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

pull down to refresh

Raising Money for a New Chess Center Without High Entry Fees

100 sats \ 3 comments \ @jattyro 9 Nov 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.

view all related items

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @itsTomekK 4h

Join our Lichess club!

https://lichess.org/team/bitcoin--nostr

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @AG 9 Nov

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.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @jattyro OP 9 Nov

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate the perspective on proof of work.

Just to clarify, Albany Chess Center is already operating. We are open seven days a week and we run structured programs. Every day we have players coming in for casual play, lessons, and club activities. We also organize regular blitz and rapid tournaments at the center. People are already showing up, competing, and building a community around it.

We are not asking for funds to start a chess center. The center exists and is active. What we are exploring is a transparent way to fund more events without pushing the cost onto players through high entry fees. The goal is to make tournaments accessible, especially for kids and new players, instead of making cost a barrier.

Your point about starting small is valid, and that is exactly how we operate. We run events consistently, track attendance, and build history. The funding conversation is about expansion, not creation. We will keep posting updates, schedules, and tournament results so people can see the progress.