A charity poker tournament or Casino Night can be a glamorous way to achieve your organization’s fundraising goals. The benefits of hosting a poker tournament are many – donors will look forward to the event, and you will likely have the opportunity to introduce new supporters (who love playing poker) to your organization. This leaves plenty of room to achieve your fundraising goals with tournament ticket sales, rebuys, fundraising raffles, and other activities.
We’re here to help you run a charity poker tournament fundraiser and raise the fundraising stakes for your organization.
Here’s What We’ll Cover
- Research the Costs Associated with a Charity Poker Tournament
- F ind the Perfect Venue
- Plan the Fundraising Goal for the Tournament
- Discuss Poker Tournament Format and Additional Revenue Channels
- Plan Promotional Collateral for the Charity Poker Tournament
- Build an Event Website to Register Tournament Participants
- Find Sponsors for the Tournament
- Event Promotion and Tournament Ticket Sales
- Recruit Volunteers for Day of Event Operations
- Host a Great Poker Tournament
- Wrap Up the Charity Tournament
- Charity Poker Tournament Planning Checklist
- More Charity Poker and Casino Night Resources
Before You Begin, Check Local Laws
Each state governs charitable gaming laws in the US. Similarly, in Canada, these regulations are governed by province. Before planning an event, conduct due diligence to determine your local and state laws on gaming and charity poker tournaments. This information can generally be found in the state attorney general’s office.
Often, prizes cannot be actual cash tender but need to be non-monetary awards or compensation.
Research the Costs Associated with a Charity Poker Tournament
As with many fundraising events, planning begins with how much you want to raise from your poker tournament. Poker tournaments can be lucrative events when well-organized and promoted. For a smaller event with lower ticket prices, organizations can raise $5,000-$10,000. For larger tournaments with higher ticket prices, you can raise upwards of $25,000. Plan what you want to raise and how many attendees you project for your event.
Before deciding the gross fundraising goal, understand the costs that are associated with a poker tournament:
- Venue
- Poker table and accessories rentals
- Paid tournament staff (Dealer, Pit Manager/Tournament Director)
- Hors d’oeuvres and beverages
- Fundraising software and promotional materials
- Other marketing costs
- Cost of permits or licenses
- Poker prizes (that are not donated)
Shop around for the best pricing for the service and quality that fit your needs. With projected costs and a fundraising event budget, it is easier to determine ticket pricing and the number of attendees needed to reach fundraising goals.
Find the Perfect Venue
You’ll need a large, open space to host a poker event. Schools and community centers are set by transforming the gymnasium into a poker den. Many fraternity lodges (such as Shriner’s or VFW lodges) already have the necessary permits in place, and they may also have the supplies you need for the big night.
Supplies for a tournament are relatively basic: event decorations, tables, chairs, poker chips, and decks of cards. You may be able to find a local gaming place that would be willing to donate these free of charge as an in-kind sponsorship for the extra exposure your event will provide.
Plan the Fundraising Goal for the Tournament
Once you research the tentative costs, the following projections should be determined:
- What is the gross fundraising goal (how much to cover your fundraising goal and your costs before any deductions are taken out)?
- What are some potential projections of how many tickets must be sold at a specific price point? For example, how many seats would you need to sell at $50 per person? At $75 per person? At $100 per person?
When deciding ticket price points, consider that re-buys and add-ons can contribute around 30% of your fundraising amount.
Discuss Poker Tournament Format and Additional Revenue Channels
The most popular format for charity poker tournaments is Texas Hold Em’.
You will need a poker expert on the planning committee to assist with format choices and rules. The tournament director dictates how quickly the blinds (minimum bet of the game) rise and other logistics. A given additional stream of fundraising comes from the rebuys and add-ons. Rebuys are additional poker chips available for purchase, either to buy back into the game or to add to a pile of chips.
