For those of you who offer parking passes as a benefit to donors of a certain level.
We are considering ways of tracking patron usage of parking passes. For example, would there be a way of producing a scannable pass, similar to concert tickets? We could then accurately determine the true cost of this benefit. One challenge we would have is that we do not own the parking facility, so we'd need to find an agreeable arrangement with the parking facility to perhaps install a scanner for our use.
Any thoughts on this subject would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
In the season manager, we set up a parking "event" for each performance. We do not send generic passes to each donor. At the beginning of each season, we send out a form where our donors can select which performances they would like to reserve parking for. We then "reserve the seat" in tessitura, and then send them the ticket that we call our parking pass (on it, instead of the name of the performance, it says "Reserved Parking Pass" the date, and the name of the garage where they can park.
The parking lot that we use is also not controlled by us. We provide them with a guest list in advance of each performance using the Performance Seating Book report. When the donor pulls up to the lot, they give the attendant the parking pass "ticket" that we sent them, and the attendant then makes sure they are on the guest list, and then permit them to park for the evening without paying. We pay the group that controls the lot based on the number of guests on the guest list that we give them.
I know it sounds a bit round about, so I am happy to discuss over the phone if you would like further clarification. Good luck!!!
Julia
510-643-5305