Trivia nights are popular with people of all ages and from varied backgrounds. So it’s not a surprise that trivia night fundraisers are typically a big hit for organizations of all sizes and missions! In this article, we’ll dive into how you can plan and host a successful trivia night fundraiser of your own.
Many organizations have seen success with trivia night fundraisers, and you don’t have to be a trivia wiz to see why!
People from all walks of life enjoy trivia, and trivia nights are a great way to gather with friends for a little competition and a lot of fun. Add in supporting a good cause, and you’ve got a win-win (even if your team doesn’t take first place)!
Plus, trivia nights tend to be among the more cost-effective fundraising ideas, making them easy to plan on a smaller budget.
We’ve got the tips you need to make your next nonprofit trivia night event a success, plus the tools that will boost your fundraising even further.
So what exactly is a trivia night? This ever-popular social activity features teams of individuals competing against each other to answer several rounds of trivia questions. The team that answers the most questions correctly wins!
Trivia night fundraisers take advantage of the popularity of these events, capitalizing on the fact that many people simply want to attend to enjoy a night out with friends. The fact that they are supporting a nonprofit and its important mission is just a bonus to many attendees!
Like with any event, there are several steps to planning a fun and effective trivia night fundraiser. Not sure where to get started? We’ve got you covered!
Pro tip: Putting together a checklist of everything you need to do will help you stay on track. Check out our free Event Planning Checklist.
One of the best things you can do to ensure a successful event is to establish a fundraising event committee to take on all decision-making responsibilities leading up to your event.
Include people with a variety of skills on your planning team. Then, assign each committee member tasks and responsibilities that match these skills, and make sure to host regular check-ins.
Establishing a budget will help with decisions about everything from venue to refreshments to fundraising activities.
When setting your budget, it’s also important to determine your goals for your event. Read this blog to learn about setting SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) goals that will help you make better-informed decisions.
After your budget is set, it’s time for your planning committee to establish the key details of your trivia night fundraiser.
Knowing who your ideal event attendee is will make finalizing the rest of these details a lot easier for your team. It will also help you during the marketing phase of the planning process, as you’ll better know which channels and messaging to use.
After you determine your target audience, keep them in mind for the rest of your decisions.
Choose a date and time that makes sense for your organization and your audience. Because trivia nights are typically held indoors, they can be held year-round. But be cognizant of holidays and other events in your area!
First, determine if you will hold your trivia night fundraiser in-person or online. If in-person, you’ll need a venue large enough to accommodate your guests and any event or fundraising activities.
Already have a large space at your location? Perfect! You can also check with area businesses to see if any would be interested in sponsoring your event through the donation of a venue – think schools, churches, or hotels with ballrooms.
Virtual trivia nights became popular during the pandemic and can still be a great solution if your audience is widespread. Check out this blog to find planning steps specific to virtual trivia nights!
Next, decide whether you want to have a theme for your nonprofit trivia night. While many organizations choose to skip the theme, having one can help you when planning decorations, marketing, and questions.
Your theme can also tie back to your mission, such as a “Decades” theme for a historical organization or a sports-themed event supporting your school’s teams.
Trivia night-goers are often highly competitive, and having a great prize for the winning team can be a big draw! You can offer pretty much anything in the form of a prize. Cash, a portion of the funds raised, or a table or tickets to another event (or even next year’s trivia night) are all great options.
Trivia night fundraisers can last several hours, and your guests will likely get hungry and thirsty. There are several ways to offer refreshments at your event, each with their own pros and cons –
Need help with your event planning fundamentals? Listen to this episode of The Nonprofit Podcast:
https://youtu.be/RzHz3bTLV_s?si=-hOMS9l39PPofibt
Trivia night fundraisers are people-powered events! You’ll need to recruit several staff members or volunteers to help throughout the evening. Roles to fill include check-in table attendants, judges (who check over responses), people to manage refreshment sales and fundraising activities, and more.
One of the most important roles is your emcee, who will read questions and possibly make a fundraising appeal or two. Consider bringing in a local celebrity, like a radio host or television news anchor. Ask them to use their clout to promote the event!
Be sure to choose your questions carefully! They can truly make or break your nonprofit trivia night.
Your questions may cover a wide range of topics (best for trivia nights targeting multiple age groups). Or, they may be based on a specific theme, such as a book series, a sport, or movies of a specific genre. If your event has a theme, your questions can follow that!
Whichever you choose, pick questions of varying difficulty levels so that all attendees can have fun participating, even if they don’t know a lot about a certain topic. You’ll also want to offer several rounds of trivia (it’s up to you how many) to keep the night going!
