Trivia Night Games and Mini Fundraisers

We are delighted to introduce our series of articles on how to organise a Trivia Night. They are jam packed with everything you need to create a memorable and profitable night of fun!

Part 4 - Trivia Night Games & Mini Fundraisers

How to Raise More (and Laugh More!) Between Rounds

A trivia night might be built around questions and answers, but the real magic often happens between the rounds.

Games, quick-fire competitions, and cheeky mini fundraisers are a fantastic way to inject fun, boost participation, and raise significantly more money — especially when entry tickets alone barely cover the costs.

Whether you're running a school trivia night, a club fundraiser, or a community quiz event, here’s your ultimate guide to trivia night games and extra money-makers that are crowd-approved and budget-friendly.

🧠 Why Games & Mini Fundraisers Work

• They break up the evening and keep energy high

• People love a good laugh and a bit of friendly competition

• They provide another way to participate (even for non-trivia buffs)

• Most importantly — they help you raise more money

Set the tone early, keep things light, and always explain the rules clearly so everyone feels included.

🎲 Classic Between-Round Games

Heads & Tails

• Everyone pays a gold coin to play

• Choose “heads” or “tails” by placing hands on your head or bottom

• Two coins are tossed — only those who guessed correctly stay standing

• Last person standing wins a prize!

✨ Great for all ages, quick to run, and always a crowd favourite.

Coin Slide

• A bottle of wine or similar is placed 4–5 metres away

• Contestants slide gold coins toward it — closest coin wins

• Easy to set up and often raises $70–$150 per bottle

💡 Bruce from a country tennis club shared this tip — it’s become a hit with schools and clubs across Australia!

Paper Plane Throwing Comp

• Sell paper sheets for $1–$2 each

• Participants write their names and line up

• Run in heats if space is limited

• Winner gets a prize — or bragging rights!

Spaghetti Tower Challenge

• Teams pay $5–$10 for a “spaghetti kit” (dry spaghetti + tape)

• 5-minute build time; tallest freestanding tower wins

• Sell “cheat centimetres” for $10 each to boost height and hilarity

Greedy Pig (Dice Game)

• Players pay to join and get a scoresheet

• Stand while dice are rolled

• Sit to “bank” your score — stay too long and risk losing everything if the “greedy pig” number comes up!

Higher or Lower (Card Game)

• Flip one card, then guess if the next is higher or lower

• Great as a group game (heads = higher, tails = lower)

• Can also run as a table-vs-table showdown

1-Minute Treasure Hunt

• Teams pay to join and get a list of items to find in one minute

• Most items collected wins!

• Examples: USB stick, receipt, library card, red lipstick, $100 note

Sit Down If...

• Players stand, and a series of statements are read out

• “Sit down if you’ve never broken a bone…”

• Last one standing wins

• Ask for gold coin donations to enter

💸 Creative Cheats That Actually Work

Selling “cheats” is one of the most profitable additions you can make to a trivia night — and people love it when it’s fun and cheeky.

Ways to Sell Cheats:

• $10 per answer (limit 2 per round)

• Red dot stickers – double points for any answer marked

• Cheat packs – 5 cheats for $20–$50 per table

• Bonus rounds – double points for certain rounds or correct answers

• Cheat centimetres – buy extra height in spaghetti tower challenges

💡 One school raised $1,500 just from red dot stickers alone. People lined up to hand over $50 notes. You really can’t argue with that!

🛍 Raffles, Auctions & Extras

Multi-Draw Raffles

• Sell tickets all night, and draw winners between rounds

• Add big-ticket items to attract more interest

Silent Auction

• Have items displayed near the entrance or bar

• Bidding stays open all night

• Close it mid-way or at the end for a final rush

Wheelbarrow Raffle

• Ask families to donate bottles of wine or goodies

• Fill a donated wheelbarrow and raffle it off

• Can sell tickets in advance to those not attending too

🔥 Hilarious Crowd Games

Check out all of these games and more (including videos!) in our article: Top 10 Crazy Games.

Human Hungry Hungry Hippo

• Skateboards + laundry baskets + balls

• Team members push each other out to collect balls

• High-energy, very visual, and laugh-out-loud fun

• Sell balls as “entries” or charge per round

• (Please… helmets encouraged. Safety first, fun always!)

Jingle in the Trunk

• Ping pong balls in a tissue box, worn like a belt

• Shake your hips to empty it first — fastest wins!

Oreo Game

• Balance an Oreo on your forehead… get it into your mouth with no hands

• Great icebreaker, almost impossible to look elegant

Barbie Toss

• Yes, it’s real — ring toss onto Barbie dolls

• Especially popular with the blokes after a few drinks

🧁 Low-Key Favourites

• Guess the Jelly Beans in a Jar – Classic for a reason

• Lucky Dips – Always popular with kids

• Guess the Town Abbreviation – e.g. LG = Lake Grace

• Themed Table Rounds – Bonus sheets with logos, faces, maps etc. (check out the Trivia Questions article in this series)

• Red Dot Challenges – Buy stickers to boost your score

💡 Clever Extras That Actually Work

Here’s what real fundraisers from our Facebook community say has worked:

“We did red cheating stickers and made SO much cash! One table handed us $50 notes all night — we made $1,500 from this alone.”

“People wouldn’t pay $2 to play a game… but they’d spend $10 for a raffle ticket or cheat dot.”

“We had a Barbie Toss — the dads LOVED it. So silly, but so fun.”

“Paper planes were cheap and hilarious. We ran heats and had a fly-off at the end!”

“We bumped up our table price to $150 — sold out instantly. People still say it was the best night of the year.”

🏁 Final Tips for Success

• Explain every game clearly — confused guests won’t play

• Keep games short and fun

• Use volunteers (or older students) as runners and assistants

• Always promote what the money’s going toward

• Offer bonus points or team prizes to increase buy-in

• Keep the energy high and the tone light-hearted

• Test ideas one year, refine them the next — your night will only grow!

🎯 Make It a Night to Remember

Trivia nights aren’t just about what people know — it’s about what they feel. By weaving in laughter, silliness, and small moments of competition, you’ll create the kind of fundraiser people want to come back to year after year.

✨ More people = more raffle tickets, game entries, and sponsor value
✨ More fun = more connection and community spirit
✨ More creativity = more money for your school or club!