How Formal Playbook Makes Money
By Formal Playbook Editorial TeamUpdated
How does Formal Playbook make money today?
It doesn't. Formal Playbook is free to use, and today it earns nothing: no ads, no affiliate links, no sponsored content and no paid placements.
How will it make money?
Through a free matching service for chapters, which isn't open yet. When it opens:
- A chapter describes its formal and asks to be matched.
- We share the request with up to three vetted partners — planners, hotels, venues or charter carriers — that fit it.
- If the chapter books with a partner, that partner pays us a referral fee.
Chapters will never pay us. The service opens only after partner agreements and a legal review of our privacy and consent terms are complete.
Will referral fees affect the guides?
No. Our guides are written by the editorial team from primary sources, and no partner can pay to appear in them, to change what they say, or to rank higher. When the matching service opens, we'll label partners as partners and disclose the referral fee next to every matching link.
How do partners qualify?
By meeting our published vetting standard, which covers registration, insurance, transportation safety and risk-policy compliance. Read how we vet planners. Partners who stop meeting the standard are removed.
Related guides
- About Formal PlaybookFormal Playbook is an independent guide to fraternity formals — planning, costs, attire, destinations and the risk-management rules — with free planning tools for social chairs.
- How We Vet Formal PlannersThe standard a planner, hotel, venue or charter carrier must meet before Formal Playbook matches them with chapters — registration, insurance, transportation safety and risk-policy compliance.
- For Formal PlannersFor planners, hotels, venues and charter carriers that serve fraternity formals — how the Formal Playbook matching service will work, what we require, and how to get in touch.