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Got told my neighborhood potluck was 'too exclusive' and it stung but they were right
Someone said I only invited people from my street and not the whole block, so I changed the flyers to cover 4 more streets this time. Has anyone else had to adjust their local events because of feedback like that?
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pat7811mo ago
Normal potlucks are about bringing people together, not some exclusive club. Sounds like you handled it right by adjusting. I once had a neighborhood kid's birthday party where I only invited the immediate cul-de-sac, and the mom on the next street was hurt. Next year, I just put a sign up at the main entrance and let anyone who wanted to come, come. Way less stress and nobody felt left out.
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Wait, you put up a sign at the main entrance for a kid's birthday party? I'd be terrified some random stranger would show up.
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corap211mo ago
Oh gosh, that's a really good point and I get why you'd think that! But I think you're imagining it a bit differently than how it actually went down. The sign wasn't like a big banner saying "FREE PARTY COME ON IN." It was more like a little notice board thing at the entrance of our neighborhood, you know those corkboard dealies? I just put up a small sign that said "Birthday party at the playground pavilion from 2-5, everyone in the neighborhood is welcome." The key part is "neighborhood." Nobody from outside our gated community is even going to see that sign, it's just for the people who live here. And I didn't just throw it up with zero planning, I also went around the day before and knocked on a few doors to let the moms I actually know in person know about it. So it wasn't really a risk, it was more about being inclusive to the families on the other streets who I don't see as often. It actually worked out really well, no creepy strangers showed up, just a couple extra kids from down the way who I never would have thought to invite.
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