Bingo might be a game of chance, but it’s also one in which players interact with each other in a spirit of fun, making it perfect for fundraising at charity events.
Giving to an event can help the nonprofit cover the costs associated with serving more people through the nonprofit’s programs and services.
Getting Started
The bingo night fundraiser needs to achieve more than just an evening of gameplay and prizes: it should build the community and create relationships.
Create a volunteer team to help organise and promote the Game. Use Facebook and local newspapers to advertise the Game, and provide food or drink to raise attendance.
Finally, themes can aid in ticket sales, and spice up an event even more. A theme on the ticket or stub will inspire guests to work harder towards blackout.
Almost as important as picking the right theme is getting the right host for the party. The more you have an entertaining host, the more fun you’ll have with your guests and the longer you’ll be able to keep players at your game. The more time you have your players there, and the more fun they’re having, the more donors you’ll end up inspiring, both at that moment of play – and, hopefully, by the time you see next! You can even have guest speakers from your charity come in to talk about how you’re making a difference and see if they can inspire an extra donation or two!
Organizing the Event
Bingo might manage to promote social interaction among people in a joyful social environment as much as it helps them to contribute money to charity. If its organisers make charity ideals at bingo fundraisers more visible by announcing the causes, this could have a huge, positive and lasting impact both on the individuals themselves and on the communities around them.
Picking a perfect location and fun games and prizes can make or break your event. It’s smart to pick a location that’s easy for guests to get to; if at all possible, host the event at a place that’s either day or evening hours, and some weekend afternoon events might attract families, while evening events might attract adults.
Make sure they are acutely aware of what the prizes are by offering them in plentiful supply. The prizes should be anything from cash donated by local businesses or individuals, gift baskets, cash prizes or tangible items such as baking kits or DIY kits, T-shirts or mugs from your organisation – anything that incentivises them to donate beyond attendance to your event.
Promoting the Event
Charity bingo events are not just useful in making money, they can also raise awareness of the cause. Money can be raised for research for important illness, to help needy children, or for any variety of charitable pursuits. The nonprofit involved can also use the bingo event to teach the players more about their cause to help their chances of getting future monetary contributions as well as volunteers.
It is necessary to advertise your event, and this might be easier than you think – allow social media, local newspapers and disseminating flyers throughout your community.
Prizes are another essential component of bingo fundraisers, so low-cost prizes that will be popular with your audience is another key to drawing attendees to your event. For cash prizes, the winners can use the funds as they see fit, and gift baskets often feature a hodgepodge of various items, which could all become excellent giveaways! Local businesses and people will sometimes donate items for your fundraiser prizes – ask them!
Donating the Proceeds
In my opinion, bingo fundraising and charity go together perfectly. Although some people might think bingo is just a simple game and it cant raise a lot of money, I totally disagree. Bingo events not only provide players with an inclusive and entertaining gaming experience, but they are the best way to engage with substantial and important fundraising.
Often, deep sympathy and passions bind people together and give them a sense of community. Fundraising for a cause, for example, cancer research and your local community, is one way to arouse these feelings and draw people closer to that cause. When you ask people who care about something or someone to play bingo, you introduce an ideal and inexpensive game that supports them and their favorite person or charity.
Bingo fundraising is ideal for charities as it attracts customers of all ages. Unless it is explicitly restricted to children or retirees, by hosting a bingo event, you are likely to entertain a healthy mix of old and young bingo enthusiasts flocking to your game since it supports your cause.
It is reasonable to expect all types of people to participate in bingo events, so bingo fundraising should be fun and interactive to keep attendees engaged. By organizing special benefits, such as games, themed evenings, or live performances, and providing a wide variety of food, you can transform a Bingo fundraiser into an impressive and unforgettable event. However, you should keep in mind that these additional considerations will increase the costs of hosting the fundraising night.
How do you make sure people show up to your charity bingo event? Some aspects you need to actively sell (publication of an event flyer, social media posts) and some aspects should not be taken for granted (recruitment from volunteers for ticket sales, concessions management, event logistics).
Charity bingo includes prizes, so think of things your audience would want to win (cash or gift baskets are good items), and approach local businesses or people about their willingness to donate things for baskets.
You deduct all those costs – printing and postage for bingo cards, refreshments, a donated prize from a corporate sponsor – and whatever’s left has to go directly to the cause – get people thinking about it by saying it out loud during the event; or send out stories of supporters afterwards, to remind them of your appeal.
