The theft of $2,700 from the Ames Progressive on Saturday was resolved Sunday night, after the stolen money was returned.

The Ames Progressive, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing independent media for Ames, celebrated its three-year anniversary Saturday with a 12-hour music marathon featuring 30 bands.

The event charged a $10 fee for wristbands that allowed access throughout the day, according to Nate Logsdon, director of the Ames Progressive. At the end of the evening, the money was noticed and reported to Ames Police as missing.

Through talking to people who attended the show, the staff was able to use leads to figure out who had stolen the money.

Ames Police officers were called as soon as the money was discovered to be missing, and information was passed on to them as it was received by the staff at the Ames Progressive. The staff was able to talk to the person who stole the cash, which resulted in an agreement to return the money without further police involvement, Logsdon said.

“Part of the way we were able to get the money back was we made an agreement with the person who stole it that if they gave it back to us we wouldn’t press charges,” Logsdon said.

The money was returned Sunday night, Logsdon said.

Changes are being made as to how the organization manages its money after Saturday’s theft. The staff plans to get a safe and change procedures at the door of the venue to prevent similar instances in the future.

“The amount of money that we have handled in our past events has been considerably less than the amount from this weekend,” Logsdon said. “Our procedures for dealing with the incoming cash has been insecure, but [Saturday] night showed that when we are dealing with that much money, the system we had in place was not sufficient with having that much money and that many people in the same place at the same time.”

Because charges weren’t being pressed, the Ames Progressive agreed that once the money was returned they would all move on from the situation and that it was the end, Logsdon said.

“We weren’t trying to turn it into a huge deal, as long as we got the money back – that was our main priority,” Logsdon said.

The returned money will be used for a new sound system and to pay for renovations that were made for Saturday’s show, which cost a few hundred dollars. The rest is for operating expenses such as rent, Logsdon said.