Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser Checklist

Picture this:

A Lions Club in southwest Michigan ran a chili cook-off a few years back. Three judging categories, three different judges, and by the end of the night two different contestants believed they had won. One of them had paid a $25 entry fee and left without speaking to anyone. Someone posted about it on Facebook — not angrily, just confused, asking who the winners were. The org never ran the event again.

The whole thing fell apart because nobody had written down the judging criteria before the first pot went on the burner.

A chili cook-off is one of the more enjoyable fundraisers your club can run. It fills a room, it's low on infrastructure, and people genuinely look forward to it. The margin for error is higher than a fish fry or a tractor pull — but only if you've done the paperwork before the event, not during it.

This checklist runs from two months out to the week after. Work through it in order.

8–10 Weeks Out

This window is for the decisions that will be annoying to change later. Make them now.

Lock your venue and get it in writing. A handshake with the hall manager is not a reservation. Confirm the date, start time, end time, and whether the kitchen is available for contestant setup.
Pick a date that doesn't compete with itself. Check your local calendar for conflicting events — the county fair, a home game, another club's annual dinner. A chili cook-off on the same night as the homecoming parade is a short room.
Decide your entry fee and your ticket price. These are separate numbers. Entry fees cover contestants who register to compete. Tickets cover the public who comes to eat and vote. A common structure is $15–25 per contestant entry and $5–10 per adult for tastings.
Check permit requirements. Many counties require a temporary food service permit for a public-facing food event. Call your local health department now — permits can take two weeks to issue, and the office will not rush it for you.
Decide whether you're having a people's choice category, a judged category, or both. This decision shapes your entire judging setup. Make it now so you're not debating it the week before.

4–6 Weeks Out

The foundation is set. Now you're building the event around it.

Open contestant registration. Require prepayment for entry fees — this is important and covered in the mistakes section below. A Google Form attached to a cash collection method is one way to do it.

Paper forms and cash collection at the door is one way to handle entry fees and ticket sales. If you'd rather take both online in advance and skip the reconciliation headache, Potluck sets up a payment page for your event in about 5 minutes. Free to start.

Write your judging criteria before you recruit judges. This is the step that prevents the scenario in the opening. Decide your categories — most events use Best Taste, Best Presentation, and Most Unique or Spiciest. Write a one-paragraph description of what each category means. Specify whether judges score numerically, rank order, or choose a single winner per category.
Recruit your judges. Aim for an odd number in each category — three or five — so there's no tie. Make sure judges understand the criteria before they agree.
Set your public tasting rules. Does the entry fee get each attendee a taste of every pot? Is there a limit? Will you use small tasting cups or full servings? These details determine how much chili each contestant needs to bring.
Confirm sponsorships. Local businesses will often sponsor the trophy, the cash prize, or the event banner for a small donation and a mention at the mic. Reach out now so they have time to say yes before their marketing budget is gone.
Start selling tickets. Don't wait until two weeks out. Facebook posts with a payment link or a ticket link give people time to plan and give you a headcount.

2–3 Weeks Out

The event is real. Use this window to confirm everything you assumed was handled.

Confirm your equipment list and who's bringing what. You'll need tables for contestant stations, serving cups (small, 4 oz or similar), spoons, napkins, plates if you're doing full portions, trash cans, and a PA system for announcements. Make a written list and put a name next to each item.
Set contestant station assignments. Give each registered contestant a numbered table or spot. Don't let them choose on the day of the event — contested setup positions slow everything down.
Run your promotion push. Post on Facebook with a photo from a previous event or a simple graphic. Tag the venue. Share to local community groups. Let people know how many contestants are registered so far — visible momentum helps ticket sales.
Order your trophies or awards. If you're doing a cash prize, confirm the amount and the payout method. If you're doing trophies or ribbons, order now so they arrive before the event.
Check your 50/50 raffle licensing. Most states require a charitable gaming license for a raffle even at a small event. Check your state's gaming commission website. If you're unsure, call them — they'd rather answer a question than investigate an unlicensed drawing.

One Week Out

This is the week most problems surface. Finding them now is better than finding them Saturday morning.

Confirm headcount. How many contestants are registered. How many tickets have sold or been reserved. This drives your estimate of how much chili the room will consume — more on that below.
Finalize your judges. Confirm the roster, share the written criteria with each judge, and clarify how they submit their scores. Do not leave judging logistics to a verbal conversation the day of the event.
Build your day-of schedule and share it with all volunteers. Contestant arrival time, public doors open, tastings close, judging window, results announced, 50/50 drawing, event closes. Every volunteer should have a written copy.
Prepare your cash box. Even with online sales, some people will pay at the door. Have at least $150 in small bills ready — ones, fives, and tens.
Send a reminder to registered contestants. Include their assigned station number, their arrival time, the rules for judging, and how much chili to bring. Do this now, not the morning of the event.

