Raising Money for a New Chess Center Without High Entry Fees \ stacker news ~events

I am building a new chess center (Albany Chess Center). We want to run tournaments and community programs. Running events costs real money: venue, equipment, arbiters, insurance, trophies, printing. I do not want to rely only on entry fees. When entry fees are high, only a few people can participate. I want kids, new players, and adults to have access without cost being a barrier.

My question to this community is simple:

What is the best, most transparent way to raise funds for a project like this?

Here are some ideas I am considering:

Publish the full budget

List the line by line costs: venue, arbiters, prizes, printing, etc.

Accept support publicly (Lightning, Stripe, or similar)

All contributions go to the budget and nothing else.

Post results after the event Share photos, final standings, receipts, and a short summary of money in and money out.

I am not trying to ask for donations in this post. I am interested in the process.

For anyone who has funded a community project here:

Do you publish the full budget first and then accept support?

Or do you collect initial support and post the budget later?

Is it better to set up a nonprofit sponsor before taking any money?

I am here to learn from people who have done public and transparent funding.

Thanks.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @AG 2h

Marking this for our next TM7 in the ~AGORA marketplace, I'm curious to see how it will go. Keep us posted!

As you posted here in ~events, look's your aim is more focus on the organization and management of the tournaments instead of a proper center or location to provide value and host a community.

These are two different things, my suggestion is to start small if you want to run events, and with time you'll find more things as it grows. You could run an event in a single chess table in a park. No need for venue, no need for funds. Just a min of two participant organized for fun.

No one is going to give you a dime if there's no history, or at least some proof of work done. This could be a properly organized project with a center Plan, a tournament schedule, the aim to make it international and recognized by relevant entities in the field. Maybe I'm wrong.