Chapter 13 #2
Roberta leans back in her chair. “You mean combining it into one Abbot Foundation Cares For Kids or something with a better title and dividing the proceeds between the three charities?”
I shrug, tapping the heels of my shoes against the carpet while glancing over at Kaplan, who has remained stoic, his eyes on the screen.
I quickly turn back to Roberta. “Yes. Your out-of-pocket expenses for each event are nearly two-thirds of what you hope to rake in. People get event weary. There are only so many times they want to get dressed up and open their checkbooks. Especially back to back to back. Knowing that they have three events to spread their dollars, I’d bet people will donate smaller sums to each charity than they might be inclined to if they only have to write one check and attend only one event.
These events are also only dinner and light dancing.
Nothing else to get them excited but rubbery chicken and too-well-done steak. ”
Roberta snickers. “No one goes for the food.”
“Exactly! But what if we gave them something to get excited about? What if you invited everyone, hosted it in a space that would be more accommodating, get a larger band, did some silent and live auctions, and really pump up the potential earnings for these charities while decreasing overall expenses?”
“As you said, you’re new here—” Jenny lays into me again when Roberta cuts her off.
“No, I think that idea holds a lot of merit. In the past, people have attended these events strictly out of respect for Octavia and the Fritz family. Some just so they can be photographed with them. But what if we change all that? Build some buzz and energy for the charities and the foundation rather than the family.”
I glance at Kaplan as does Roberta, but she quickly continues when he remains silent.
“Instead of spreading ourselves thin with three mediocre events, we could host one large gala in one location. Think of the cost savings alone. One event space. One band. One meal. One open bar. I love this idea. And I love the idea of auctions which is not something we’ve ever done with our spring events. ”
“Exactly!” Martin, one of the finance people, exclaims, rocking back and forth in his chair.
“Since the foundation matches the sums raised at each event for each charity, I think this will also help with our overall bottom line since we won’t be spending so much on each separate event. Those dollars can go to the charities.”
Jenny squints at me from across the table, her contemptuous childish antics at trying to make me sound stupid or incompetent annoying. She’s seated directly beside Kaplan who doesn’t even appear to notice her though she’s visibly trying to do everything she can to change that.
Sitting up straighter, she angles in toward him, staring into his profile as if seeking support.
She presses her breasts into his side, and I suppress a groan.
“Well, I think that idea will ultimately end up not providing enough financial support for each of the charities. I mean, now we’re talking about subtracting instead of adding. ”
I’m so damn tempted to roll my eyes at her and give her a lesson in basic finance and well, math when Kaplan does it for me.
“It’s dividing, not subtracting. Though technically we were doing that already by having things spread over three events instead of one.
As someone who has attended these events countless times over the years as Roberta said, I have to say, I agree that the idea of one large event rather than three consecutive ones is appealing.
Being asked to shell out money multiple times in a row grows tiresome.
One event bleeds into the next and most times people don’t attend all of them because we have lives, so you’ll have losses.
Especially for the last event. When you say auction, what are you talking about? ”
My eyebrows shoot up to my forehead as I blink rapidly. I think hell has just frozen over. Kaplan Fritz agreed with me. His begrudging eyes meet mine, noting my expression. I cock him a well-well smirk and he subtly lifts his hand to his mouth, wiping at his bottom lip with his middle finger.
I chuckle only to stifle it with a miserable attempt at a fake cough.
“By auction, I mean donated or severely discounted items that could potentially raise a lot of capital. Vacations and hotel packages and free meals at nice restaurants throughout the city and handbags and whatever we can come up with. I went to one once where there was both a silent and live auction and it was so much fun. Half the thrill people had was outbidding their friends on things. My mother once won a weekend in Malibu at Naomi Kent’s home. ”
Kaplan laughs, the sound bursting from him startling half the room. “You realize I’m friends with the members of Wild Minds as well as their spouses, right?”
I turn fifty different shades of red, my jaw on the floor. Naomi Kent is a world-famous pop star and is married to Gus Diamond who is the lead guitarist and does backup vocals for the band Wild Minds. They also happen to be my favorite band. Ever.
“Um. No. I didn’t realize that. But if you can get them to donate stuff, wow. That’ll get the dollars flowing. My mom forked over twenty grand for that auction item and that was just one of the big-ticket items that charity had available.”
Excited chatter erupts around the room, everyone talking about things they could possibly get donated and how fun having a gala like this would be.
“So we’re in agreement on one gala instead of three smaller events?” Roberta presses, drawing everyone’s attention back to the task at hand. Her voice is cool and composed despite the hopeful glint to her expression. I have to imagine planning three events is the last thing this woman wants to do.
Jenny makes some kind of shrill sound while petulantly folding her arms. “I think this is a huge mistake. I’m telling you. This will lose money. Kaplan, I know you’re smarter than this. She’s been here a week.” She jabs her finger across the table at me. “She has no clue how we operate.”
“This is my first morning here, and I don’t know how we operate yet either, but the last thing I want to do is attend three events three weeks in a row or cost these charities potential earnings. Which is exactly what three events would do, Kelly.”
I choke on my laugh as does everyone else in here. Roberta gives me a sly smirk and a wink.
“It’s Jenny,” she fumes, turning redder than the attention-seeking, cleavage-amplifying dress she’s wearing. Now I know what Charlie was talking about. You’d feel bad for her if she wasn’t such an awful person.
“Good for you,” Kaplan mutters dryly. “This is what we’re doing.
Roberta, make it happen. I will work on getting some auction items that I know will likely bring in some big dollars.
Now if we’re done, I have to make a phone call.
Good work, everyone. Thanks. Bianca.” A glare that says follow me and that’s it.
Just my name to end the meeting and I’m supposed to scurry after him.
I half expect Jenny to linger, wanting to throw down with me but thankfully she storms out, chasing after Kaplan.
“Good luck with that,” Carlos, one of the grant reviewers, quips, laughing lightly to himself as he closes his laptop and stands up. “Between the two of them, you have your work cut out for you.”
“Carlos, I’ve spent the last seven years of my life living in LA. Trust me, there is nothing I can’t handle.”
Except possibly my new boss.