I did not come up with this idea, but the Greater Peoria Chess Federation did. They cooperated with a local BBQ restaurant to raise funds to send players to the Illinois State Championship as well as sending two players to SuperNationals. They met their goal of raising $6,000 to do so. They plan to support need-based players as well as exceptional talent. It’s an idea that didn’t cost them a dime and supported a local business. I think it’s a great idea (one that I hadn’t thought of), but plan to “steal” next year.
I’m sharing because others may be able to benefit from similar arrangements. Lots of restaurants do school fundraisers…why not do something similar for chess.
I’m not sure how GPCF made their arrangement, but I know other organizations partner with a restaurant to get X % of sales if the customer says they are ordering for organization Z. $6K is a significant sum, but I’m not sure what arrangements GPCF made or how many people participated. The restaurant benefits by additional business that they would not have received. They still make a profit based on the cost of the product vs retail cost. They also benefit by gaining a reputation of supporting good causes. Where I live, it’s generally to a school, but there’s no reason it couldn’t be for chess.