Five games to play in the interval
The profit you make is the measure of success at your
fundraising event, so how can you push it that little bit further?
Providing refreshments and running a raffle are a given, but why
not play one of these games during the break, too?
Remind attendees prior to the event to bring a bit of extra cash
along if you're going to use one of these interval ideas. Decide
which might best suit the event you are running and the audience
attending.
1. Joke competition
Any closet commedians in your audience? Samantha Searle,
PTA member, St George's Primary School, Kent: 'One idea we
are going to run at our next event is a joke competition. You
explain how the competition works at the beginning of the night,
hand out paper, and people pay £1 per joke to enter, writing their
joke down before submitting it. You then review them all, pick out
the best three, and read those out to the audience (or get the
shortlisted entrants to tell their own joke!). The audience vote
which one will be crowned the winner. They did it at a comedy club
I went to and it worked brilliantly.'
2. Heads or tails
Heads or tails is a popular game that only takes about five
minutes to play. Caren Shortall, treasurer, Friends of
Milwards School, Harlow: 'People pay £1 to play. Once they
have paid, they stand up so we know who is playing. The quizmaster
then flips a coin, at which point, participants either choose heads
- where they need to make bunny ears - or tails, where they make a
tail with their hands. Whoever gets it wrong, sits down. Keep
playing until there's one person left standing - they win half the
cash and your charity keeps the other half. When we advertise the
event, we always say that there will be a raffle and heads and
tails on the night so people bring money with them. This usually
adds an extra £30 to our takings.'
3. Spaghetti tower
Use as an icebreaker during a social evening. Each table pays a
set fee to receive a spaghetti construction kit - a small bunch of
uncooked spaghetti and a metre of sellotape. Teams have five
minutes to build the highest, free-standing spaghetti tower. Give
competitive adults the chance to purchase extra height - £2 per
centimetre. Tallest tower wins! Give the winning team a bottle of
bubbly as a prize. You'll be surprised how competitive this can
get…
4. Roll a £1
The aim of the game is to roll a coin nearest to a bottle to win
(preferably alcoholic if adults are involved!). Clearly mark the
start line, with the bottle positioned about five metres away.
Jackie Turner, chair, Friends of Rushwick School,
Worcester said: 'Roll a £1 is a good game for events if
you have lots of men and alcohol! Buy or get a bottle of something
alcoholic donated. Put the bottle on the floor and get people to
roll a £1 coin towards it. The coin which is closest (without
hitting the bottle) at the end is the winner. Men who've had a few
to drink will keep trying to win it (macho pride) even if they
spend more than it costs to buy! This event was part of a frog
racing night to raise funds for our local cricket club. There were
about 80 people there and I think it raised about £50. It was done
at the end of the evening when everyone had had a few drinks!'
5. Table quiz
Run a picture quiz, themed to suit your event and audience,
printing 9-12 famous faces, cartoon characters or film locations
onto A4 paper. Ask people to pay £1 to enter, writing down their
name and answers. Collect the sheets in after the interval - the
winner can receive a prize (preferably donated) or a percentage of
takings. Alternatively use anagrams - search the internet for
examples to make your life easier! Don't make the quiz too
easy!
What interval games do you play that yield a great profit? Drop the Let's Get
Fundraising! team an email.
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