Typically, cheating is frowned upon, but it can be a great way to raise extra money when hosting a trivia fundraiser. At The Quizmasters, we would never encourage selling “cheats” at a regular trivia night because a typical weekly trivia event should be all about competition and fairness. But when your goal is to make money for a good cause, selling cheats can be a fun and very lucrative feature of the evening. Below is an explanation of what trivia cheats are, some examples of cheats, and how to sell/administer your trivia cheats for your trivia fundraiser. If you like this idea, check out our free Cheater’s Trivia printable cheat cards!
What are trivia cheats for fundraisers?
Trivia cheats for fundraisers are sanctioned cheats that a team can utilize throughout the game. The host will sell or auction the cheat for the team to use during the game with the goal of raising their score by giving them a leg up on a particular round or category.
What are some kinds of cheats?
- Phone a Friend ☎️: Just like in the popular game show, you can offer a cheat in which a team can use their phone to call a friend. Limit the amount of time they can use their phone and ensure they are only using the phone app and not looking up the answer! There should be a 1-2 minute time limit for this cheat.
- Use Your Phone📱: While phones are the enemy of typical trivia night, if you are hosting a trivia for cheaters fundraiser, phones can be an asset! Teams who purchase this cheat will have the use of their phone for the entire round.
- Free Answer ✅: As simple as it sounds, this cheat gives the team one free answer in a round.
- Steal a Round 😈: This evil cheat will let a team steal another team’s answer sheet at the end of the round, before they bring up their answer sheets for scoring.
- Steal a Player 🙀: Is a science round coming up and there’s a scientist one team over?? This cheat lets a team steal a player from another team for one full round. Of course, this cheat relies on the fact that the stolen player is a good sport, but they also may be able to sabotage the cheating team!
- Wild Card Swap 🔁: If you’re using the wild card option, this cheat allows a team to take back their wild card if they used it on the wrong round. So, if the team thought they did well enough to use their wild card but in fact got a low score on that round, their score is no longer doubled on that round and they get to use their wild card on a different round instead.
How should you sell cheats?
There should always be a limited amount of cheats available, otherwise it will get super confusing if too many players are using the same cheats. For smaller events, only one or two of each cheat should be available. As for price, that is dependent on your budget and fundraising goal. Additionally, you can sell cheats at flat rates or auction them off for even more money!
How to administer cheats?
The best way to administer cheats is to issue each team a cheat card. On the cheat card, describe the cheat and the rules on how and when to use it. If you’re selling them at a flat rate, you can provide a list of prices for each cheat. (If you plan on auctioning the cheats off, set a beginning bid instead.) Then, sell or auction the cheat before the start of the game. During the game, instruct the holder of the cheat to yell something out like “Cheating!” at which point the host should go over, take the card, and allow the cheat. Once the cheat is over, return to normal gameplay.
So, while cheating in regular trivia nights is not encouraged, trivia cheats can be a fun and lucrative addition to a fundraiser trivia night. Trivia cheats such as Phone a Friend, Use Your Phone, Free Answer, Steal a Round, Steal a Player, and Wild Card Swap can be sold or auctioned off to raise money for your cause. Using cheat cards and having clear rules will ensure fairness and create an exciting game for everyone involved. So, why not consider using trivia cheats in your next trivia fundraiser? After all, cheating isn’t bad when it's for a good cause!
Download your free printable cheat cards:
