Why Every Fundraiser Should Do a Charity Bartending Shift
I’m a marketer and a writer by trade, and the only drinks I know how to make are ones that require no more than two ingredients.
But every year for the past three years, I’ve taken on a bartending shift at Wrigleyville’s venerable Nisei Lounge to raise money for charity. Nisei is well known for this — They advertise their charity bartending program on social media and promote it on the walls of the bar. It’s also my favorite dive bar, the staff is awesome, and it’s right by the Addison red line so it’s convenient for most people to get to.
Here’s how it works — You get to the bar about 15–20 minutes before your event starts. The Nisei Lounge staff member working that night will show you around the bar and show you where each type of glass/liquor/anything else can be found. They handle all the payments, while the guest bartenders pour the drinks. All cash tips during the time you’re behind the bar go to the charity you’re raising money for.
Easy, right?
Doing a guest bartending shift at Nisei every year has consistently been one of the most effective ways for me to raise money for charity in a short period of time. They’re not the only bar in the world that offers a charity bartending program, and I think that more people should be taking advantage of similar offerings near them.
Here’s why.
You raise a lot of money quickly
In three and a half hours behind the bar last night, my buddy and I raised $200 each. That’s not counting all of the money I raised promoting the event from people who wanted to donate but couldn’t make it out to our event. In other words, it was well worth the time we invested in promoting and running the event.
It gives you an excuse to hang out with all your friends
Getting a large group of friends together as an adult can be harder the older you get. People are tired from work, have other stuff going on, and most generally don’t want to go out on a weeknight.
Doing a charity bartending event, however, is just the right mix of fun and philanthropy that gives people the excuse they need to tie one on after work. Last night, I had friends from my past jobs and my current one, people I run with and people I‘ve known for most of all in the same place on a weeknight all because they wanted to support my cause.
It will make you appreciate the men and women behind the bar more
I don’t think I ever fully appreciated how hard bartending actually is until I tried doing it myself. Last night, there were two of us slinging drinks for around 2–3 dozen people and I was amazed by how hard it was, from monitoring people’s drinks to see who might want another to trying to find the craft beer that someone ordered to measuring out just the right amount of liquor to pour into a mixed drink.
That’s to say nothing of the effort that it takes to make sure everyone’s having a good time, that you’re being social without leaving someone with an empty glass for too long, and to make sure you’re taking the time to clear the bar of empty glasses and other bar debris.
I always prided myself on being a decent tipper when going out in the past, but after taking on a couple of guest bartending shifts and dealing with what would be considered a fairly light crowd to a veteran bartender, I’m a lot more conscious of the amount of work that goes into running a bar. Because of that, I feel like I’m a lot more generous when I go out, especially if the service is above and beyond or if it is a particularly busy night at the bar.
All of this is to say that if and when I’m raising money for charity in the future, I’m going to continue doing charity bartending nights. They’re hard work but they bring a lot of people together at a place that you enjoy all for a good cause, and that makes it all worthwhile.
I’m running the 2019 Chicago Marathon and New York City Marathon to raise money for the American Heart Association to honor my late mother. To donate, please click here.
