the lights on to have a few hours to laugh with their children.
We want families to experience beautiful spaces, performances, celebrations, meals, activities and memories that say:
You belong here, too.
That is why Village Family has intentionally worked to create family-centered experiences that feel special.
But there is a difficult reality behind those experiences.
The price of the room can become the price of the mission.
Before we purchase one meal…
Before we provide one coat…
Before we put one toy into a child's hands…
Before we arrange transportation…
Before we hire entertainment or provide activities…
A nonprofit can already be looking at thousands of dollars in venue costs, deposits, staffing, security, equipment, insurance, cleaning and other required expenses.
And sometimes I find myself asking:
How are grassroots organizations supposed to afford this?
Even more frustrating is watching organizations with significantly greater resources sometimes have greater access to donated spaces, sponsorships, discounts and relationships—while smaller organizations working directly in neighborhoods are expected to absorb rates that can consume a substantial portion of a program budget.
I'm not suggesting that successful organizations shouldn't receive support.
I'm asking whether community impact should also have value.
What if we approached community space differently?
What if more venues offered true nonprofit/community-impact rates?
What if corporations could sponsor venue costs as part of their community investment?
What if venues designated several dates each year for donated or deeply discounted nonprofit use?
What if deposits could be reduced for established nonprofit organizations with a demonstrated history of responsible events?
What if municipalities, foundations, corporations and venue operators created a community venue access fund so grassroots organizations weren't forced to choose between paying for the room and paying for the people they came there to serve?
These aren't requests for handouts.
They're opportunities for partnership.
Because an empty ballroom, theater or event space doesn't change a life.
But put a community organization inside of it, with families, volunteers, resources, meals, laughter, children, music, education and opportunity, and suddenly that space becomes something much bigger.
And yes, we want the nice room.
I want to say that part without apology.
Families experiencing financial hardship should not always be relegated to whatever space is cheapest, leftover or available.
Our children deserve to see beautiful places.
Our seniors deserve to be celebrated.
Our families deserve special experiences.
People shouldn't have to demonstrate wealth before they can experience something wonderful.
At Village Family, we call that dignity.
We may be a grassroots nonprofit, but that doesn't mean the experience we create for our families should feel grassroots.
We want to give them the VIP experience because everybody deserves to experience the royal treatment. 👑
The challenge is that organizations like ours shouldn't need a VIP budget to make that happen.
So I'm putting this conversation out into Hampton Roads:
Where are the venue owners, corporations, foundations, municipalities and community partners willing to rethink how we provide nonprofit organizations access to quality community spaces?
Village Family would love to work with you.
Not because we're looking for everything to be free.
Because we're looking for partners who understand that reducing the cost of the room allows us to increase the investment in the people inside it.
And ultimately, that's who all of this should be about.
We shouldn't need a VIP budget to give families a VIP experience.™
Natisha Wilson
Founder & CEO, Village Family Community Resource Center
It Still Takes a Village™
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