Disinvitations are painful but sometimes necessary

I’m so excited about this evening’s pro bono tech consultation event for employees of local nonprofit professionals!

At the same time, I’m now in the painful position of needing to issue disinvitations to people who want to come.

Why?  Well, the reasons vary:

• We’re holding this event in a building that has tight security, and were obliged to submit the final guest list last Friday.  People who try to enter without confirmed invitations may be escorted out ignominiously by security officers, and it’s best to avoid that.
• We have a long waiting list.  The people on that list who honor our request not to show up without a confirmed reservation would be slighted if we allowed others to walk in.  Moreover, we’d be condoning rude behavior if we allowed people to walk in to an event that is by reservation only.
• We have made it clear to the mavens that they will be volunteering their time to serve employees of nonprofit organizations.  This was made clear to the invitees as well.  It’s rude and possibly fraudulent to take advantage of free services that are intended only for nonprofit professionals.

I have a surprisingly wide conservative streak, when it comes to etiquette.  I am fully capable of being shocked when people are oblivious to (or intentionally ignore) the ground rules of events that are by invitation only.

 

Tagged: discount, disinvite, etiquette, event, invitation, nonprofit, nptech, pro bono