How to Set Up a Charity Poker Game
From donating CDs, DVDs, books - and even cars - to donating time to a fundraiser or mission, there are lots of ways to help those in need without running your personal reserves dry. And often you can do greater good for your favorite organizations without opening your chequebook.
One way to give back is to donate the most priceless asset you have available – your time. And organizing a charity event, like a poker night, can be a great way to help your favorite cause and make a positive impact.
Charity poker nights are a well-known and popular method of boosting charitable causes, enjoyed by celebrities and amateurs. Take the Ed Asner & Friends poker night for example. Founded by Ed Asner to support families with special needs it has featured players like Jack Black, Anna Paquin and Rosie O'Donnel among others in recent years and raised huge amounts of cash in the process.
You don't need to be a celebrity to organize a charity poker event though and you shouldn't worry that a lack of star power will affect attendee numbers.
The great thing about poker is that most people have at least some basic working knowledge of the game, and it's easy enough for complete beginners to learn the rules. After all, you want as many people as possible to be able to get involved.
One way to be sure that everyone can participate is to create a simple sheet or pamphlet that includes some advice for newbies. Suitable tips for beginning poker players can be as simple as explanations of the core rules to the variety of the game being played and a list of hand rankings.
In order for your poker game to be a success, you'll need to find a suitable venue and think about how you'll advertise the event. It's a good idea to put together a committee or ask friends to help you with the event. Every friendship group has a varied set of skills and you may be able to lean on them for support in specific areas.
Poker tournaments on average can raise anywhere from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands. So, you may be able to factor in some of the expenditure and overheads for your event into the ticket price. However, be sure to let vendors and suppliers know that your event is a charity night as they may be willing to be more flexible with pricing, or even offer certain services for free.
It's easy to get lost in other aspects of event planning, but as your big draw is poker, you need to have a good plan in place for how the games will operate. There are lots of different forms of poker but the most popular and widely played at these types of tournaments is typically Texas Hold’em.
You'll also need to consider the legality of gambling in your state. Rules can vary across state lines, and in some cases, you might have to offer non-cash prizes. In this case, you should speak to local businesses, and perhaps offer them the chance to come on board as sponsors of the event in exchange for goods and services.
Another element to consider is food and drink. For poker nights it's rare to have a sit-down meal, and buffet-style offerings are the norm. However, you might want to consider whether to have a drinks reception to welcome guests and bring a touch of class to the night.
Once you have all of your planning done, all that's left to do is spread the word. Scale your advertising accordingly for the size of the event. A bigger room will mean that you'll need to lean heavily on local businesses, newspapers and online advertising. Whereas with a smaller-scale event you can encourage ticket sales through social media, email newsletters, personal invitations and word of mouth.
Although the bulk of your revenue for the night will likely come in the form of ticket sales, there are other ways that you can help your chosen charity. You can host a raffle, pass around a sign-up form for attendees to join a mailing list, and encourage one-off donations. You'll also want to have plenty of information to hand about the work your charity does so that people know where their hard-earned cash is going. If you're brave enough then you could even do a short speech and raise a glass with your guests. It doesn't need to be a full TED talk - just a simple explanation of what the charity does and how proceeds will be used.
Finally, don't forget to thank your guests after the event. A handwritten letter or email explaining how much has been raised and how the funds will make an impact can be hugely beneficial in allowing you to host a successful repeat event in the future.