DONATIONS

WCA Emergency Fundraiser (Covid#19)

The Executive Committee of the World Clown Association held their annual mid-term meeting recently and had the task of reviewing every aspect of our Association’s business, current financials, and plans for the upcoming convention.  It is important for us to now be transparent and update our entire membership by sharing some discussions the Executive Committee had at this meeting.  We are writing today to ask for a special donation of support as WCA continues to move forward in our positive goals for your Association.

For many, 2020 is going to be a year we will all remember, with a global pandemic, floods, hurricanes, the threat of continued terrorism, war, and forest fires across the western areas in the United States.  A few years ago, at the mid-term meeting, the Executive Committee tightened up our budget to the strict limits we felt could be continued into the foreseeable future. Built on numerous successful years, the WCA had a very healthy bank account, but 2020 and Covid #19 finds us in a different situation.

CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES

Covid #19 continues and our membership is suffering.  It has stopped clowns, face-painters, balloon twisters and magicians from working.  Some have let their memberships lapse and we have written to each of them asking them to reconsider and re-join.  Many have responded with “I will rejoin when I start working as a clown again.”  Our memberships have dropped by over 1/3, and some of those members enjoy the WCA’s insurance, another important revenue stream for WCA’s continued financial survival.  Our insurance income has dropped by almost 50% because members are not working and feel they cannot pay for something they’re not using while not working.

There is a continuing lawsuit from California where we are named on an auto-accident insurance claim. They are suing us for something which has absolutely nothing to do with WCA as our performance liability policy is not an auto insurance policy at all.  However, we must continue to try to get this case dismissed and legal costs and advice are VERY expensive.

The cancellation of our Jacksonville convention was costly.  Our virtual convention was awesome and we appreciate those who contributed to this pace-setting event. However, we lost many miscellaneous contracted fees and we generally anticipate a profit from the conventions so canceling left us with many miscellaneous fees and no offsetting income.

The WCA continuing expenses include three contractors: our Business Manager who holds and binds our club together with paperwork, communications and office duties, our Editor for the Clowning Around Magazine, and the website Webmaster.  We have looked at all areas where we can cut further expenses and it would be  painful to the Association to  have to look at ways of reducing these payments and more.

CURRENT CONVENTION SITUATION

We have also been looking at our future convention in Northbrook, IL at the beginning of March, 2021.  We have to sign contracts to make these events happen.  Our original contract with the hotel was for 370 room nights but the hotel has reconsidered the Covid #19 restrictions and lowered our contracted room nights to 180 over the 5 days.  If we do not make the required room nights, WCA is liable to pay for the empty rooms.  This isn’t a new type of contract.  It’s how hotels work and how conventions are booked.  It’s the business way a hotel can guarantee its income.  The hotel has also made some concessions in their “food and beverage” contract fees as they continue working with us to find a way to adhere to the Illinois pandemic restrictions.  There are a number of current conditions the state of Illinois insists the convention adheres to, like 50 people in a room.  This continually changes with the hotel’s pandemic advice and procedures.  We have looked at canceling the convention, but currently, this would cost WCA upwards of $18,000USD in penalty fees.  We still want the convention to continue and as we stared into our virtual crystal ball, we have to take into consideration lecture contract fees, food and beverage fees, and other arrangements that are difficult to predict.  We are continuing to plan for the convention in March using several different ideas for working with 50 in a room, closed circuit coverage for larger events, and educational adventures with social distancing restrictions and hands-on limitations.  At this point, there is a great deal of interest in the new formats we are exploring as our clowns are anxious to be together, even considering the hotel restriction of 150 attendees only.

OPTIMISTIC AND REALISTIC

We want the members to know while we are optimistic, we have to be realistic. The fact is the WCA has lost a lot of money due to Covid #19. It has also lost a lot of members which are the important part of its revenue stream. Whilst we have the pandemic, it’s unlikely our membership numbers will grow back to where they were at the beginning of the year.  One of the cost-saving changes we hope to implement in 2021 is to move 5 of the 6 issues of Clowning Around exclusively onto our website, members only section.  We hope to continue the July issue as a hard copy magazine, special in that it contains winners and full coverage of the convention in addition to a wide variety of educational articles.  We are planning to move the reports from our Regional Directors in 2021 from the magazine, Clowning Around, to the NQCA newsletter that comes out on the in-between months.  This will tighten up times for upcoming announcements as well as give us plenty of space to showcase each alley and region.

And now, the special announcement that we asked at the beginning of this review letter.  Will YOU be willing to show a little bit of extra support for WCA at this time.  Included with this letter is a donation request as many of our members have been able to continue to work in their other jobs and draw their paychecks during this 9 month entertainment drought.  We understand that many of our full-time clowns, face-painters, balloon twisters and magicians have had no income during this time, but we are asking those who have been blessed during 2020 to consider making a special donation of $25 or whatever you can give, to help your friends and help WCA get over this financially difficult time.  If someone could contribute or donate a little more, it would help make up for the lack of those who cannot afford to make a donation.

We are aware that you’ve probably received countless letters and requests from charities asking for donations, but WCA is your own organization and continues to fulfill our purpose to support and educate clowns.  This is a chance for you to support WCA, your association and help it “keep the lights on” during these difficult times of the pandemic. Please consider donating at this time because

1.  This is an investment in your passion as a clown and will help us continue the education we provide

2.  This is an investment in your local community and those charities you support locally with relays, parades, and caring clown involvement using the education you have received from WCA

3.  This is an investment in the future to continue to bring laughter and fun as a clown to this world that’s currently hurt and broken.

Thank you for your support of the World Clown Association.

Andrew Davis, President WCA,

and the Executive Committee – Robin Bryan, Jackie Newton, Dianna Hale, Kolinda Zander-Hussey, Janet Tucker, Norm Barnhart.