Q. Does the Warehouse (Dave Matthews Band fan club) know about you?
A. Yes, we called in our intent and spoke to the Warehouse Director on Friday, June 16 2006. Further, for events in years past, every attempt has been made to loop them into our goings-on via a phone call to their customer service line.

Q. Does the Warehouse, or the Dave Matthews Band endorse you?
A. No - not in any way, shape, or fashion. Getting an official endorsement from the band, or the Warehouse, is far outside of our political influence. However, we have made no attempt to hide anything from anyone.

Q. So you’re just throwing your money out there for folks to eat and hope they make enough donations to cover the costs and everything raised goes to the charity?
A. Great question, and thank you for asking it. No, 100% does not go to the charity. 100% of any profits go to the charity. We front the capital for the website and the food at the shows. However, that is money that we hope (but are not guaranteed) to recoup. The idea is that no one should take a loss for the Cause, and only the Cause should profit. That’s been how we did it in the past, and that’s how we intend to continue. We’d like to see others get involved, and want to be able to reassure them that it would be highly unlikely to lose money while Tailgating For A Cause.

Q. Are you guys some dirty butt tree-hugging hippies?
A. That’s a little bit offensive, don’t you think? No, we’re not, but we do believe in that spirit.

Q. I like your idea, but I’m paranoid that your food is laced with roofies or something like that. Whaddya got to say to that?
A. Well we appreciate your directness, the truth is that we do our very best to keep the food clean and neat. If there’s any problems with it, we’ll gladly swap it out. We don’t even know how to get our hands on roofies.

Q. I can help you get some roofies. Do you want ‘em?
A. No thanks. You have problems.

Q. Do you give refunds?
A. No, we can’t. See, we’re not charging for anything, thus refunds don’t really work into this. If you don’t like your food (no one has ever complained), then you can always throw it out. If you’d like your donation back, that can be arranged too. You’d just have to live with yourself that you’d take a donation back from a charity. For shame!

Q. Are you going to be cooking during the opener? You don’t want to miss that!
A. In the past, we did cook during the opener. However, that has changed. We’ve realized that 90% of the funds raised happen after the show. Thus, we’ve sorta decided to take the pre-show to relax. Sometimes we catch the opener (wouldn’t it be nice if Vusi Mahlasela opened some time?). Sometimes we hang in the lot. And sometimes we don’t do either.

Q. What about after the show, do we have to wait for the grill to fire up or what?
A. No, someone will leave before the encore, move the car toward the front (if possible) and complete setup for the stampede of folks coming out after the show.

Q. How ‘bout booze? Will you have that?
A. Sorry, for the sake of keeping this wholesome, there will be no alcohol served to anyone we don’t know at this event. No exceptions. None. Sorry. We may bring some for ourselves, but we’re all responsible adults and wouldn’t consider wasting a show by being hammered at it.

Q. Can I bring my own brew and hang out with you?
A. Sure.

Q. What if I get really really drunk on my own brew?
A. Then you’ll be annoying, a distraction, and an overall buzz kill. We’ll find some way to get you away from us. Maybe tie your ankles together and push you over.

Q. Can I smoke up with you guys?
A. We appreciate the offer, but no thanks.

Q. What times are you going to be setup? When do you close down?
A. We’ll be setup before anyone comes out of the show. We’ll close down when the foot traffic is gone, when we’re too tired - which ever comes first.

Q. How do you pick “The Cause” for the year?
A. It’s not as easy as you’d think. We look for something that’s not local, and that has no controversy attached. Thus anything political is pretty much out. We also vet the charities to make sure they are ones that use the funds properly, and minimize their overhead expenses. Finally, "The Cause" for that year is ultimately decided by someone who’s worked with TFAC before.

Q. Will you take my suggestion for "The Cause" next year?
A. While we’re always open to hearing about others ideas, we are pretty dedicated to making sure that our volunteers input is weighted heaviest. While helping out at a show is no guarantee that your suggestion will be next year’s Cause, the likelihood is a lot stronger. We’d rather folks get involved for the right reason, rather than to steer a future agenda.

Q. Can I host a TFAC since you’re not going to be at my local venue? If so, can I pick "The Cause"?
A. Well, we can talk about it. As you can imagine, we’re a bit protective of the TFAC identity. Thus, we are careful to make sure no one among is all messed up and what not. Further, while the fundraiser happens during the day, the preparations can be exhausting, as it will eat up your morning and day of the concert. From the shopping, to the bun and hot dog preparation (yes, we ‘prepare’ the buns and dogs ahead of time to minimize the time needed to assemble after the show), to someone – or two – leaving before the encore to ensure that the food is coming off hot when the crush of people starts coming out.

As per picking The Cause if you host your own, we can’t support this. One Cause each year is the concept, and we have donors that look to us for that consistency (and we very much appreciate those donors). Thus, if you choose to host a fundraiser for…. say… the Adolph Hitler Memorial museum, and call it Tailgate For A Cause….. folks think that you’re entwined with us. Of course we can’t stop you if you choose to do this, but we can tell you that we’ve been doing this for years and there are definite mistakes (that we’ve made) that may end up costing you a lot more than you raise. For any location that we’re supporting , we’ll make sure these mistakes aren’t replicated. If you go renegade….. good luck.

Q. I’ve been watching over the years and noticed that your menu has been cut down significantly. In fact, I think at one point you offered burgers, brats, and even let people bring their own food. What happened?
A. Now that’s a great question. What happened is this, and it’s quite simple. Bigger food takes bigger space. That gets in the way of us feeding the masses, who tend to come out several hundred at a time. Using our proven formula, we can pump out about 50 hot dogs every 5 minutes, but it requires the whole grill to do this. Thus, burgers, chicken, and anything else gets in the way of the dogs, conversely getting in the way of the bottom line.

Q. Neat concept, how can I help?
A. Couple ways. First, of course, is the straight donation. While not necessarily the sexiest, way to go about it, it’s definitely the easiest (and only way if you’re not going to be at a show we’re at). You can either donate to us directly via Paypal, or (preferably) directly to the year’s Cause. The latter allows you to take a tax write off, and also saves on Paypal fees. The former, however, gives us the ability to locate a corporate match, though you lose the ability to write it off on your taxes.

Second, if you’re going to be at a show that we’re at, we can always use help assembling the materials. In fact, the reason that we haven’t ventured beyond the Gorge, Alpine, Red Rocks, and Deer Creek is simply because we don’t have someone ‘on the ground’ who can run the errands the day of the show. Thus, if you’re able to be our person ‘on the ground’, for 2009, (or warm winter locations), please send us an email with the subject “Person on the Ground – Your City”. Thus, someone in Timbuktu might send an email with a subject that says "Person on the Ground – Timbuktu". You dig??

Third, if the "Person on the Ground" responsibilities seem too much to take on (we realize the shows are supposed to be fun, and we don’t want to suck anything away from that), but you would be willing to help out either before or after a show, please email us saying as much, and letting us know what city (show location) that you live in, or are going to. This will help us factor in future (potential) travel plans for TFAC.

Q. Can I take a tax write off?
A. As we said above before, the tax write off can only be taken if you donate directly to The Cause. You can do that by following the link on the main (page). And – if you take that option, please let us know how much you donated so we might include it in the total for the year. If you donate via Paypal to us, you can not take the tax credit, as we are not a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity.

Q. This isn’t a question, just wanted to say this is a pretty comprehensive FAQ and you’ve covered most of the bases. Great job.
A. Thanks a lot. We tried to answer most of the questions that have come up along the way. However, if you have one that hasn’t been asked, please email us with it.