A quiz night that raises money.
Schools, sports clubs and charities have run trivia nights for years because they work: tables of friends, a few hours, and money raised without asking anyone to run a marathon.
Where the money comes from
- A ticket per table, or per person. Sell tables of eight; groups book together and bring friends.
- A raffle or silent auction at the break, when everyone is up and talking.
- Sponsors: a local business sponsors a round and gets its name on the screen between rounds.
- Buy a hint, or buy a joker: tables pay a few dollars for a clue or a double-points round. Set it up yourself at the door.
- Food and drink, if the venue lets you keep some of it.
Thinking Cap is free for the host and for every table, so it takes nothing from the night: what you collect at the door is yours.
Running the night
- Sign tables up ahead. Put each booked table on the planner with its name and people. Each gets a team code to join their own table on the night.
- Put the school or club on the screen. Its name, a logo and a welcome line, and the sponsor's line between rounds.
- Six rounds and a break. One round about the school or club, written by someone who knows it.
- Spot prizes donated by local businesses, for the first table to get one question right.
- Keep the scores for the end if you like, and reveal the final table place by place.
Tables without phones
Some tables will want paper. Add a paper table, mark its sheet by hand, and put its score in. It sits in the standings with everyone else.