Why are all events free or for charity?

This is our chosen way of giving to charity. The organizer of this group has lived in NYC for almost three years and has determined that this a great way to be philanthropic and have fun at the same time.

Does the organizer of this group keep any funds?

No, 100% of all proceeds go to the specified charity. The organizer's day job (a venture-funded financial services company) keeps him quite busy; this is his way of giving to philanthropic causes. For most events, we have no expenses or very low expenses - any of which are documented for the selected charity organization.

How do I know all proceeds go to charity?

For each event, we have a selected event charity. Each charity is invited to bring representatives to the event (some do, some don't).

For all organizations, after each event representatives can login to the relevant Amazon/PayPal registration system to verify all pre-pay registrations.

For walk-in registrations, we maintain a check-in list at the door. Everyone who enters and checks in under 'Meetup' is noted on our list.

What about free events?

Everyone loves free events, and we try to have many of them. If an event is free, it is still possible to raise money for a charity. We have good negotiating power with bars and other venues, so often we may get a 10-20% kickback on all the sales at an event (quite a few Meetup organizers do this). So, we can give that kickback to a selected charity.

How do I know you are not keeping some or all of a bar split?

Well, the short answer is that it is hard to verify that. However, my reputation is at stake. Also, our organizer team often works with other organizers who would then be privy to our bar arrangements, so if we were 'skimming', word would quickly get out. In other words, in addition to being unethical, it's just not something we would dare to do anyway!

Don't other groups do charity events?

Our policy is to not comment on the activities of other specific groups or organizers. In general, of course, some groups run occasional charity events, and that is fantastic. These events may give a portion of the proceeds to charity or 100% of the proceeds - the proof is in the details. For all events offered by this group, 100% of proceeds go to the specified charity. Other groups may keep the bar split and give some of the ticket sales to a charity - again, every organizer is different.

How does the charity thing work if there are multiple groups involved in an event?

All proceeds from this group go to the specified charity. If we do multi-group mixers with one or more other Meetup groups, then they may or may not donate to charity. Be sure to check the other groups' event descriptions for their policies.

To be clear, with most events there are expenses - complimentary appetizers, door staff, movie showing fees, miscellaneous supplies, etc. These expenses are paid - the remainder are the proceeds for charity. In addition, if other groups invite us to co-host, and we get a cut of the revenue, then 100% of our cut goes to charity - the other groups have their own policies.

This charity thing is just a gimmick to get more people to your events.

There is good money to be had with some of these events - a simple wine social or after-work party can easily bring in $10 a person, so a 250-person party means some significant money. If this 'charity thing' was a gimmick, then it is one where the organizer is giving up a lot of cash in order to do it! Sure, having lots of people at our events is always a good thing, but with the proceeds going to charity, the organizer is not gaining any financial benefit.

How are charities selected?

This is the fun part - the organizer has a long list of charities that have solicited our support. The organizer tries to avoid overtly political charities, although he is a big fan of charities that assist wounded veterans. We try to rotate between national charities and local NYC charities. For local NYC charities, we prefer those organizations that can attend their event and even help staff it. In addition, we prefer those charities that are eager to invite their members to the sponsored event, if appropriate.

How can I recommend a charity?

Simply contact the organizer through the message link on Meetup. A lot of suggestions are made, and there is a set of criteria used in selecting charities, so not all requests can be honored.