I mean actually setting one up and promoting it? Being a 23 year veteran of the fire service I feel this is a worthy charity. My wife and I and some other members of Barnstead Fire and Rescue have been involved with the FealGood foundation. (http://www.fealgoodfoundation.com/) The fundraisers in our small town have been decent but not spectacular. My thought was to have a Poker Run but do not know the ins and outs of staging such an event. Was hoping someone here had experience and would be willing to give me some tips on getting this off the ground.:confused

 

From my point of view it is the sponsors that you need to get onboard. These would comprise the stops that you make where the cards are drawn. Then the end point need's to be a place where everyone can enjoy themselves. Meaning plenty of parking and maybe a drink and something to eat.

 

The run should be scenic and I'd suggest making the stops at rest areas and such, not beer joints.

 

I would imagine that if kept small, you'd only need 3 bars to pitch in. In return, they get increased sales from the publicity. Maybe some of them have even done a few before. If so, they might be better equipped to help.

A check in table, box full of cards, and a chart. Bikers pull up, go to the table, give their name, draw a card and that card gets written on a chart next to their name. Then they walk into the bar for drinks, food or whatever other entertainment there may be.

After they've gone to all the stops and arrived at the final party, all the bars go to the party with their charts and all the cards from each chart are entered onto a master chart. From there, the winner is selected.

Making flyers and maps to hand out and getting a ton of volunteers is no easy task. I don't have any experience with this but it does seem like a large group effort.

I'd try to find a local bar that would be interested in helping organize it.

 

Our best and most popular run supports The Make A Wish Foundation. If I was going to get a poker run going, I would follow the guy that, (should we say runs it) around. He is very dedicated and spends untold hours gathering sponsors and getting the right people to help organize it. The date is also important not to interfere with other events. Good luck.

 

Be careful calling it a poker run. In our area the Feds and Law enforcement have been cracking down....Advised by one of these agents to list any such event as a charity run or event.
Watch your back...Big Brother is watching!

 

Why would the feds care if it was called Poker Run?

 

Most of them are called Poker Runs down here as well. However, in many cases they throw in a "bring an unopened toy for the kids" or "some canned food for the homeless" just to add some "Oh look, bikers are doing some good stuff again. They really care about our kids, don't they. What a bunch of swell guys"

Little do they know we are just there to drink beer and win money. We could care less about what that freakin' stuffed Scooby Doo doll is for strapped to the handle bars of our bikes

 

The runs I've been on involved not only bars but VFW and Legion Halls. Instead of having charts as Thumper09 said, we issue a pre-printed card that gets stamped at every stop. The stamp has to be something unique, ideally a different stamp for each stop. You'll charge for each card obviously but maybe give a break to passengers. Each entrant should sign a release of liability too just so some fool who cracks up doesn't try to sue the event. Get the community involved by asking the local businesses to chip in for raffles/giveaways. Try to get sponsors for the event. They could help pay for advertising, as well as provide a stop. And yes, do not call it a poker run but a charity run. You're promoting the charity not poker. If you're in a small community you can also involve the local hot rodders too. Maybe even have a shine and show car/bike show. Hope this helps.

 

You could make your stops at Fire Stations. I'm with the American Legion Riders and we make our stops at American Legion Posts.