Top tips for charity quizzes
Charity quizzes are a great way of having fun and bringing people together while supporting a fantastic cause like Teenage Cancer Trust. Read on for quiz night ideas and tips on coming up with themes, rounds and questions.
How to host a charity quiz
First, you’ll have to choose whether to hold your quiz online or in a venue. A virtual quiz is a quick and simple approach but bringing people together in real life can be more fun and gives you more potential for raising vital cash for young people facing cancer.
If you decide to hold your charity quiz online, you’ll need to choose a video call or streaming platform to broadcast on and a way for participants to submit questions for marking. Ask guests to donate in advance, either to a JustGiving page or an online donation pot.
Holding an in-person quiz night? Then you’ll need to secure a venue. Pubs are popular for quiz nights, and you may be able to persuade the owner to give you the space for free if it’s raising money for an important cause. Community centres and schools are also great charity quiz venues. Sell refreshments on the night to give fundraising an extra boost.
Regardless of how or where you’re hosting your event, be sure to promote it with charity quiz night posters at work, on social media, at the venue (if you have one) and around your community.
Prize ideas for quiz nights
For many, it’ll be the taking part that counts – as well as knowing they’re helping young people and families affected by cancer.
But if people need more of an incentive to take part then you could approach local businesses or reach out to friends and family for prize donations. And, if you’re holding your quiz in a pub, the owner may donate a bottle of wine or a food voucher to the winners to support your cause.
You could also consider ringfencing a small proportion of the donations for the winning team, making sure everyone knows upfront what percentages are divided between the charity and the prize pot. Or the prize could be an offer of services; you could donate a day’s worth of gardening or cleaning, for example, to those who snap up the pub quiz crown.
Charity quiz night questions
The key is to mix things up so that everyone – regardless of age or areas of expertise – has a good shot. General knowledge and news rounds combined with music, film and sport questions are always a winning formula. More interactive charity quiz rounds also add an extra dose of fun, whether it’s ‘guess the song’, picture sheets, or puzzles like anagrams or dingbats.
Have fun and learn along the way by curating your own quiz from scratch or lean on the many websites offering free questions and answers online. Four to six rounds with a break in the middle is a good rule of thumb for an evening of charity quiz entertainment.
Quiz themes
While a broad selection of questions keeps things as accessible as possible, you may want to give your quiz a specific theme, depending on your crowd’s interests or the time of year. Sport, film, pop culture, Halloween and Christmas themes are among the most popular quiz night ideas. And if you’ve narrowed your quiz down to a particular topic or annual celebration, then why not also ask people to attend in corresponding fancy dress?
How do I get the money raised to Teenage Cancer Trust?
If you’ve set up an online fundraising page, we’ll automatically get the money. If you’ve collected cash donations, check out our paying-in money guide. And be sure to register your event in advance to get all of the help and resources you need to make it a success