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Restaurant handles menu, food prep, permits, food handling, service, cleanup, and disposal.House provides event access, promotion, table/tent location, and cultural context.House receives a negotiated percentage of gross sales or net proceeds.Terms are written in a simple agreement before the event.Vendor must provide required permit and insurance information in advance.
Use written vendor agreements.Separate cash box or point-of-sale tracking by event.Record gross sales, expenses, vendor share, and House share.Assign one treasurer-approved person to reconcile funds.Avoid informal verbal-only arrangements for vendors.Document donated goods and in-kind support.
Fundraising, Vendors
How House of Afghanistan can generate revenue through HPR and independent activities
Working status
This chapter is based on one onboarding phone call and should be treated as a working guide, not final legal, tax, insurance, food-safety, or permit advice. Exact fees, contacts, deadlines, and rules should be verified with current HPR leadership, the City of San Diego, and the appropriate compliance professionals before each event.
Core fundraising distinction
The most important fundraising distinction from the call is this: HPR-controlled events have HPR rules, but independent House of Afghanistan events are not limited in the same way. This means the House should not view Balboa Park lawn programs as its only fundraising path. HPR events can raise money, but independent offsite events may become the stronger long-term fundraising engine.
Fundraising within HPR
The call stated that each organization is allowed two fundraisers per year under HPR rules where it can directly charge for items. Additional HPR lawn-style events may need to be structured as suggested donation or donation-based rather than fixed-price sales. This should be verified before planning multiple HPR fundraisers.
Table 6
Fundraising scenario
Practical implication
First annual lawn program
Can likely sell food and retail items directly.
Second HPR fundraiser
Can likely sell directly, based on the call.
Third HPR program/fundraiser
May need suggested donation or donation-based pricing.
December Nights
Optional HPR event with sales allowed, but fees and compliance requirements apply.
Ethnic Food Fair
Optional HPR event with sales allowed and generally lower cost than December Nights.
Independent offsite fundraiser
House of Afghanistan controls pricing and structure, subject to normal nonprofit and venue rules.
There are no rows in this table
Independent fundraising
Independent House of Afghanistan events can be held outside HPR and can charge admission, sell sponsorships, sell tickets, run galas, host dinners, or organize other fundraisers. These events are reported and managed through the House of Afghanistan’s own nonprofit governance, treasurer, accountant, and required filings.
This is strategically important. Houses with strong finances often raise money beyond HPR. The call referenced other houses with significant funds because they know how to run events, network, and fundraise outside HPR.
Food as a fundraising driver
The participant strongly emphasized that food and drink usually outperform retail-only fundraising. Park visitors are hungry, and cultural food is one of the reasons people attend HPR events. The recommendation was direct: if the House has music, dance or cultural atmosphere, and food, the lawn program is more likely to make money.
Restaurant partnership model
The cleanest model for House of Afghanistan may be partnering with an established Afghan restaurant. The restaurant sells food at the event and gives the House a percentage of revenue. This reduces operational burden and shifts much of the food-handling responsibility to an entity that already understands food service.
Recommended structure
Revenue share guidance
The call suggested that some houses accept too little from vendors. A practical target mentioned was 20% to 25%. The exact percentage should depend on vendor costs, expected attendance, whether the House provides tables/tents/promotion, and whether the vendor is taking on most of the risk.
Table 7
Model
Pros
Cons
House buys and resells food
Higher possible margin.
Higher compliance burden, volunteer burden, spoilage risk, insurance risk, and cleanup responsibility.
Restaurant sells and gives percentage
Lower burden, easier compliance, professional execution.
Lower total revenue share for the House.
Donation-only food table
Simpler for certain contexts.
Unpredictable revenue and may not be appropriate where permits or food rules apply.
Retail table owned by House
Can build repeatable merchandise revenue.
Requires seller permit, inventory, storage, and cash management.
Third-party retail vendor
Low inventory burden.
Requires negotiation and clear percentage terms.
There are no rows in this table
Seller permit considerations
The call mentioned that some houses may have seller permits for retail activity. House of Afghanistan should investigate whether it needs a seller permit for selling Afghan items, books, textiles, tea, or other goods. During Hall of Nations hosting, retail sales may require the House to have a sales permit visibly available.
Merchandise and retail ideas
The call prompted the idea that the House can purchase items itself and resell them to raise money. This could include books, children’s books, cookbooks, textiles, tea sets, educational materials, chess sets, postcards, or House-branded items. Any retail program should be simple, mission-aligned, and properly tracked by the treasurer.
Financial controls
Strategic fundraising recommendation
Use HPR events for visibility and recurring public presence. Use independent House of Afghanistan events for larger fundraising ambitions. Over time, the strongest financial model may combine restaurant partnerships, donor cultivation, memberships, sponsorships, ticketed cultural events, and family/youth programming.
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