Do you share expenses?

That’s completely dependent on many factors:
What’s the charity?
What’s my view of that charity?
What is my relationship to the people sharing the table?
How do I feel about spending the money?
How do the people sharing the table view the charity?
How do the people sharing the table feel about spending the money?
Etc.

To me, this is far to complex to answer without much more information.

Buy a table?

I would buy the table and invite others. I’d prefer they to offered their share without me asking.
(If the situation were reversed I would absolutely stick money in the host’s pocket.)

If no one offered I’d think twice before doing it that way again. Or invite someone else next time – like me. :-)

Not here. A table is usually bought by one person or business then friends or family are invited no charge.

We’ve “bought” a table for a charity event before. Up front we stated how much each seat costs (assuming all seats sold) so that everyone would be able to help pay.

I think if you buy a table, you are the one paying for guests. If you say in advance, “Would you like to go in with us on a table for four?” then the expense would be shared.

If I could afford to pay for everyone, I would. If I couldn’t, I probably wouldn’t buy the table, I’d pay for a single seat.

@Dutchess_III At large events where you’re paying and it’s reserved seating (so you can sit with your friends or business partners), for example a business luncheon or a holiday party, when you pay for a seat, you may pay for the entire table, so you can have all your friends or business partners sit with you, whereas if you buy a single seat or a seat for you and a date/guest, you’re going to probably be at the table with six or eight other strangers.

@jca2 Generally where I’ve seen it done it’s for a charity fundraiser so it means you are making a large donation to the organization.

@janbb Yes, maybe at least 1k for the table.

I was invited by a friend and his wife to an outdoor sporting dinner. They picked up the “table” and invited several other people. They are both lawyers and didn’t want anyone to pay for their “chair” at the table, maybe I’m lucky!

Depends on the situation. If the payment was going to be split I think usually it would be something I arrange ahead of buying. Like let’s say several friends want to go we might split the fee for a table. Or, if I buy a table and basically advertise to sell the seats to people interested in coming, realizing I might get stuck paying for the whole table if the table isn’t filled up.

If I invite someone to attend, then I’m picking up the tab and they can donate extra to the cause if they feel so inclined, which I think is a nice thing to do, even if it’s just $20, although the meal was likely $50—$100.

The person paying for the table maybe gets a tax write-off and so it’s not just the donation, but also a side personal benefit that the tickets aren’t costing them as much as face value.

A friend hosted a table at the Catholic high school’s annual crab feed dinner that the football team put on, and the servers were all players on the team.

While my friend paid for the dinner, everyone understood that we should all participate in the Silent Auction, and also be prepared to tip the team players that served our table. The boys ended up with about $25 per person at the table.

When I buy a table, I never ask any of my invitees to pay. I wanted to make a contribution to some cause, so I did so. The people who join me are my guests, and I’m their host.

I have only seen the contribution by plate (per person) and not table.