3 sure-fire ways to hit the jackpot with your next fundraiser
It's your job to plan your group's next fundraiser, and you've got great ideas to make sure everyone has a good time and goes home happy. But if you're left with bills to pay, or not enough cash raised, where does that leave you?
Before you find yourself holding empty cash jars, check out these three sure-fire ways to boost your success for your next fundraiser.
Attract more people
More people means more money. And if they're looking at the invite seeing "dinner, cocktails and a silent auction," they might be thinking "been there, done that" and the number of guests will start to decline. This affects your bottom line, and it may prevent you from reaching your financial goal.
When that happens, it's time to jazz up your game to attract more people to your event. At $100 a ticket, just 20 more people than last year will increase your profit a tidy amount.
So, how do you do that? Offer an experience like no other. Be creative. Come up with something unusual, something people will talk about and tell others about. They will get the word out about this fantastic fundraiser, and your guest list will get longer each year. Then you can provide various add-ons to change it up a bit so it doesn't stay the same.
Extraordinary entertainment
Consider attractions such a Night of Improv or an Evening of Comedy or a Vegas-style Casino Party.
For a Casino Party, you can transform your school gym, banquet hall or restaurant into a Las Vegas-style casino complete with craps, roulette, blackjack and poker tables, not to mention charming, entertaining dealers. For that, try GSH Casino Parties.
GSH Casino Parties puts on professional casino events that include equipment, accessories, chips and dealers. They set up tables at your venue and give your space the glamorous, glitzy look and feel of a real Las Vegas casino.
When the party begins, guests receive "funny money" to buy chips at the tables. Then they can begin playing games and compete to win prizes, raffle tickets, or even just bragging rights. "It's not real gambling; we're a source of entertainment that's different and unique," said Girard Hendelman, president of the company. "It's something fun and exciting for people, and there are still winners.
"Our professional dealers also teach guests how to play the games and basic strategies. We encourage guests to move from table to table to experience all the games and to become comfortable with the rules and nuances of each one."
Bump up proceeds with side events
Other activities throughout the evening bring more fun to the event and will generate extra money for your charity. Donated gift baskets work well for prizes. Here are some ideas.
• Silent or live auction, half pot raffle or card raffle where you rip the cards in half and whoever has the other half of the card drawn wins a prize.
• A themed event with costumes such as a 1920s or Wild West motif with prizes for various costume categories brings another element of fun to the event.
• A photo booth is always popular.
• Trivia Games will challenge guests for prizes.
• Casino night prizes for the person with the most chips at the end of the evening.
This story sponsored by GSH Casino Parties.
For more information on hosting a Casino Party, visit gshcasinoparties.com.