10 Best Ways to Get Sponsorship for Your Charity Poker or Casino Night

Holding a charity poker event of any kind is tough. There are a lot of expenses to cover, and money doesn’t grow on trees. When you’re holding your charity poker or casino night, you’ll need sponsors to help cover costs and to donate prizes. Here’s a list of the 10 best ways to get sponsorship for your charity poker night.

1. Do you have friends or family craving fame?

People usually feel a need to present a positive, charitable image of themselves to the people of the community in which they live. Give them the opportunity to advertise their generous nature- offer a “donor listing” in your poker night pamphlet in exchange for a cash donation. People love seeing their name printed in publications. Give them the opportunity and they’ll probably donate something.

2. Ask local business owners to advertise.

A charity poker evening presents a great advertising opportunity for local businesses. Ask local shop owners and service providers to make donations in return for advertising of some sort. Make sure you highlight the potential benefit of advertising at your event to the business owner. Mention that their public image will improve, they will see an increase in business, and that they can even write off their donation on their taxes (depending on your jurisdiction)!

3. Offer advertising/endorsement to large, national businesses.

It’s not only local businesses that can benefit from your charity poker night. National corporations can easily do so as well. Large companies are always seeking ways to broadcast a positive image to the public- what better way for them to accomplish that than to sponsor a charity event?

4. Ask for equipment donations rather than cash from related businesses.

Is there a gaming vendor in your area? Perhaps a billiards shop that sells poker tables as well? If so, ask if they would be interested in lending you some poker equipment or letting you hire casino equipment for free for the night. Their shops would surely benefit from having hundreds of players using gear plastered with their logo.

5. Visit your municipal government office and see if they can offer a subsidy.

Municipal governments often lend support to charity groups and events. Many sponsor clubs, non-profit organizations, and single events regularly. Head down to your municipal headquarters and ask if they would be willing to donate to your cause.

6. Write your provincial/state/county government for support.

Your senator or parliamentary representative might very well be interested in bolstering his/her charitable reputation. In any case, there’s no harm in asking!

7. Ask other charity groups to collaborate with you in running the event.

As the old saying goes, two heads are better than just one. If you’re really stuck for sponsorship funding or prize donations, consider pooling resources with another non-profit group or charity. You can split the event’s profit between all participating organizations. Although your individual donation size might slightly drop, your event will surely reach more people.

8. Call Chris Moneymaker and ask for some support!

After all, he’s rolling in cash from his WSOP win! Okay, okay- don’t do that. It would be rude. But you could call up a person of relative fame in your area and ask him/her to donate. Perhaps you could offer a “dinner and dancing” night with a respected community member as a prize. Surely there are some actors, singers, or even poker celebrities living in your area. They’ll gain precious publicity, while you’ll be able to offer potential attendees an extra incentive to come out and play.

9. Ask local media outlets to publicize your poker night in return for in-event advertising.

See if your local news channel would be willing to advertise your charity poker event in exchange for banners in the poker room. Perhaps you could even convince them to cover it live!

10. If all else fails, grab your guitar, and hit the nearest street corner!

Make sure you’re in tune, and put your hat out where people can see it. You’re going to need a lot of change!