We recently had the privilege of speaking with Michelle Spencer, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Boys & Girls Club of Walker County (BGCWC). The club has a distinctive approach to fundraising focused on involving its community and highlighting its mission. They seized the opportunity to organize a themed and entertaining evening of Bingo (and so much more) that captivated their community. Here are some tips they gave for success:
- Make it fun: they added crowd-pleasers like a Dessert Auction, Door Prizes, and Raffles!
- Know Your Audience: their Oktoberfest-themed Bingo event had spirited music, mouth-watering food, and engaged their attendees
- Plan ahead: Auctria + Early Planning = Event Success
Make it Fun
The Oktoberfest Bingo featured numerous thrilling games and raffles, including Dessert Bingo, Door Prizes, and a Football Raffle, adding to the excitement of the event.
The Dessert auction was a sweet success. The club created a fun bidding war where sugar cravings battled it out for the sweetest victory! They decided not to provide dessert for everyone but rather provided an opportunity for attendees to bid on desserts. The dessert auction closed in time to ensure winners could receive and enjoy their desserts prior to the event ending.
Increasing Oktoberfest Bingo ticket sales, door prizes were a hit! The club offered 5 door prize tickets with each purchase of an Oktoberfest Bingo ticket. Offering 24 door prizes ranging from designer purses to an assortment of local eateries, their prizes were not only diverse but sought after by supporters in their community. The large number of door prizes was a testament to the donor relationships the club works hard to cultivate throughout the year.
Grid-Iron Glory! The club ran three raffles featuring three autographed footballs from Texas A&M, SHSU, and the University of Texas! In a community passionate about football, providing an opportunity to win a football signed by the Head Coach of their cherished local college team proved to be a significant attraction!
They added a competitive twist to the raffle! Each raffle ticket bought counted as one vote entry, and the school with the most votes won bragging rights for a year. Additionally, their school flag will fly over the club until they play Grid-Iron Glory next season as yet another incentive to buy raffle tickets! Selling tickets directly on their event website made the process seamless and easy for everyone to participate.
Know Your Audience
Michelle’s years of experience running a nonprofit taught her that if your event is going to be successful, you need to tailor the event to your community if you want them to engage. In the clubs' community which has limited entertainment options there is a need for engaging and distinctive activities.
The club chose a bingo-themed fundraising event due to the community's characteristics. With its interactive and inclusive nature, bingo offered supporters a fun-filled atmosphere and addressed the need for more nearby entertainment choices. This approach sets the club apart and makes it a highly anticipated event which in turn leads to more funds raised.
Plan Ahead, Start Early!
Michelle from The Boys and Girls Club of Walker County shared their fundraising philosophy with us, which is all about early planning and set-up. They wanted to utilize Auctria's features of ticket management, selling sponsorships, and table assignments. Having it in one place reduces unnecessary stress. Michelle stated, “This year, we started sooner; still feel like we should have started earlier than we did, but we were able to use it (Auctria) so much more.”
Opting for a single platform, such as Auctria, for your event requirements contributes to a less stressful experience for both organizers and attendees.
When selecting a venue for their Oktoberfest Bingo, they decided to host the event at their club. This not only saved them the expense of renting a venue, but it allowed the attendees to see the various ways that the club makes a positive impact every day!
We are incredibly grateful to Michelle for sharing The Boys and Girls Club of Walker County’s fundraising achievements with us, including the challenges they faced and we cannot wait to see what fun new ideas they come with for their upcoming 2024 Oktoberfest Bingo!
We are incredibly grateful to Michelle for sharing The Boys and Girls Club of Walker County’s fundraising achievements with us, including the challenges they faced and we cannot wait to see what fun new ideas they come with for their upcoming 2024 Oktoberfest Bingo!
The Boys and Girls Club of Walker County’s mission is one we all can share: To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
You can learn more about The Boys & Girls Club of Walker County on their website. walkercountykids.org
