This coalition helped unify and protect gay bars and bartenders by fixing drink prices, developing a phone network to track police raids, and setting up funds for members who were unemployed.
[5][4]: 201–202 One of the first things the Tavern Guild set up was a phone networking system that kept track of police and Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control movements, warning bars that were about to be raided.
They also set up a loan fund for Guild members that were left unemployed due to police raids and shutdowns, making sure good bartenders stayed employed.
Hosted at bars or featuring many drinking activities, these events helped the Guild become a huge financial and political force, one that could push an LGBTQ civil rights agenda and hold sway with politicians.
[4]: 202 Of the many service-oriented fundraising projects that were started by the Tavern Guild, the Community Thrift Store remains in operation in San Francisco's Mission District.