Day Before

Setup done the day before is setup you don't have to scramble through on event day.

Set up tables and contestant stations if the venue allows it. Post station numbers. Lay out serving supplies at each station or in a central area.
Do an equipment check. Extension cords if contestants need power for slow cookers. PA system test. Signage placement. Cash box count.
Confirm the venue will be unlocked at the time you told contestants to arrive.
Put together your judging packets. One scoresheet per judge per category, a pen, and a copy of the criteria. Staple them together so nothing gets separated.
Place your directional signs. Where do contestants enter. Where does the public enter. Where is parking. Where do people pick up their tasting cups. Guests will not read the Facebook post for directions once they're in the parking lot.

Day Of

The day-of sequence matters. Running these out of order creates problems.

Contestant arrival window (90–120 minutes before public doors open):

Contestants check in, pick up their judging number, and move to their assigned station.
All contestant stations should be set up and ready before public doors open. This means contestants need enough time to heat their chili after arrival.
One designated person handles contestant check-in only. Do not put this person at the cash box.

Public doors open:

One person assigned to the door and ticket collection. Not two or three people — one, with a clear hand-off protocol when they need a break.
Tasting cups distributed at entry or at a designated station — decide this in advance.
Tastings open when public doors open, unless you're running a staggered schedule.

Judging process:

Close tastings to the public before judges begin their official scoring, or designate a judging window in advance. Judges should not be scoring while a crowd is milling through.
Judges score independently. They should not discuss scores with each other while scoring.
Collect scoresheets before announcing anything. Tabulate scores out of public view.
If there's a tie, decide your tiebreaker rule before the event and apply it consistently.

Results announcement:

Announce winners at a time when the room is still full — not 20 minutes after most people have left.
If you have a people's choice category, announce that winner separately after collecting ballots.
Announce your 50/50 raffle winner at the same time.
Thank your sponsors by name.

After the Event

Do not let the post-event tasks drift past 48 hours.

Count the money before you leave the building. Two people count together. One person records the totals. Ticket revenue, entry fees, 50/50 proceeds — recorded separately. Takes 20 minutes and protects everyone.
Pay out contest winners. Cash prizes should be paid the night of the event if at all possible. Telling a contestant "we'll mail you a check" is a bad look and something people remember.
Return all borrowed equipment. Make a list before the event of what came from where. Don't let a borrowed crockpot sit in someone's trunk for two months.
Thank your volunteers within 48 hours. A Facebook post, a group text, or individual messages all work. People notice when it doesn't happen.
Post the total raised publicly. Put the number on Facebook. Attendees and contestants want to know what the event produced. Sponsors take note.
Write a one-page recap for next year. Not a formal document. Just the three things that worked well, the three things that didn't, final headcount, and total raised. You will not remember this accurately in 11 months when someone asks "how did the chili cook-off go?"

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Vague judging criteria. If the criteria aren't written down before the first pot arrives, two judges will interpret "best chili" differently and you'll have a dispute at the end of the night. Write criteria. Share them with judges before the event. This is the whole ballgame.

Not requiring prepayment for contestant entries. A contestant who signed up verbally and then no-shows leaves an empty station with no chili at it, which throws off the tasting count and looks like a gap in your event. Collect entry fees at registration. If someone can't commit money, they haven't really committed.

Underestimating how much chili people eat. People do not take one polite 4-oz taste and move on. They come back. They bring their spouse. They eat more than you planned for. A general rule: plan for each contestant to bring at least 4 to 5 quarts if you expect 50–75 attendees. Scale up from there. Running out of chili an hour in is the kind of thing that ends up in the Facebook comments.

Combining the judging role and the tallying role. The person who collects scoresheets should not be the same person who announces winners. One person tabulates, a second person verifies the math before anything is announced.

Announcing winners before everyone has voted. If you have a people's choice ballot, set a firm cutoff time and communicate it at the start of the event. Announcing early means people who arrived late never got to vote, which generates resentment.

Chili cook-offs are one of the easier fundraisers to run — if you've written the rules down before someone starts cooking. [Set up online ticket sales for your next event on Potluck →]

Looking for more ideas? See the full list: Fundraising Ideas for Small Nonprofits and Community Clubs.