Discussion
I love hearing furry youtubers talk about how great it is that staff and volunteers for cons do it for the love of the community, not for money.
I hate how my next thoughts are, "they're non-profits because online furries will treat it like a crime if they aren't", and "regrettably, not all staff are around for anything more than personal gain".
@david Hmm, for sure you're right there would be Discourse but I think it's telling that most of these cons were nonprofits before we were all too online. They're just easier to get started: tax reporting is simpler below some level of revenue, and it's illegal for corporations to have volunteer labor. (I know that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, but still ) Plus people are more likely to donate to get a nonprofit con off the ground than a for-profit one.
@CyrikCroc I've seen discourse on some in the past. When I bring it up the idea seems to be that it's an either or situation for all cons, as opposed to just saying that some cons can try something different and maybe we can wait to see what happens as opposed to just presuming the worst. I know, a tall order for the internet 
@david
on the one hand, the social contract that furcons are nonprofits and usually donate to animal charities is lovely.
On the other hand, bigger cons definitely start to sag around the edges when the whole thing is being propped up by unpaid volunteer labor
@david
there is also the whole conundrum with how a lot of fur con volunteers are people who cannot afford the tickets otherwise, meaning the con ends up being poor people volunteering to make the experience better for people with more money, and the inevitable bad feelings when someone does not get picked for a volunteer spot when they based their entire con schedule around the assumption that they could get in as a volunteer so they could afford the con.
@Dio9sys I didn't even consider that volunteer type. That is even more sad 
@Dio9sys Treating it like, "if it's not non-profit, then that means it's for profit, which means it will only be people who want to profit and the experience will get worse" misses so many things.
It's understandable when looking at companies that sell products and are known for cost cutting and bad behavior. But it's not like furries are going to keep going to a con if it is actually a bad experience.
@david
right! and it's not like the fandom doesn't already, like, designer fursuit makers and famous artists with a years long wait-list. I don't want the whole fandom to be that, mind you, but I also couldn't imagine treating a famous artist who charges enough to make a profit the way I have seen some con organizers get treated when they bring up con costs
@Dio9sys I'm certainly not against keeping costs lower, or against non-profit events. That's my general preference, as well as just having more, but smaller events. Granted, that was preached in another convention group that I used to be part of, and still everyone was trying to one-up others for size and spectacle.
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@david
I enjoy folk thinking that non-profit means they can't be evil in some fashion or be making money off of it, and that non non-profits means nothing can go to charity.
While non-profit does have perks, there's some major drawbacks like only being able to have a small amount of money saved for future endevours. I'd love to see some other business structures be used and see what we can actually do with conventions.