Fundraising dinner or lunch
Also called: Restaurant fundraising dinner
Sell seats at a meal and keep the agreed margin after costs. Choose a restaurant night, a long lunch or a chef-hosted dinner series.
Typically raises
$15,000
$4,000–25,000 per eventest.
About $250 per organiser hour
Based on a 100-guest dinner at $150
Is it right for us?
- Money
- $10,000–50,000
- Work
- A team for weeks
- Helpers
- 3–6 people
- Lead time
- 2–4 months
- Red tape
- Some
Uncommon: a treat night that most groups haven't tried
- People
- 6-10
- Organiser time
- 40-80 (estimate)
- Lead time
- 8-12 weeks
- Up-front cost
- $500–$7,000. Venue deposit; some venues want a guaranteed minimum number paid in advance.
- Risk
- Medium. If the venue holds you to a minimum number, unsold seats are your loss.
How it works
The scorecard and money example describe one version of this fundraiser. Other versions have different costs, helpers and results. Choose a version below before making your budget.
The money, as an example sum
Take about $17,000, pay about $2,000 of costs, and you keep about $15,000 per event: the typical result for a 100-guest dinner at $150.
From the typical figure on this page. Your result will differ.
Where the money figure comes from
Worked model in this report: 100 guests, $150 ticket, $70 a head venue cost gives about $15,500 net with auctions and raffle (assumptions labelled). Low and high are estimates.
Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.
Ways to run it
- Restaurant night
- Agree the menu, minimum numbers and your share with the restaurant before selling seats.
- Long lunch
- A ticketed, multi-hour weekday or weekend lunch, often corporate, with auction and speaker.
- Supper club or chef-hosted dinner series
- A run of hosted dinners on the same night in several cities, each in a restaurant or private home, with chefs donating their skills.
Step by step
- Agree the per-head price, minimum numbers, deposit and cancellation terms in writing.
- Set the ticket price so each seat earns a clear margin.
- Book a speaker who connects to the cause.
- Collect 3-5 strong live-auction items and 10-20 silent-auction items.
- Sell tables to networks first, then single seats.
- Set a run sheet: arrival with silent auction, entrée, speaker, main, live auction, dessert, raffle draw.
- Have card payment ready for auction winners on the night.
- Follow up winners and donors within a week.
Plan your chosen version
These notes come from the October 2026 research. Figures describe separate examples, not extra money to add to the headline amount.
Long lunch
A ticketed, multi-hour weekday or weekend lunch, often corporate, with auction and speaker.
Separate example: $40,000 per event after costs (estimate). a lunch of up to 200 guests
Estimate. RMHC NZ advertised a long lunch limited to 200 guests at Park Hyatt Auckland; the total was not found.
Helpers: 8-15. Lead time: 4-6 months. Cash risk: Medium to high.
- Lock in a venue and a date that suits business diaries.
- Sell corporate tables first.
- Secure an MC and speaker.
- Curate a short live auction.
- Plan transport and host responsibility.
- Run the event.
- Invoice tables and auction winners promptly.
Rules to check for this version
- Alcohol: at a licensed restaurant, hotel or club bar the venue's own licence normally covers the bar; confirm with the venue before planning BYO or your own bar.
- Raffle on the night: a lottery under the Gambling Act 2003. No licence if total prizes are $5,000 or less and turnover is $25,000 or less (Class 1: both $500 or less; Class 2: run by a society). Alcohol, tobacco, firearms and some other items are illegal prizes, so no wine hampers as raffle prizes.
- Tax receipts: a ticket price or an auction purchase is not a donation, even when the price paid exceeds the item's value (IRD QB 16/05). Only a separate, voluntary gift (e.g. a donation appeal on the night) can get a donation receipt, and only from an approved donee organisation.
- Auctions are not gambling under the Gambling Act. The Fair Trading Act auction rules still apply, and anyone who carries on business as an auctioneer must be registered under the Auctioneers Act 2013; a volunteer calling one charity auction is a different situation, but check (Commerce Commission fact sheet).
Tips for this version
- Corporate tables of ten are the main revenue line.
Watch out for
- Long lunches drift; keep the auction early enough.
Sources: facebook.com
Supper club or chef-hosted dinner series
A run of hosted dinners on the same night in several cities, each in a restaurant or private home, with chefs donating their skills.
