Fundraisers are back in person after turning virtual due to the pandemic, and now charitable event organizers have stiff competition for donors who want to contribute to causes in fun and festive environments.

As a result, drinks and donations seem to work hand-in-hand as an effective fundraising strategy, say many nonprofit leaders. From beer fests to boozy brunches to drink-themed dinners, alcohol has become an expected staple to draw crowds to charitable events.

“Let’s have some fun games that can all be played with a drink in your hand,” says Jessica Hallberg, membership director of Coeur d’Alene Evening Rotary, also known as Rotary on the Rocks.

“We are Rotary on the Rocks and we do meet at happy hour. So you end up having some type of alcohol at them,” says Hallberg.

To support the Evening Rotary’s community service activities, Hallberg is helping organize the group’s fourth annual Brewery Olympics on Saturday, Aug. 5, at Outpost Brewing, in Coeur d’Alene.

“We need to have some type of fundraiser to help us do some of the service projects that we like to do,” says Hallberg. “So in turn, coming up with fun ways to get the community involved and get them to come out and support us is kind of where Brewery Olympics was developed.”

She says that having alcohol present at the annual fundraiser has helped some individuals socialize and participate in games and activities.

Phil Anderson, past president of Coeur d’Alene Evening Rotary, says that the Brewery Olympics is aligned with the club’s mission to foster friendship and fun while serving the community.

Hallberg adds that the chapter has 12 members and is the smallest of four rotaries in Kootenai County. She says members spend more time providing acts of service than writing checks, however, by hosting the Brewery Olympics, Rotarians can continue providing community services in support of other charities and causes, such as the Festival of Trees and North Idaho Court Appointed Special Advocates.

Sponsors have committed to covering most of the costs associated with the event, including the Outpost Brewery venue, she says. Beer mugs are sponsored as well, in addition to scorecard lanyards for the games, musical entertainment, and a baked potato bar. Revenue from ticket sales will benefit the club directly, she adds.

While alcohol also was served at the 2022 Brewery Olympics, only 53 people bought tickets, due to stormy weather conditions that forced attendees inside, Hallberg says.

The addition of a junior league, dubbed the Root Beer Olympics, is expected to bring in a much larger crowd this year.

“We don’t have any hard alcohol because it’s not a full bar,” she says. “Having it at a brewery also allows us to have it be family friendly as well, because you can have kids there. Last year, we had people who brought their kids, and they wanted to compete. They got sodas, but we didn’t have a separate league for the kids.”

With just over 50 attendees who purchased tickets for $30 each, the fundraiser brought in about $1,500 for the Evening Rotary.

Debra Raub, executive director of Communities in Schools of Spokane County, says she had to come up with a new plan for an annual fundraiser last year, after a five-year run as a beneficiary of Northern Quest Resort & Casino’s Paddler Charity Classic golf tournament.

Champagne and Croquet was chosen as the new theme as a low-barrier activity that is less intimidating to play than golf, explains Raub.

“It didn’t take very long to come up with it. I like champagne, and so I thought that would be a fun theme, and croquet just kind of rolled off the tongue,” Raub says.

Communities in Schools recently held its second annual Champagne and Croquet fundraiser on June 29, at Beacon Hill Catering & Events, in Spokane.

About 80 people attended the fundraiser and consumed 21 bottles of champagne while raising about $20,000 for the nonprofit, Raub says.

“People definitely have a tendency to spend more if they don’t have as many inhibitions,” she acknowledges, while also taking care not to promote drunkenness at the events.

“You don’t want to overserve, but you definitely want people to have a good time,” Raub says. “And champagne just kind of gives this air of sophistication … kind of this lightness.”

Donations from the event will help subsidize overhead and operational costs at schools here that provide resources and volunteers to students at risk of dropping out.

Raub says the average cost to start a program at a school is about $75,000. “A lot of schools can pay anywhere from $25,000 to $63,000 depending on their funding. So that means we have to subsidize the rest.”

