To help improve efficiency, accuracy and to offset some of the rising meeting costs, we are making a couple of changes. 

1. We are going to Eventbrite for luncheon registration. This removes Paypal from the picture, which many of you will appreciate. AND it will require that everyone is paid in full for lunch before their registration will be complete. We will not accept payment at the door any longer. This streamlines the operation for our treasurer and event coordinator, saving literally hours of time and phone calls. And it will make checkin more efficient and more accurate. 
2. It may have been an election related fluke, but we’ve had a lot of new people come to meetings (which is terrific) without registering at all (not so terrific). At our November meeting, 41 people showed up without registering. Effective the next meeting, we will have a $5 walk in fee for those who come without registering in advance, payable via a QR code that will be at the check in table. 
3. More than half of you choose not to eat at all or to bring your own lunch. That’s fine. I want you to come not for the food, but for the fellowship, the information, the engagement with your tribe, and the like. BUT our size is driving up our costs, so we are going to gently ask our non-eaters to consider making donations to support our efforts via a QR code that will be on your tables beginning with the next meeting.
4. And finally, we are retiring the traditional 50-50 raffle in favor of a fundraising effort to support non profits in the community that share our values. We will pick a non profit each month and ask for donations – and yes, there will be another QR code – during the meeting. We’ll also send that out in the Donkeys Tale and other emails so you can make a donation in advance. We will send 50 percent of the donated funds to the organization of the month, and 50 percent will support DWGC. We’ll solicit your suggestions on organizations you feel would be good to support.