Throughout the tournament, the tables are combined as more players are eliminated until a final table is left. Organizations can utilize the poker tables that have been eliminated to run smaller and quicker poker games for smaller prizes. Other forms of fundraising can come from other card or casino games such as roulette or blackjack. Casino Night fundraisers offer tables with all of these games to choose from.
Hosting a silent auction is a great addition to a Casino Night party. In addition, a charity poker tournament could be held in conjunction with a fundraising golf tournament, gala, or other special events.
DoJiggy offers fundraising raffles and charity auction websites to make it happen.
Plan Promotional Collateral for the Charity Poker Tournament
Once the poker tournament venue and date have been determined, it’s time to plan the marketing and promotional collateral. Poker tournaments and charity casino nights typically exude a concept of “a fun and classy night out.” The marketing collateral should express the same concept or gala theme. There are inexpensive flyers and collateral templates available online if your nonprofit organization doesn’t have anyone with graphic design experience. Marketing collateral may include the following:
- Poker tournament event invitations for your supporters
- Flyers to hang around town
- Website banners and logos to brand the event
- Printed items for the event (signage, tickets, step-and-repeat banners, sponsor signs)
Event flyers and invitations should include the following information:
- Date and time of the tournament
- Location
- The poker tournament format (Texas Holdem’, 7-Card Stud)
- Attire requirements, if any
- Pricing of Buy-in and Re-buys
- Promotion of desirable prizes
- Your event sponsors
- The mission of your organization or charitable cause
- How the money raised will be used
Build an Event Website to Register Tournament Participants
Our event management software allows organizations to easily manage fundraising poker tournaments, including event promotion and marketing, sponsor and sponsorship management, secure online event registration and ticketing, detailed financial reporting, and event check-in. The following are just a few features of our event software:
- Online ticket sales with the ability to create custom ticket packages (think VIP)
- Sponsor registration and promotion
- Mobile giving functions like text to donate
- Brand customization for your organization and event
Find Sponsors for the Tournament
The poker tournament will only be as appealing as the prizes, so in-kind sponsorship procurement is one of the pivotal steps in organizing a charity tournament. Sponsorship support is also important to extend the reach of your audience.
Typically, there should be sponsorship outreach to procure prizes for the following: the top winners of the main poker tournament, side games prizes, raffles, and/or silent auction items. The retail value of the tournament prizes should also be considered, especially in comparison to the buy-in price. Here are some great prizes to consider:
- Restaurant gift certificates for high-end restaurants
- A seat to the World Series of Poker ($10,000 ticket value)
- A ticket/suite admission package to sports games
- A week-long or week-end vacation or retreat package
Always start with your connections when looking for sponsors. Consider casting your net out to your poker planning committee to see if there are employers or business owners here. For cold outreach, delegate the team accordingly so that outreach for both corporate sponsorship and local business sponsorships are performed.
Event Promotion and Tournament Ticket Sales
Once all the details are in place, including the venue, date and time, and top prizes, it’s time to share the news with your supporters. Here are some places to garner ticket sales:
- Supporters
- Sponsors of previous events
- Local businesses
- Local news outlets/event calendars
- Meetups
Supporters, past sponsors, and local businesses are best-approached face-to-face or with a warm phone call. Local news outlets and Meetups may be best with an e-mail sent to the main contacts. As with many ticket sales, the magic behind the sold ticket is consistent follow-up. Send everyone to your event website for easy registration.
Recruit Volunteers for Day of Event Operations
As the charity poker tournament date approaches, it is vital that the event has an all-star support team on deck. That means a lead volunteer and event coordinator who knows the agenda and tasks involved. Once these tasks are planned, finding volunteers to ensure everything is handled is essential to successful event execution. Here are some volunteer and/or vendor roles to consider:
- Event Registration and Check-in
- Greeters
- Event Set-up and Breakdown
- Master of Ceremony/MC
- Coat Check
- Photographer/Videographer
- Raffle Sales Volunteers
- Food and Beverage Servers (hors d’oeuvres and limited drinks should be provided as part of the ticket price)
- Runners
Approximately 1-2 weeks before the event, hold a meeting at the tournament venue. Vendors and volunteers should attend to ensure everyone is on the same page with the event agenda and assigned tasks. Also, if audio/visual equipment will be used at the venue, perform a technical rehearsal to ensure microphones work as expected and videos or slideshows play accordingly. This is also the best time to work and rehearse with the MC on the flow of the event.