Another organization that serves beer at its annual fundraiser is the Woman’s Club of Spokane, which will hold its second BrewFest on Aug. 13, says Woman’s Club President Susan Kuhner.

The Woman’s Club is a service organization that generates income through event rentals, she explains.

Kuhner says that the club was significantly impacted by the loss of revenue during the pandemic and needed a way to bring in funds to save the organization.

“We were financially in a really bad position—to the point that about half of the board members put forth the idea of selling the building,” Kuhner says.

The brewery festival last year drew 120 people to the event held at the club’s headquarters at 1428 W. Ninth, about four blocks south of Interstate 90.

This year, the club will open ticket sales to accommodate 250 guests. General admission tickets are $35, and VIP tickets are $55.

The Woman’s Club of Spokane’s priority is to preserve the historic building, followed by facilitating community engagement and providing support to nonprofits that need event space, she says.

Kuhner says the organization will consider increasing the number of brewery festivals it hosts annually and consider acquiring a liquor license to serve drinks to members.

“If we made $250 or something, that’s definitely helpful. That would pay a bill for the month. So, we are looking at other things (to do) in terms of alcohol,” she says.

Fundraising efforts for the Woman’s Club are less about raising money and more to do with increasing membership among both men and women and branding the club as a staple of the neighborhood, Kuhner says.

Believe in Me CEO Julie Wukelic says typical donors expect alcohol to be served at most charity functions she attends.

“I have not been to a nonprofit event where they don’t serve alcohol,” says Wukelic.

This year, the annual fundraiser was a Kentucky Derby-inspired event featuring mint juleps as the signature cocktail.

“Boy, did people love those, by the way,” she says, laughing.

Last year, Believe in Me held the Tomorrow Never Dies Charity Gala, Shaken Not Stirred Soiree, where guests 21 and older gathered in a ballroom at the Davenport Grand Hotel for a red-carpet evening of gambling, dinner, dancing, and James Bond-inspired martinis.

Wukelic says the violence associated with the James Bond character was challenging for her to work with as leader of an organization that helps children, some of whom are at risk from abusive, alcoholic parents.

“We decided, rather than focusing on that side of who he was, let’s focus on the fact that he was an orphan and that he needed someone to believe in him,” she says. “That’s the direction that we took, because that’s what our mission is all about—making sure these kids have somebody who believes in them.”

Drawing about 300 guests, the event was a hit, she says.

Believe in Me raised about $115,000 in revenue, says Wukelic, adding that alcohol played a key role in boosting attendance on a night that had competition from three other fundraisers.

“We serve alcohol to cater to the expectations of our constituents. Many will not attend if alcohol is not served,” she says. “We definitely bring in a much larger crowd when we serve alcohol.”

Believe in Me is a Spokane-based nonprofit that makes grants to children’s organizations to provide transitional housing, foster care, adoption, wraparound services, education, and enrichment programs for kids.

Additional alcohol-forward fundraisers coming up in the Spokane area include the Hispanic Business Professional Association’s Tacos y Tequila event—a two-day festival benefitting Nuestras Raices, which means “our roots.”

Tacos y Tequila will feature vendors supplying handcrafted tequila, traditional and modern entertainment, and food. The Aug. 26-27 event will be held outside at the intersection of Lincoln Street and Spokane Falls Boulevard, in downtown Spokane.

Spokane-based nonprofit Beats & Rhythms has scheduled Rhythm & Brews 2023—a benefit and auction for babies born with congenital heart defects in the Inland Northwest. The fundraiser will be held Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Southside Community Center, at 3151 E. 27th, in Spokane, according to its website. Tickets are $45.

The North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation has scheduled Ales for the Trail 2023, Saturday, Aug. 19, at Coeur d’Alene City Park, at 415 W. Fort Grounds Drive, in Coeur d’Alene. Guests will sip craft beer, wine, or cider from regional breweries to raise funds for the foundation. General admission tickets are $45, or $60 for VIP tickets.