Raising Money

[Grays Anatomy]

I have a question for all you tournement types...how does everyone finance their tournements (ones they run)? Do you get sponsors? Do you simply cover your cost based on proceeds from the door? Do you have a bake sale? How do you do it?

As a side question - I am lookin' for some way to help finance a trip for my Sifu and a group of my training brothers (and myself) to China - any ideas on how to raise some money?

All suggestions welcome.

[JWTAYLOR]

Unfortunatley, most tournaments actually loose money.
I would suggest selling crack. There's allot of money in it, it doens't take too much of an initial investment, and then there's that one big benefit, the "crack ho." So you got that going for you.

JWT

[GLW]

when you do this, the largest part of your money will be from entry fees (as in competitors). Do NOT make the mistake of counting on spectator fees in any form to bring in money to cover your expenses. It won't happen.

Often, there is a masters demo or finals in the evening. This can be sold as a separate event. For example, a spectator buys a day pass. The day pass does not include the evening. This means you have to get people out before the show.... If the event is 2 days, then you sell a single day, single day plus show, spectator for both, and/or spectator for both and show.

Then you have what the competitor can and can't see. It is NOT fair nor will it give you a good turnout at a show or evening event if you make competitors pay for the show after you have had them pay for the competition..so either resign to give that for free or before the fact, mentally bump registration fees up to include that part. You have to be careful not to make registration or spectator fees to high. That is a sure way to lose money.

It is possible to get corporate and advertising sponsorship for such events...but NOT easy. Most companies set their budget for this type of thing well in advance and you have to ask for the money way before you need it. Sometimes as much as a year or more in advance.

Unless you have connections, I would NOT count on this. So...what most do is float the amount by paying for things themselves up front....hoping that the entry fees, and all other things cover expenses and maybe make money.

Another idea is to include seminars in the schedule for multi-day events.

If you run a good competitor focused event - good judges, etc... and really care about the competitor, it gets harder and harder to make money on such an event. For this, the best approach is to look at it as something to promote the arts and HOPE to break even. If you make more...great. If you don't - well that was a good life lesson.

[JWTAYLOR]

A lesson that you should start selling the crack rock.

JWT

[Grays Anatomy]

Hmmmm - hadn't thought of that benefit. I think I might try that.:D

Thanx for the input. It pretty much fit in with what I figured.

[norther practitioner]

Also, try to find someplace to do demos....they don't make much, but hey....we did a demo for the opening of cthd, we got free admission, plus some other stuff. Also, around chinese new year, there are usually some restaurants that will look for dance and kung fu demos.....

[Chinwoo-er]

well, you could always rob a bank if you need that money to run a tournament THAT badly. :D

seriously, get someone to sponser. Tell them you are willing to put their advertisement somewhere in the area. Or ask some rich MA students you have.

[Tae Li]

I have to go and fight in Korea and cos i cant afford it my instructor is trying to organise a sponsor for me...

i only need money for the plave fair, accomodation and all the rest is for free....

so i also considered sleeping with the pilots son for Korean airlines......:eek: that could work u know.

Tae Li;)

[wu_de36]

Entry Fees can be in the neighborhood of $30.

Have a clinic the next day at a local studio with some local masters or those who came in for the tourney. Charge about $15/student.

Have a kids division.

Goto Sams club, get some soda and charge .50 or whatever you want.

Get a boatload of cheap MA merchandise and sell it. You can buy 50 pair of foam nunchaku for $50, and sell the nunchaku for $5 easy. Having a seminar the next day on nunchaku is a bonus. Kids will eat that stuff up and "have to have it" chances are mom and pop will buy it as a reward for doing well, or as a consolation for not doing so well :)

Find a host with cheap overhead.

Local sponsors won't sponsor it if it's mostly out of state folk :) You might get people like powerbar or coke to come in and give away samples, etc. But I wouldn't count on them opening the purse.

[GreyMystik]

it's all about the crack rock.

[Xebsball]

Well kidnapping right now is a big thing here. Its fast kidnapping style nicknamed lightning kidnapp or you can style it to call blitzkrieg kidnapp. Doesnt have to be someone super rich since it will be more of quantity than quality. High middle class will do. You can keep an avereage of 1 to 3 every month.

[GeneChing]

True, it was junk, but that was the crack of its day. You young'ins don't know about that old school stuff. Anyway, look what happened to him - he got his but kicked in his own kinky bathroom with all his weapons at his disposal by a half naked shaolin monk. Let that be a lesson to all you upstart crack ho promoters - you got a spear in the back comin' at ya soon.:D