Photo Credit: Burning Man
Following financial turmoil in recent years, Burning Man CEO Marian Goodell looks at the bigger picture with financial recovery "well underway."
Burning Man kicks off in the Nevada desert later this month, but after two years of financial unrest and uncertainty, how are things looking in 2025? Burning Man CEO Marian Goodell outlined the nonprofit's current financial picture.
In a Wednesday, August 13 blog post, Goodell wrote that "our financial outlook is much stronger than where we were a year ago" -- the result of hard work and community participation.
That announcement comes after a period of uncertainty for Burning Man, which hit a significant revenue shortfall in 2024 resulting from fewer sales of the highest-priced tickets for the festival. As a result, the organization's charitable donation target was twice its usual amount by year-end.
This year, Burning Man has re-tooled its ticket pricing tiers, and combined with fundraising efforts, the future is actually looking bright. "Through a combination of charitable contributions, mission-aligned cost reductions, a reduction in headcount by 10%, and collaboration with partners to reduce costs, we began this year with our financial recovery well underway," said Goodell.
"Further momentum for financial stability" is being created by financial donations made outside of the standard year-end donation period, she adds, along with "strong Black Rock City 2025 ticket sales."
"Additionally, we continue to tightly manage operating expenses and capital expenses across operations," said Goodell. She added that the Burning Man Project, the non-profit behind the annual festival in Nevada and other related initiatives, is "always in need of financial support to help bring our mission to life."
Burning Man tickets this year started at $550, with prices scaling up by around a hundred dollars for each pricing tier. Tickets for the event are still available through the Burning Man website, starting at $950 -- with prices going as high as $3,000.
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