Finally, determine a way to ask and answer questions. Many organizations display each question on a projector screen and have an emcee read the question allowed. Numbered sheets are provided for each team, who record their answers for each question in a round within a set amount of time. Teams then turn these sheets in to a panel of judges, who check for correctness and assign points (typically one point per correct answer).
While your tickets should be priced to bring in some revenue (more on that later), you should also plan a few add-ons or activities to give your fundraising a boost. Here are a few ideas –
Pro tip: Set up a donation kiosk at your next nonprofit trivia night, enabling people to swiftly pay for their raffle tickets, mulligans, auction items, and more with a card, smartphone, or smartwatch!
Have big dreams on a small budget? Secure event sponsors! Offer sponsorships at varying levels to appeal to a wide range of individuals and community partners.
Here are a few sponsorship ideas specific to trivia night fundraisers –
Pro tip: Make it easy for sponsors to sign up with an online sponsorship form. Take a look at how SAVE Institute used Donorbox Events to encourage sponsorships for their winter gala.
Learn more about Donorbox Events
There’s a lot to decide on when it comes to tickets for your trivia night fundraiser. Will you sell tickets in sets as teams or tables? Or will each attendee pay individually for their entry? How much will you charge?
Selling multi-person teams or tables typically brings in more new faces, as it encourages current supporters to invite their friends and family to join them. But selling single tickets can bring in several individuals or smaller groups.
You can always do a combination of both – simply set up a ‘singles’ table with tickets set at a slightly higher price-per-head than when purchasing a team ticket. This way, everyone can join in the fun, even if they don’t have a team.
Bonus: Check out our event ticketing price guide to help you determine how much to charge for entry into your nonprofit trivia night!
No matter your ticketing strategy, sell tickets (or tables) online to make it easier for attendees to reserve their spots. Donorbox Events offers forms with unlimited ticket tiers, the ability to set sales limits and deadlines, automatic tax-deductibility calculations, and much more. Plus, it’s simple to check guests in, thanks to unique QR and numeric check-in codes on each emailed ticket.
Up with Trees partnered with a local brewery to host their trivia night fundraiser. They used a Donorbox Events form to offer VIP tickets as well as General Admission tickets.
Learn more about setting up your ticketing form using Donorbox Events in this detailed how-to guide.
Once your details are in place, it’s time to spread the word! Remember your target audience? Determine which marketing channels will best reach them and create a multi-channel communications plan to promote your trivia night fundraiser. This plan might include social media, email, postcards, flyers, advertisements, and more!
Donorbox Events also helps with event promotion with unique QR codes that ticket buyers can scan to swiftly access your form. Plus, create an unlimited number of promo codes, making it easy to provide free or discounted tickets to boost ticket sales.
Get started with Donorbox
Nonprofit trivia nights are a great way to introduce new donors to your mission, but you must take steps to start building relationships with them. Make plans to engage with event attendees and donors before, during, and after your trivia night fundraiser.
Email your ticket buyers with event details, sneak peeks, and more in the days leading up to the trivia night, boosting excitement and introducing your organization and mission before they even step in the door.
Take advantage of your captive audience and include at least one direct fundraising appeal during your nonprofit trivia night. Share the impact your mission has and where attendees’ dollars will go.
Make sure to have a quick way to give during this appeal, such as a text-to-give number or on-site donation kiosk.
Donorbox Live™ Kiosk makes swift, in-person giving possible at all of your events. Simply download the app to your tablet, launch a campaign, and pair it with a card reader to start accepting cashless donations anytime, anywhere.
Set up your own donation kiosk
Soon after your event ends, send a thank-you note, whether via email or snail mail. You can also include a save-the-date for next year’s event if you have one already planned.
Share pictures and videos from the trivia night fundraiser on social media, showing those who didn’t attend how much fun it was and encouraging those who did to share with their friends and family. Tag the night’s winners (if they’re willing) as well as any event sponsors, prompting further reach and shares!
Feeling prepped? Ready to take on a trivia night fundraiser? We know you’ve got this! Follow these steps and we’re sure you’ll feel empowered to put on an effective and fun event for your guests and donors.
Utilizing innovative fundraising tools from Donorbox will take your next trivia night to the next level, from selling tickets online to collecting in-person donations during the fundraiser itself. It’s free to get started, with pricing plans available for those looking for an extra boost.
Check out the rest of our Nonprofit Blog for tips, guides, and more that will help you help others. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to receive a curated list of our top articles in your inbox!
Kara has several years of experience in communications and marketing for nonprofit organizations. Her love for serving others began while fundraising for and attending mission trips. She then worked with multiple local nonprofits through various marketing agencies and volunteer opportunities before becoming a communications manager at Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis for more than four years. Kara now specializes in writing and enjoys sharing her experiences and knowledge with others on this platform.
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Kara Schmid