Help NOVA Open Survive COVID

Like most years, after all invoices and expenses were paid, the 2019 NOVA Open donated most of its profits to charity or reinvested them in the con. 

As usual, also, cash reserves were kicked forward into 2020 for regular operating expenses. We did not anticipate a global pandemic canceling the 2020 convention, but those reserves (now depleted) were critical in surviving into May 2021.

To supplement those cash reserves, a percentage of our attendees donated their 2020 registration fees in support of NOVA Open 2021 - not anticipating a second pandemic cancellation. These funds will be exhausted in a few months.

In a typical pre-pandemic year, NOVA Open costs over $200,000 to operate, including acquisition of materials and contents for events and swag bags, hotel and contract payments, storage and moving costs, operations and administrative costs, and more. Registration and other revenue drivers for this annual convention have easily absorbed these expenses and, so, NOVA Open has always operated in the black.

While convention costs are slashed this year, NOVA Open must hire employees for the first time in its 12-year history. Though volunteers are still the necessary core of this convention, full-time office staff can no longer be expected to donate thousands of hours.  NOVA Open grows every year, not just in attendance, but in events, activities, and so much more! It is just too big and requires too much time in year-round administrative management to expect volunteers to make a commitment that time and labor-intensive. A little more than half of the goal is earmarked for this new payroll expense.

Storage fees and convention management systems, subscriptions, and support products are regular and new expenses which combine to round out the need for $200,000 ~ a goal that will allow us to implement the new programs and maintain the convention until next May when we launch NOVA Open 2022.

In the meantime, NOVA Open is engaged in numerous cost-cutting and additional revenue-generating activities. If the community joins in these efforts and supports this GoFundMe Campaign, NOVA Open will survive . . . and 2022 will be the next "Best Ever" convention, yet.

Surviving until launch 2022 means profits as usual at the end of the convention ~ which means  which can be used for reinvestment, NOVA Open 2023 operating cash, and charitable donations)!


OVERVIEW and HISTORY  
The NOVA Open is an annual gaming and hobby convention in the Washington, D.C. area with a strong focus on charity, organized play of tabletop wargames, hobby seminars, and community building. It began in 2009 as a gathering of 32 gamers to benefit charity and has grown significantly every year since. Supported by a team of dedicated volunteers, the NOVA Open’s leadership team has brought thousands of wargamers, hobbyists, vendors, sponsors, and seminar instructors together in a fun, social, family-friendly environment with the goal of raising money for charitable causes. 
 
FROM THRIVING to SURVIVING
In the blink of an eye, NOVA Open went from a THRIVING annual convention to trying to SURVIVE – not one, but two – COVID cancellations. 2019 CONVENTION VIDEO !
 
2019 
NOVA Open’s 10th Anniversary event, in September 2019, exceeded all financial and attendance goals by continuing to maintain an average 30% annual growth in both categories. The convention was THRIVING ~ with every reason to believe that success would continue into its second decade. As we launched 2020 registrations, NOVA Open was on track to break all existing records! 

2020 
And then came COVID! No matter how much we hoped otherwise, the cancellation of NOVA Open 2020 was inevitable. Fortunately, enough people generously agreed to waive their refunds or convert their tickets into credit that NOVA Open was able to stay afloat hoping to make it to the start of 2021 registration season.   The community, even in hard times, rose to the occasion . . . and we SURVIVED. 

2021 
But COVID has not gone away, and we need help NOW!  The team worked valiantly to find a path to NOVA Open 2021 ~ coined “NOVA H’OPEN” by family and friends. To everyone's dismay, pandemic uncertainty overtook hope. With COVID still looming large, the window for preparation, planning and ramp-up expenses closed, once again causing the convention to cancel. The goal now is to reach May 1, 2022 . . . and we are back to planning for SURVIVAL. 

COVID RELIEF LIMITATIONS 
As COVID relief bills came down the pike, NOVA Open looked for any program that might relieve the financial pressure and help it live to enjoy another ten years. Annual events like our convention – especially those run solely on volunteer power without payroll – were overlooked. These events have one opportunity at revenue each year and, without it, chances of SURVIVAL diminish. 


PLANNING TO THRIVE AGAIN! 
NOVA Open is primed to launch registration for an event from August 31 – September 4, 2022. We have plans for hundreds of tournaments, side events, seminars, art competitions, charity lounge shows and activities ~ and so much more. Expectations of attendance numbers exceeding 3,500 are reasonable and foreseeable as a 3rd quarter post-pandemic 2022 NOVA Open.   

 
EVERYDAY HEROES NEEDED 
NOVA Open will not reach its 2022 goal without the continued and urgent support of the gaming community. Of equal importance, though, is our hope that the greater GoFundMe community will see our need, understand the impact of losing a charity-focused convention, and join in our survival. It will take the financial support of you, this world’s everyday heroes, to help us SURVIVE and THRIVE. 


IRONS IN THE FIRE 
As you help NOVA Open, it will continue to help itself: 
- We have embarked on cost-cutting measures to reduce overhead and fixed expenses. 
- We are assessing a partnership with Amazon to sell store inventory and reduce space requirements. 
- We began a volunteer-driven project to consolidate storage that will cut nearly $12K off annual expenses. 
- Volunteers have been stepping up to plan revenue-driven events which will help NOVA Open, and will also bring the community together for safe in-person events as COVID restrictions lift. 
 
NOVA Open EXPENSES
Unknown to people who have never taken on the responsibility of bringing such a gift to life, the costs associated with a convention - even one with no payroll such as NOVA Open - are significant. This GoFundMe is asking for your help with the most expensive financial requirements NOVA Open faces in reaching May 1, 2022: 

ADDING PAID STAFF: 
For 12 years, a handful of volunteers have worked year-round to provide the tabletop wargaming community with a unique charity-facing convention renowned for its family-friendly, fun, and social atmosphere. Today, we recognize that taking NOVA Open to the next level – growing it into its second decade – requires the addition of paid, full-time staff. 
 
STORAGE:  
NOVA Open realized early on that renting the equipment and supplies to run this ever-growing convention was quickly becoming more expensive than owning and storing the same things. The Lorton facility (our storage location) has become not only storage but the site of community social gatherings and events, as well. 
 
CONVENTION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE IMPROVEMENTS: 
For 10 years, a NOVA Open volunteer/software developer created, administered and annually updated a bespoke convention management system. Many fixes, upgrades, and bandages later, it has exceeded its maximum potential. NOVA Open must now fund a new solution to carry the convention forward to 2022 and beyond. 

ADDITIONAL EXPENSES: 
NOVA Open needs help to sustain its administrative and licensing expenses through May 2022. The volunteer leadership is working hard to cover as many of these costs as possible but we still need your help. 
 
CONTRIBUTIONS OR GIFTS TO NOVA Open, LLC, ARE NOT TAX DEDUCTIBLE. Contributors will not receive any good or services in exchange for their gifts.  At the discretion of NOVA Open, LLC, gifts received will be used to cover NOVA Open’s ongoing costs and expenses (as outlined herein) in an effort to help the NOVA Open Convention SURVIVE and THRIVE, providing this family-friendly event to future generations of Tabletop Wargamers and Hobbyists!