Host a Great Poker Tournament
Be sure to run through all the materials that should be brought to the venue the night before the tourney. Before arriving at the venue, have plenty of cash on hand to handle change for rebuys and raffles. It’s best to arrive at the venue several hours early to work with the poker table rental company to set up the tables in a way that works for the venue layout. Run through the tasks one final time with the volunteers before doors open, offer a venue tour as needed (to know bathroom locations and other information), and assign them to their locations.
Then enjoy the evening as the games begin! Turning a charity poker tournament into a successful annual event depends on how much fun your supporters have during the tournament.
Wrap Up the Charity Tournament
Host a committee meeting within a week of the tournament to discuss the event’s successes and failures. What can be done differently in the future? Keep a file with this information for next year’s committee. Review the feedback received during the event to see where there is room for improvement at future events.
The amount of funds raised will also determine if your poker tournament was a success. Work with your treasurer or committee to review how much money was raised from the event after all of your final expenses are figured.
Don’t forget to send hand-written thank-yous to your sponsors. Let attendees know what impact they’ve had as a supporter of your organization or charitable cause. This is an important step not to be skipped in running a successful fundraiser.
Drawing a Crowd through Prizes and Entertainment
Since participants must pay to participate, you’ll want to offer additional incentives to draw in a larger crowd. This is where prizes come in! Contact local organizations to donate prizes and create a large prize pool. High-priced and desirable items are key here. Partner with an airline for free flights or a Vegas casino for an all-inclusive trip. After all, you know that many of the people participating in your tournament have a passion for gambling and would love to win a trip to Vegas.
Charity Poker Tournament Planning Checklist
Follow these steps and pro tips to assist in a successful charity poker planning process:
- Make sure your organization is legally able to host a gambling event at the location selected and obtain the necessary permits.
- Establish fundraising goals: How much money do you want to raise? What is your budget?
- Choose a tournament date and location.
- Establish an event planning timeline. You’ll want at least 90 days to plan any charity event, and more time is better.
- Select a leadership team, including The Charity Poker Event Director, Sponsorship Director, Marketing Manager (for media relations and promotions), Prize & Gift Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator, etc.
- Develop a list of potential sponsors and create sponsorship packages that include promotional opportunities for business sponsors.
- Develop promotional materials, including fundraising event flyers, tournament brochures, and event signage.
- Create player packages, including registration instructions, tournament rules, event activities, prizes, and more.
- Set up a charity poker website for online registration and processing secure payments.
- Choose an MC for the event.
- Recruit players via radio, local news calendars, networking emails, sponsors, volunteers, and your network of supporters.
- Send out a press release to all media. Make sure to include the reason funds are being raised.
- Create a fun and exciting environment with special activities, such as door prizes, fundraising raffles, a silent auction, entertainment, and food and drinks.
- Create a schedule for volunteers. You’ll need people to staff the registration table, games, food and beverage area, distribute prizes, event set-up & clean-up, and more.
- Acquire winners’ prizes, player gift bags, auction, or raffle items.
- Outline a thorough Event Day Schedule for the MC and staff to follow.
- Make sure to thank players and volunteers and acknowledge sponsors at the event.
- After the event, send out thank you letters and player surveys.
More Charity Poker and Casino Night Resources
Don’t go it alone! DoJiggy can help manage your charity poker event. We offer more for organizations hosting charity poker events:
Still looking for fundraising ideas?
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