BONFIRE, LLC is the non-profit under which Bonfire operates. You are correct that Former Students provide the bulk of the financial donations. Materials, supplies, and services are also donated or offered at a lower cost. Still, for the time being, Bonfire has to charge a gate fee for Burn to cover the substantial costs of Burn and to provide for operating expenses for the start of the next season which begins immediately after Burn.
The largest obstacle Bonfire has to overcome right now is a permanent piece of land acquired and tailored specifically and exclusively for Bonfire. Bonfire leases operating pastureland today. As such, what Bonfire is allowed to do to the land is limited. This makes event parking a major challenge, for one. A group of Former Students is looking for land nearer to town, close to a highway, with multiple access points, good drainage, room for or access to parking, and other considerations. This will be a big lift, and one we as Former Students cannot expect the current students to take on while also safely and faithfully executing Bonfire (which they can only just afford, year over year).
They've set us an example of what a little grit can do, and it wouldn't be immodest to admit that they are carrying on our examples from when we had our opportunities. We got a great deal out of our opportunities, and I am confident that we can and will collectively be motivated to overcome this challenge with and for the students.