Pool Cue News and Review

Another major Pro and Amateur showcase, another “success” from the BEF. According to various reports, the Billiards Education Foundation brought in about four grand at their fundraiser. While this is quite a bit higher than the $2,300 they raised at the Super Billiards Expo, the fact remains that this is far, far below what they should be able to raise. With over 7,000 players competing at the BCAPL championships along with their friends and family that came along for the Vegas trip, you’ve gotta figure there were close to 10,000 people at the Riv throughout the week. It seems like you could average a buck a person in your sleep. Hell, just partner up with some of the booths and ask them to upsell a BEF donation of a buck or two with purchase. That alone would get you more jack than the $4,000 they raised.

No matter how you slice it, the BEF is just not getting it done from a fundraising perspective. Especially when you have a captive audience of 7,000+ people. On a more positive note, foxy Samm Diep does a nice interview with Allison Fisher, who does an absolute shitton of stuff for the BEF. People like Jeanette Lee should take note of how Allison continually pays back the industry that has given her so much.

I don’t even know what to say here. 4 Days + 1 Free Booth + 1 Brunswick Tabe = $2300? How is that even possible? The BEF had Allison Fisher, easily the most recognizable person in pool next to Jeanette Lee, helping you out. The table itself must have been worth that much by itself, which means that 4 days of pool celebs stopping by to help out and doing the meet and greet didn’t make much difference. Even after expenses, the BEF should have been able to raise more than a couple grand.

I know, I know. This is being celebrated as a success and I’m sure I’ll get hatemail and fun comments telling me what a negative prick I am, but with the amount of cash that’s floating around at the Super Billiards Expo, there’s no way they should have come away with that little amount of money. Now I’m not one to bitch without suggesting a way to improve, so here’s an idea:

Step 1: Call the manufacturers and the retailers and ask for product donations.

Step 2: Use the donation of said products and sell them in your donated booth at the Expo.

Step 3: Use proceeds to fund scholarships from the BEF. Even if business is slow, you’re still going to generate 5x the cash you made from just raffling the pool table.

Yes, they got a table from Brunswick, which is a good start, but its not enough. I’m not saying that getting donations is easy, but it is possible. People get donations for fundraisers all the time. You just need to be tenacious enough to make those calls, send those emails and get people to notice your cause.  Considering the fact that Dawn Hopkins is on the staff and she knows just about everyone in the industry, it shouldn’t be too much work to raise more than $2,300.