Drinking for a good cause in the Bay Area
I’ve been in involved in dozens of beer festivals—as media, as a brewery representative, as a volunteer and even as an organizer. On the surface, beer festivals are all the same—they showcase a variety of beers and usually some combination of food and entertainment.
Operationally, however, beer festivals can be vary greatly.
Some festivals are entirely for profit—they purchase the beer from the breweries and all of the proceeds go to covering the cost of the event and paying the salary of the event organizers. Other festivals have a non-profit element, where some or all of the proceeds are donated to at least one charity.
Most beer festivals are organized by a third party company, person or brewery—many of which benefit more from the fest than the charity does. Any donation is better than nothing, right? I agree. But it is also important to analyze the worth of the charity to the festival.
501(c)3 charities provide an event organizer with a temporary alcohol license, which allows vendors to legally donate product. This saves organizers thousands of dollars and a lot of the time. The amount saved is higher than the amount donated to the charity—which means the charity is actually more valuable to the organizer than the event is to the charity.
I don’t fault anyone for making a business out of a beer festival—after all, there is money to be made in beer festivals. The one thing I want more of, however, is transparency. As both a brewer and consumer, I wish more beer festivals would reveal how much they make from sponsorships and ticket sales and the percentage of that they actually donate to the charity.
Working for a brewery, I get asked for beer donations and sponsorships virtually every day. And as much as we would love to support every good cause in the world, Bison Brewing is just too small to give away that much beer.
When Bison chooses to donate beer or sponsor an event, we want to know that it counts. First and foremost, we need to donate to a cause that means something to us as a company. We prefer events that support and impact our local community, and donate all or almost all of the profits to charity—events like Breastfest.
Breastfest
Breastfest in San Francisco is an awesome example of a super transparent beer event that donates 100 percent of its proceeds to charity. It was started 14 years ago by Jennifer Procopio, general manager of Marin Brewing Company, when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“What really makes this fundraiser special is that it’s 100% volunteer organized and we donate all the proceeds to the Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic in the East Bay,” said Procopio. We are able to pull this event off with the hard work of so many helping hands that generously donate their time and efforts and with the support of Brendan Moylan, owner of Marin Brewing Company. This is a good time for a great cause and we are proud of what we’ve accomplished this far and how much we’ve raised for CMCC over the past 13 years.”
Pints for Paws
Berkeley Humane approached me last fall to help them organize some sort of beer-themed fundraiser. As the “step-mom” of a rescue dog and long-time lover of pets, it took me t-minus zero minutes to jump on board.
We decided that an annual beer festival was the best way to raise a significant chunk of change for Berkeley Humane—an organization that is run entirely on donations and corporate gifts. We also wanted to create a new, unique and fun event in West Berkeley.
Like Breastfest, Pints for Paws is a beer festival organized entirely by the charity, with the help of a volunteer team of local beer professionals, marketing gurus and animal enthusiasts. All upfront costs, like rentals and permits, are being handled by Berkeley Humane, and they will receive 100 percent of every dollar raised at the event.
“On average, it costs about one thousand dollars to save a homeless animal,” explains Corinne Lamata, executive director at Berkeley Humane. “This money goes towards providing all of the physical, medical and behavioral care needed—including spay/neuter surgery and loving foster care—so that they are ready to lead a long and healthy life in their adoptive homes.”
The Pints for Paws messaging is simple, honest and transparent: Drink Beer. Save Animals.
Pints for Paws Beer Fest Where: 1050 Parker Street, Berkeley CA When: Saturday, June 7, 2–5pm Cost: $35 in advance/ $40 at the door Purchase Tickets
The Breastfest Beer Festival When: Saturday, July 12th 2-6pm Where: Festival Pavilion Fort Mason Center, San Francisco Cost: $55 in advance/ $65 at the door Purchase Tickets
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