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.

Typically raises

$60,000

$20,000–100,000 per eventest.

About $400 per organiser hour

Based on one city supper club night

Is it right for us?

Money: $50,000+
Work: Months
Helpers: 16–40 people
Lead time: 4+ months
Red tape: Some

Uncommon: an unusual dining model that stands out

People: 10-20 per city
Organiser time: 100-200 per city (estimate)
Lead time: 6-9 months
Up-front cost: $2,000–$15,000. Venue and food costs unless donated.
Risk: Medium.

Can suit, but rarely run by: Charity

When: Autumn (Mar–May), Winter (Jun–Aug), Spring (Sep–Nov)

How big a job: A project team over months, 16–40 people

How it works

The money, as an example sum

Take about $65,000, pay about $5,000 of costs, and you keep about $60,000 per event: the typical result for one city supper club night.

From the typical figure on this page. Your result will differ.

Where the money figure comes from

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.

Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.

Step by step

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.

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
Health and safety: CheckA simple risk check and briefing
Insurance: CheckCheck your cover

Restaurant venues are covered by their own licences. Private-home dinners with alcohol in the ticket price need a special licence or must be BYO with no sale of alcohol.

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
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 $60,000. With the 3 priced add-ons above, roughly

$77,000est.

What you can get donated

Chef time, produce, venues, wine, auction lots.

Tips

Repeat annually; the RMHC events sell out every time.

Watch out for

Inconsistent quality between cities.

Also pairs with: Auction, Corporate sponsors, Peer-to-peer pages

Free tools for this

Event budget and break-evenCompare pay-per-head with a guaranteed minimum before you sign with the venue.
Event run sheetPlan the night to the minute so the auction and draw don’t run late.
Silent auction kitAdd a silent auction on the night: bid sheets, terms and a winners register.
Checklist for any ideaBefore, on the day and after, built from this idea’s own steps and rules.

Typical rules

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).

Check the details

Sources

Researched October 2026. All fundraising ideas

* 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