"by donation"

So I organized a homeschooler field trip (4th this month) for yesterday. The place we were going to has a "$15 suggested donation" per person, but did say that they didn't want (lack of) money to deter families from coming, so if they could just please give what they felt was reasonable.

I'm trying to release judgment on this issue, but it's weighing heavily on me this morning because one family of 4 showed up and gave nothing and another family of 4 came and gave $2. I have less harsh judgments towards the second family as at least they did give *something*. But if all the families who'd come only gave $2 each, the tour organization would only have received $20 *total*, not the $550 they would've got if each person had donated the suggested $15. HUGE difference.

The tour was over 2 hrs long and the person giving the tour gave us so much of her energy and was so skilled at accomodating over 35 people of a variety of ages, and children who were all over the place and interrupting and not listening and so on.

There's nothing I can do about it after the fact and I should just stop giving my energy to thinking about it but it does bother me. To give nothing at all in exchange for 2 hrs of someone's time?!? I think what bothers me most is that I feel like as the liaison, as the person organizing the tour, i feel like it reflects poorly on *me* (which i guess i shouldn't take that on) that people would be so bold as to come and not offer anything in exchange.

breeeeeathing deep and trying to just let it go.