Dear members,

There is a reason we ask for RSVPs. The organizers front all the costs of sponsoring an event and guarantee the bar tab, which is fine if members are conscientious about RSVP'g. Until recently, the rule of thumb was that "no shows" averaged 20% and would be offset half-way by crashers. But the numbers for the last two months have been out of line.

The percentage of "no shows" at the July Meetup reached 38.2% -- an all-time high. We personally had to buy back 3 cases of beer at the end of the evening to make our minimum. At the July 4th picnic, the percentage of "no shows" was 30%. Amy and Norina barely covered their $1,850 outlay.

And just today, Ted Snyder informed me that we have 4 last-minute rafting cancellations. Since these cancellations are truly last minute, I am personally stuck with the difference between the full non-food part of the trip and the initial deposits -- a cumulative loss of $480.

This is an all-volunteer organization. We get no commissions whatsoever from anyone and do not charge membership fees. We personally incur all the administrative and online costs, which are not trivial.

Beginning this month, we are going to require a $10 online deposit to reserve a place at all of our private events. You will get the deposit back in cash when you show up, but only if you show up.

In addition, unannounced crashers will need to make a $20 contribution at the door to the relief organization, Save the Children, if they wish to enter. No exceptions.

Finally, for all future excursions, we will require a non-refundable payment in full two weeks before the event. Again, no exceptions.

This will be an experiment. If it proves to be too burdensome for our members, we will simply shutter the group. Everyone agreed to RSVP when they applied for membership in this group. Most other groups do not hold private parties and therefore do not require accurate counts, but we do. Wir bitten um Ihr Verstaendnis.

Schoene Woche,

Pat