How to Host a Trivia Night Fundraiser

Hosting trivia for the first time? Read our guide
How to Host a Trivia Night

Scrabble tiles spelling "DONATE"

Hosting a trivia night fundraiser is a fun and engaging way to raise money for your cause. It appeals to a wide range of people, making it a great way to bring people together for a good cause. Not only does trivia provide an opportunity to showcase knowledge and compete with friends and family, but it also allows for a vibrant and lighthearted atmosphere that encourages attendees to open their wallets and support a worthy cause. With the right planning, a trivia night fundraiser can be a successful and enjoyable event that will help to raise awareness and funds for a cause close to your heart. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to run a trivia night fundraiser.


Typewriter paper titled "To Do List" - how to host a fundraiser trivia night

How do you host a trivia night fundraiser?

HOW TO PLAN YOUR TRIVIA NIGHT FUNDRAISER

  1. Choose a venue: Select a suitable location that has enough space to accommodate your expected number of attendees. Make sure the venue has audio equipment and video equipment, if necessary. For example, The Quizmasters “Perfect for Fundraisers” package provides hosts with a PowerPoint file that displays questions and answers making video equipment necessary if the host intends to use that feature. 
  2. Set up the venue: Be sure there are enough tables and chairs for every attendee and the host(s). The host will most likely need a microphone, PA system, and a place to score answer sheets.
  3. Determine a date and time: Pick a date and time that works well for your attendees and ensure the venue is available on that date. The most popular night for bar trivia is hands down Thursday evenings while fundraisers do better on the weekends. Obviously this all depends on your crowd and charity. 
  4. Set a goal: Decide on the amount of money you want to raise and make a plan for how you will achieve your goal. There are some really great ways to raise money hosting a fundraiser trivia night that go beyond ticket sales. 
  5. Create a budget: Once you have a fundraising goal, make a budget for the event, including the cost of the venue, equipment rental, prizes, food and drinks, and any other expenses. Then, see where you can cut costs through donations. 
  6. Create a fundraiser quiz: Choose a range of topics that are suitable for your audience and do it yourself! Hiring a trivia company is the easiest cost to cut. We understand it can be overwhelming to write an entire quiz, so we’ve provided ten free questions perfect for trivia fundraisers to get you started. If you like our questions and want to save some time, we also offer a full “Perfect for Fundraisers” trivia package which includes tons of extras like a picture round, forms, answer sheets, and much more. 
  7. Advertise the event: Promote your trivia night fundraiser through social media, email, and word of mouth. Offer incentives for early bird ticket sales, group discounts, etc. 
  8. Secure sponsors: Reach out to local businesses and ask for donations or sponsorships to help cover the costs of the event. You can then advertise their businesses on trivia materials and mention them during the event. Remind your sponsors that you have a captive audience hanging on your every word. 
  9. Sell tickets: Start selling tickets well before the event. 
  10. Plan food and drinks: Offer food and drinks for sale during the event. Consider partnering with local restaurants and catering companies.
  11. Choose prizes: Select prizes for the winning teams, such as gift cards, products, or experiences. Many of these prizes can be acquired from sponsors which will help divert your costs.
Gold trophy with a black base - prize ideas for fundraiser trivia

TRIVIA FUNDRAISER FORMAT

  1. Send a reminder: A week or so before the event, send a message to your guests reminding them of the address of the venue, the date and time of the trivia fundraiser, and your fundraising goal for the evening. 
  2. Greet your guests: As guests arrive on the day of the event, either place them in teams (if they are single players) or seat their groups and provide them with answer sheets. It is not necessary to ask them for their team names at this point, just make sure you tell them to keep their name the same on each answer sheet. 
  3. Start the trivia night: Begin the event with a welcome speech and introduction, explain the mission of the charity or organization, then explain the rules of your trivia night. There are various formats for trivia nights, but essentially the event should last for about two hours, phones should not be used (unless you are selling trivia cheats,) and participants should never call out answers. Explain that teams are to write the answer down on the answer sheet provided and bring it to the scoring table at the end of the round. 
  4. Keep track of scores: Appoint someone to grade answer sheets after each round and keep track of scores. Before the beginning of each round, give the answers for the previous round and announce scores. You can always check out our step-by-step guide on how to run a successful trivia night for a more detailed guide on how to host a successful event. 
  5. Take breaks: Provide regular breaks during the event to allow participants to stretch their legs, get a drink, and mingle with other participants. The perfect time for this is when answers are being scored. 
  6. Announce the winner: After all the rounds are complete, announce the winning team and present them with a prize. Thank the participants for playing and encourage them to come back to your next event.

MAKE EXTRA MONEY AT YOUR TRIVIA NIGHT FUNDRAISER

One of the best aspects of a trivia fundraiser is the opportunity to make  extra money. Like a side quest in a video game, these add-ons can be fun and lucrative. 

  • Sell cheats! Check out our Trivia Cheats for Fundraising Events page for a full format and free printable cheat cards.
  • Offer a “decorate your table” contest with entry fee
  • Let teams sponsor a round
  • Hold a silent auction
  • Have a ticket raffle table

The ideas are endless and any (or all) of these add-ons are fantastic ways to make extra money for your fundraiser.

HOW MUCH MONEY CAN YOU MAKE AT A TRIVIA NIGHT FUNDRAISER?

A trivia night fundraiser can bring in anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. The amount you can make depends on your attendance, pricing, and add-ons. While a host can expect to make a set amount with entry fees, most fundraiser trivia events make the bulk of their cash with these fun extras. Many well-run fundraiser trivia nights with 100 participants can make $1,000 or more.

SAMPLE TRIVIA NIGHT FUNDRAISER QUESTIONS

Below are a few questions perfect for fundraiser events.

  • Pale Blue Dot is a famous 1990 photo of what?   Earth
    • This question works well for teams because there are a few ways to get to the answer. While some players may know this right away, those that don’t can talk about what they think a “pale blue dot” could possibly be, and make the Voyager connection from the year provided. 
  • What multi-billion dollar company is named after a character in "Moby Dick"? Starbucks
    • This is another example of a trivia question that inspires discussion. This clue will appeal to bookworms but also anyone who might know an interesting fact about the company.  
  • Now used as packaging material, what 1950s invention was originally intended to be used as wallpaper? Bubble wrap
    • This one is fun because not only is it “figureoutable” but it also is a fun piece of trivia that players won’t forget. 
  • The Battle of Hastings marked William the Conqueror's victory over what king? King Harold II
    • A tough one for sure, but no fundraiser trivia night would be complete without a few difficult questions that give an edge to the true competitors.

These fundraiser trivia questions provide excitement, whimsy, and encourage teams to engage with each other as well as the host. It can be difficult choosing the perfect questions, but we have you covered with 50 expertly written questions that give the perfect balance for your fundraiser trivia night. What’s more, we include tons of extras, like a picture round, trivia guide, PowerPoint, and so much more.

So, have fun and make some money for your charity or organization with a super-fun fundraising trivia night!

We are always here for you, so if you have any questions at all about a trivia night fundraiser or any of our trivia packets or other products, please contact us because we’d love to help.

Get our Perfect for Fundraisers Quiz:

 

 

 

 

 

 image provided by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images

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