I know that they also have used profits in good years to build up a cash reserve, just in case there are lean years in the future (since they don’t have a wealthy owner to tap for more cash if needed).
Do they ever use any profit money to hold fan-related events?
The Packers do have a PR department which spend money to attract fans/corporate sponsors, so I guess that would count as “fan related events”. They host a “Family Night” and other events during training camp that would count too. You do have to buy tickets for the event, but I have no idea whether it turns a profit or is written off as PR.
Another thing it does is prevent future renovations from causing a tax hike on poor little Green Bay. With the size of that city even a 1 or 2 percent raise could kill em.
The 1997/98 renovation was funded, in part, by a sales tax increase in Brown County (the county in which Green Bay is located, and which, indeed, isn’t that big…248K population in the 2010 census). The sales tax was passed in a fairly contentious referendum (yes, there were people in Green Bay who were not in favor of it). IIRC, the sales tax increase was supposed to be temporary, lasting only until the county’s share of the renovation was paid off.
In recognition of the role of county residents in paying for the renovation, the Packers made some of the seats added at that time into single-game tickets, which are only available for sale to Brown County residents. (Beyond those seats, Lambeau Field is 100% season tickets.) The goal there was to give county residents, who might not ever get a chance at a ticket (if they weren’t season-ticket holders) opportunities to go to games.