Separate example: $60,000 per event after costs (estimate). one city supper club night
Per event. RMHC NZ's Supper Club Auckland raised over $100,000 in one night; with seven other Supper Club events the combined annual total can exceed $500,000 (Ray White NZ). Low and typical are estimates.
Helpers: 10-20 per city. Lead time: 6-9 months. Cash risk: Medium.
- Recruit a host committee in each city.
- Secure chefs and venues.
- Find a national sponsor to underwrite costs.
- Sell tickets city by city.
- Run a shared auction across events.
- Report a combined total.
Rules to check for this version
- Alcohol: at a licensed restaurant, hotel or club bar the venue's own licence normally covers the bar; confirm with the venue before planning BYO or your own bar.
- Alcohol: selling or supplying alcohol (including alcohol included in the ticket price) at a venue without its own licence needs a special licence from the District Licensing Committee, applied for at least 20 working days ahead; late applications cost more and may not be considered. Fees scale with event size (Wellington: $103.50 / $341 / $948.50; Auckland treats 400+ attendees as a large event).
- Raffle on the night: a lottery under the Gambling Act 2003. No licence if total prizes are $5,000 or less and turnover is $25,000 or less (Class 1: both $500 or less; Class 2: run by a society). Alcohol, tobacco, firearms and some other items are illegal prizes, so no wine hampers as raffle prizes.
- Auctions are not gambling under the Gambling Act. The Fair Trading Act auction rules still apply, and anyone who carries on business as an auctioneer must be registered under the Auctioneers Act 2013; a volunteer calling one charity auction is a different situation, but check (Commerce Commission fact sheet).
Tips for this version
- Repeat annually; the RMHC events sell out every time.
Watch out for
- Inconsistent quality between cities.
Sources: raywhite.co.nz, dunedinsupperclub.co.nz
Getting the word out
Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.
- Ask for help
- Helpers for the day or night, and local businesses for prizes.
- Ask people to buy
- People to book tickets or tables, and turn up.
- When to start
- Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 6–8 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.
Where to put it
- Community newsletters and magazinesResidents’ newsletters, village magazines and other churches’ bulletins often run community notices free. Small ones close early.
- Other groups sharing itAsk the school, kindy, church, sports club or marae down the road to share it in their newsletter or page. Offer to share theirs back.
- Free notices in local papersMany local papers print some community notices free: ask what they offer. Not every town still has one, so check what comes to your letterbox, and book early.
- Writing a press releaseA one-page story the paper can use: what’s happening, why, a quote and a photo. Coverage is up to them, not you.
The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.
What you’ll need
- Place
- NeededA business’s site (shop front, store BBQ)
- Landowner’s permission
- NeededYes, in writing
- Council permit
- Not needed
- Food rules
- Not neededNo food sold
- Alcohol
- CheckUse a licensed venue and confirm its licence covers your event. A club licence usually covers members and guests only
- Gambling rules
- NeededClass 2: prizes up to $5,000 and all tickets printed worth up to $25,000. Run by a club or society, with the money going to community or charitable purposes. Prizes at least 20% of ticket value; sold in person only, every ticket numbered (our rule: on paper). Prizes over $5,000 need a Class 3 licence
The restaurant's licence and food registration cover the meal and bar. Ticket and auction payments can't be receipted as donations.
Make more from it
Live auction of 3-5 strong lots
often $2,000-15,000 at a well-heeled dinner (estimate)
a good auctioneer turns competition between tables into money
Silent auction of donated items
often $1,000-5,000 at a 100-person event (estimate)
guests browse between courses or acts
often $300-1,500 (estimate)
the crowd is already there with cash or cards out
Paddle-raise or pledge appeal for one costed need
often $1,000-10,000 (estimate)
a specific ask in the room after a moving speaker; gifts are receiptable for donee groups
Stack it: on its own, about $15,000. With the 4 priced add-ons above, roughly
$32,900est.
What you can get donated
Auction items, raffle prizes, speaker's time, wine (for consumption, not prizes).
Tips
- Run the live auction after the main course, when the room is settled (AANZ advice).
- Ask the venue for a cut-down 'charity menu' price.
Watch out for
- A minimum-number guarantee you cannot meet.
- Too many live lots; three per group is a good limit (AANZ).
Fundraising dinner or lunch: checklist
0 of 17 done
Before
On the day
After
The restaurant's licence and food registration cover the meal and bar. Ticket and auction payments can't be receipted as donations.
Also pairs with: Guest speaker, Raffle
* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide