Every Season is Giving Season

The holidays are a perfect time to sit back, think back, and give back to the community. Whether it’s a donation, a fundraising event, or a special feature, we love to see venues working to support causes that are important to them this time of year—and we love to help!

In today’s world, the need for public service goes beyond the holiday season. No one understands that better than the people at Kingfisher, a neighborhood bar in Washington D.C. With a cozy location and friendly atmosphere, Kingfisher is all about community and they have loyal patrons who keep coming back for more. Their regular trivia crowd is full of “young, successful Washington DC do-gooder types”—(a bracing thing to hear out of the nation’s capital)—which inspired the business to put that energy toward something constructive.

How It Started

Since 2020, Kingfisher has been using trivia to support dozens of different charities. Each month, they work with a new organization and donate a portion of their profits from quiz nights. That’s a couple hundred dollars every month that goes to a good cause—from food banks to school funding to areas recovering from natural disasters. 

While there are a few organizations the venue features regularly—for example, Kiva for small businesses and DC SAFE to support victims of domestic violence—Kingfisher makes sure to spread the love around to a wide array of causes in their local communities; and that’s no small task. On top of researching different areas of need, venue management always does their homework on the organizations they’re working with to ensure the funds are going to be put to good use. (Charity Navigator is a great tool for this!)

How It’s Going

Once they’ve made the tough decision who they’re going to feature that month, Kingfisher reaches out so the two groups can work together. What does that look like? It’s a little different every month. Some organizations have pamphlets and literature they bring to the bar so patrons can learn more about them. Some bring in teams of players from the office so they can join in on the fun. They boost Kingfisher on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, but—most importantly—they tell their friends.

“The word-of-mouth advertising we get from it is way more effective than anything we could get out of social media,” says Daniel Williams, owner of Kingfisher DC, “and I know our customers are interested in the groups we sponsor. We get recommendations for groups to sponsor all the time.”

It’s a system that benefits everyone. The charity organizations receive funding, advertising, and public support for their cause, while Kingfisher grows and connects with their patrons. Those “DC do-gooder types” bring their friends and pack the venue with about twenty plus teams every week. Kingfisher truly lives up to its reputation as a “friendly, neighborhood bar” in every sense of the word. (We’re sure Spider-Man would be proud.)

Keeping the Momentum

This month, Kingfisher is working with Martha’s Table, a multi-faceted organization dedicated to a more equitable Washington D.C. Their work ranges from nationally accredited education programs, access to healthy food, physical and mental health services, and promoting family success by investing in family leaders. You can learn more about their work here.

As for Kingfisher, they have no plans on slowing down their community work. Their goal is to keep up the momentum moving into 2024 and continue to expand their services to help as many people as they can.

“I don’t know how we’re going to fit more people into our tiny little bar on Tuesday nights,” says Williams, “but we’ll figure something out.”

So, are you inspired yet? Ready to get out there and use your brains and brews to make the world a better place? Our Quiz for a Cause program is a great way to start. Learn more about how you can use quiz nights to help your community here. 

Let’s get 2024 rolling, because once we get that momentum, there’s no telling what kind of good we can do!