FAQ: Chapter Finances

We often receive questions concerning how we finance our various SCBWI Michigan events, so let's examine some of the myths that are floating around.

Myth #1: SCBWI Michigan receives money from the SCBWI headquarters to run events.
FALSE

In regions that have no funds to put on an event, SCBWI headquarters will provide seed money to pay some of the upfront fees. At the end of the event, that region must repay the seed money to headquarters. Here in Michigan, we are extremely fortunate to have a strong financial base so we finance every single workshop, retreat, and conference from our own budget.

Myth #2: SCBWI Michigan makes a large profit on each event.
FALSE

For most events, our goal is to either break even or at least make a small enough profit to finance the next event. Unfortunately, this does not always happen and we take a loss. This may occur because of unforeseen circumstances like last minute travel rearranging or unanticipated facility fees. This year, we've been hit a little harder due to our goal to keep conference costs the same as in years past and the unstable Michigan economy. Although we were pleased to keep the costs low to our members, we will be forced to look at raising event fees slightly in the future in order to cover our costs.

Other events, such as Networks Weekend and the Ann Arbor Book Festival, as well as services like our website, are non-income generating services which we are proud to sponsor for our members in order to keep them connected to the children's literature industry.

Myth #3: SCBWI Michigan retreats and conferences are expensive for what you get.
FALSE

Although it may seem like a lot of frivolous money when you write a check for the fall conference, for example, let's take a look at a breakdown. For $300 (early bird rate), you receive 2 nights of lodging directly on site, 6 hot meals along with snacks and often 24 hour beverage service. Add in presentation or workshops with 5-7 professional speakers who, in most cases, have traveled from all over the USA to spend the entire weekend with our group. That, my friends, is a fantastic bargain! Other regions charge $300 for the conference alone--no meals and no lodging!

As an example of what great bargains we offer, the SCBWI Illinois region recently held a one day conference for $150 (ours is, on average, $100). It included no breakfast, a cold boxed lunch, and 6 speakers in limited breakout sessions.

Attending conferences is an investment in your profession. It takes you from writing or illustrating as a hobby to a career. Surgeons, educators, and engineers attend conferences--why not you! SCBWI Michigan offers some fantastic deals to further your career in children's literature so consider joining us for the next great event!

Myth #4: It doesn't really cost that much to put on a conference.
FALSE

Naturally, this will vary depending on the location and the venue, but to give a glimpse of required expenses, SCBWI Adcom members must consider:

Location

$50 (workshop) - $21,000 (fall retreat)

Speaker honorariums:

$350-$450 per speaker

Travel expenses:

Average of $500 per speaker

Food:

$10-$30 / person / meal

Supplies:

$200-$300 (copies, folders, nametags, etc.)

Speaker gifts:

$250

SCBWI Michigan strives to minimize costs while still providing high quality events for our members. Recently, we have found ways to reduce some of our expenses. In the past, it cost approximately $1000 to print off and mail event brochures to our 550+ members. Now, by using Constant Contact, an electronic email service, we can reduce that to pennies. We're also using this service to handle our newsletter distribution, surveys, and event confirmation notices to conference attendees.

If you have further questions concerning SCBWI Michigan events, feel free to contact RAs Monica Harris (monicaharris24 AT sbcglobal DOT net) or Leslie Helakoski (lelhel AT hotmail DOT com).