6 Fundraising Games To Get Guests Giving

Posted by Tim Stansbury on 15 February 2019

Incorporating fundraising games into your event can be a great way to maximise the fundraising potential in the room. There will almost always be generous guests who are willing to make a donation, so why not make it fun by adding an entertainment element to the night that encourages the guests to give.

Here are a few tried and tested fundraising games that are sure to get your guests giving!

1) Mystery boxes

Mystery box games are an effective method of raising some additional funds for your cause as they are easy to set up and a great way to utilise the smaller items that have been donated and might not fit into your silent or live auction.

Start by setting up a stack of gold or red boxes at the entrance to the room where guests can purchase a mystery box for a set price. Prizes inside the box could range from high value items such as a spa break or tickets to a concert, to lower tier items like a $10 gift voucher or a bottle of champagne. Use the prizes you have available to gauge an appropriate price per box and watch the money flood in as your guests compete to get their hands on a spa break for 50!

2) Break the balloon

This is a simple and easy fundraising method that can be incorporated into any type of event. All you need are balloons, string and slips of paper! Simply put the prize slips inside the balloons and fill with helium. On the night you can then sell the balloons for a set price, and once all the balloons have been sold, your guests can pop the balloon to reveal their prize! You can vary the prizes from a simple thanks for donating message, to vouchers for a high-end restaurant, or simply a nice bottle of wine. Varying the value and types of prizes to be won will create excitement and anticipation between guests and increase the funds you raise!

3) Silent auction competition

Why not create a fun and competitive atmosphere in the room by playing tables against one another, rewarding the table that makes most bids with a complimentary bottle of champagne? This is a great way to promote the silent auction and make guests feel valued for their donations. You could consider taking your silent auction to the next level by using technology to raise even more!

4) Head or tails

A quick and easy crowd pleaser to get everyone entertained. This should only take 5-10 minutes and its an easy way to boost the funds raised. Simply collect a donation from the participants on each table ranging from $5-50 depending on your audience. Once the funds have been collected, get the MC to instruct the guests to put their hands on their heads for heads or arms behind their backs for tails. The MC would then flip a coin, guests with the correct position would remain standing and the guests with the wrong position would sit down. The last person standing would the receive a prize, which could be a percentage of the cash raised, a bottle of champagne or maybe a left-over lot item that didn’t fit/sell in your auction.

5) Reverse auction

A reverse auction does exactly what it says on the tin. An auction, just in reverse! Get your MC or auctioneer to state how many of a certain item you have available, they would then get the guests who are interested in the item to stand up and ask who is willing to pay a certain amount for the item. All guests who are happy to pay stay standing and the amount would then increase until the number of items available matches the number of guests standing, the perfect way to get everyone involved.

6) Bingo!

Why not have a quick round of bingo to get the atmosphere going! Simply place a bingo card in front of each guest and get them to donate to play. Get your MC to call out the numbers until you have a winner! You can reward the winner with a prize that suits you and your audience best!

Incorporating gamification at your event is a great way to boost the fundraising potential in the room. Its also an effective way to get guests excited and create a competitive environment within the room.

Whilst these games are proven to maximise the funds raised it is important to have a great host or MC who has the ability to run the games effectively and get the most out of your guests!

If you would like more information on fundraising solutions for your upcoming fundraising campaign or event, please get in touch!

Tim Stansbury

Director and Fundraising Consultant

Tim joined Givergy in 2010, overseeing the early stage growth of the business to 50 employees across five international regions, supporting over 4,000 events worldwide. With a passion for leadership, business growth and exceptional standards, Tim is at the heart of all clients needs both in the UK and worldwide.