Charity Gigs

[Kentock]

Hey guys,

I've gotten a couple of offers for charity gigs recently, and I wanted to talk through the etiquette.

I have a policy of not accepting gigs without pay unless I have a personal connection to the charity. But when I mention this to charity organizers, they often act surprised or upset that I wouldn't "donate" my time to the cause.

The problem is, charity gigs suck. A lot, usually. You never know how clean to be, you worry constantly about offending people, and even if the crowd ends up being ok, you've already spent a week or two agonizing over how horrible it could be. So I don't do charity shows unless they pay me.

Is this a reasonable position, or am I being a curmudgeon? Any feedback is good, but of course I'd prefer to hear form comedians who have actually dealt with this before.

[thegreg]

I've done a charity gig for the ACS in Bumblenowhere PA and it was actually OK. The audience dealt with the almost-blue subject matter, even with the mean age at around 55. In all the crowd was, well, charitable. I had a lot more fun than I thought, charity gigs can be great. Go do them!

But. . .

I agree with your position to not do a pro bono set unless it's for someone you know or a cause you actively support anyway or some other special case. Charities should have event budgets, you're part of the event. You're doing your work, bringing in and entertaining people. If you want to donate your cut back, great! But just because it's for a good cause doesn't mean you can just give yourself away all the time. That's not professional.

Humbug!