Many bridge clubs have had a better year than others, and I would imagine that a lot of other clubs are looking for ways to boost either their membership or their finances for the year ahead. Here are a few practical ways you can boost your bridge club for the next year.

Finding Alternative Venues That Cost Less

One of the biggest expenses for a bridge club can be the venues they play at. If how much you’ve been paying for venue rental has been one of the biggest dents in the yearly budget, it might be time to find another practical venue for the coming year.

Don’t exclude venues that would normally be “unlikely” for a bridge game. Some restaurants only open up during the afternoon, which can leave the restaurant open for rental during the morning hours with no interference to their own hours and this is just one possible example.

Talking About Transport

How are your members getting to their bridge games now, and how would they feel about finding other ways to do it? If players can converge at a central spot and be taken to their bridge game by the same bus, shuttle or taxi, it can sometimes be more cost-effective depending on what you’re doing now.

Parking isn’t cheap, and when the cost of transport and parking are directly absorbed by the members of the club, they have less cash left over at the end of the day to pay their membership fees. Incorporate added benefits into why members should pay to be part of the club (like transport benefits described above) and they might be more willing to do it.

Raising the Cost

A raise in membership fees once a year (or once every few) isn’t unusual for any other membership-based service – and when people get more for the money they pay, they’re generally more willing to pay it. If your bridge club neared towards the red in the past year, now might be the time to raise membership fees (raise, not double!).

With raising membership fees, put out a vote amongst members for (1) the percentage of the raise, (2) what more they would like their bridge club to offer for the price. This can help you to come to an agreement about what’s fair for everyone.

Host Fund Games

Other than regular games hosted for the benefit of members, host fund games or “open days” – sometimes even “market days” – anything that can see the game of bridge played more while bringing in something more for the club. Games specifically  for funds might take some extra admin to organize, but that should be the worst of it.

Revamp Your Website

There are many bridge clubs out there who don’t have a website yet, or who have one but it hasn’t been kept modern or up to date. Platforms like WordPress aren’t pricy, and you can redesign your website yourself without the aid of a professional site designer (or if you have the budget, hire one).

Revamping your website can take a small club to a bigger circuit, and offering resources and facts can draw more international readership who might support your club.

More Membership Drives

There’s a lot that can be done to draw in newer members to your club: Host open days for non-members, screen a bridge documentary at your club, partner up with the local Yu-Gi-Oh! Club for a collaborative game, teach lessons at your club. Membership drives can help a great deal towards making your bridge club perform better for the next year.

More Online Play

If your club is new, small or limited in budget, you can cut down some of your overall cost by hosting some of your monthly regular games online on BBO. Members can still practice their game, and there are many benefits to switching some of your games over.

Games can be recorded or broadcast, there are additional chat functions for members to stay in touch, several available varieties of the game – and you can set up customized games for your club or open up the doors and let any other players from over the world into your club for a game.