Advance planning and shared responsibility keys to powwow success

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Cecil Nepoose is known in Indian Country as a man with years of experience in all phases of powwow, from dancing to organizing.

To make it work, he said, "people have to be more or less certified or bone fide people to handle the finances. People that have accountability and credibility." Another key element of running a successful powwow, he says, is having prominent powwow people involved, with a broad range of powwow knowledge and experience.

An organization, committee or a board, whoever is funding a powwow, "is totally in charge," Nepoose said, and will collectively decide how the money will be processed.

The individual who has the responsibility for carrying out their wishes makes sure the money is enveloped and ready for the awards.

"There has to be cash payouts," Nepoose said, because many powwows end on Sunday and some people can't afford to stay over another night just to cash a cheque.

Nepoose said he's in the process of raising $48,000 now to put on a powwow.

"The way I do things, is that I secure that money first. Once that money's secured I appoint somebody to look after it and take care of the books. There has to be a financial audit at the end of the powwow. There has to be a financial report set up as well for the board that I work with."

While the powwow is underway, Nepoose says the cash is kept in a safety deposit box or safe with somebody to look after it prior to payout and to make sure distribution is made.

Usually suppliers of services to his powwows do not invoice him until after the event, Nepoose says. "So invoicing is very important." He says careful budgeting and record keeping ensures these will be paid promptly. Sometimes suppliers request a percentage of their costs up front and the powwow's finance personnel take care of that.

For a large powwow gathering, where the cash payout is in the range of $30,000 to $40,000, Nepoose says organizers need to start "at least a year" in advance. That's for planning, finding volunteers, putting committees in place, and making sure people are clear about their roles and the vision statement for the powwow. Fundraising comes after all that.

"There's a lot of commitment that's involved, personal commitment in organizing a big celebration. It's not a one-man thing."

Another thing Nepoose says is "I will never, ever take the word, especially verbally, from a company or organization that says they're going to sponsor this powwow."

In addition, Nepoose says a person needs at least 20 years of powwow experience before trying to run one. He recommends trying on the roles of arena director, head drum judge, or general judge to gain experience of how powwows are run, how winners gain points, how judges are selected and a host of other details.

He said there has to be a paper trail to cover everything.

"An honest person, to be blunt with you, has to be behind that pencil."