Article
23 May 2025
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!
“Hold a trivia night,” they said… “It’ll be fun,” they said… And they were right — but only if you plan it well!
Trivia nights are one of the most popular school and club fundraising events, offering a great social vibe while also raising anywhere from $1,000 to upwards of $10,000. Whether you’re raising money for a playground, library books, or team uniforms, a well-organised trivia night brings the community together and puts the “fun” in fundraising.
This guide will walk you through the planning and logistics essentials so your trivia night is smooth, social, and successful.
Before anything else, be clear on what you’re fundraising for. Make it visible and motivating — a playground poster coloured in as donations roll in is a great example. A clear goal helps guide your decisions and inspires your community to get involved.
Don’t go it alone! Create a volunteer team and delegate jobs based on interests and strengths:
MC & Question writer
Scorekeeper & runner
Bar or drinks
Decorations & setup
Ticketing & comms
Prize procurement
Be clear on expectations, but let people run with their creativity.
Timing is everything! Avoid:
Sporting finals (especially local footy)
End-of-year craziness (November onwards)
Public holidays, school holidays and major community events
Check your school or club calendar for clashes, and when in doubt — ask around. Once your date is locked in, promote early with a “Save the Date” to start building interest.
Things to consider:
Accessibility and parking
Space for tables of 8–10 people — if you don’t have your own space, will a local school or community hall loan or hire the space to you?
A stage or raised area for the MC
Power outlets and lighting
Whether you can run your own bar or BYO
Setup and pack-down time
School halls, sports clubs, or community centres work well. Just make sure there’s enough room and a good vibe!
A classic format:
6–8 rounds of trivia
10 questions per round (with a mix of topics and difficulty)
Small teams (up to 10), encourage smaller groups to join forces
Interval games and fundraising activities between rounds
Prizes for 1st, 2nd, and last (wooden spoon!)
Optional theme to dress up and decorate tables
Use a PowerPoint and screen if available, or go old-school with a whiteboard. You’ll also need answer sheets, pens, scoring sheets, and volunteers to mark them.
The key to a fun night is making people feel like they can contribute. Aim for:
At least 80% of questions answered correctly
Mix of general knowledge, pop culture, local trivia
Visual and audio rounds (famous faces, theme songs)
Conversation-starting questions (not just fact-recall)
You want people not to know the answer straight away but for it to come up in conversation. If writing your own questions is too much, consider hiring a quiz host or using a pre-made quiz pack.
Prizes don’t need to be expensive — hampers, vouchers, donated goodies, or even scratchie centrepieces can be fun. Ask local businesses for prize donations or sponsor a round for $100–200 (with shoutouts, logos on screens, etc). You can even get sponsors for individual tables.
TIP: Send thank-you certificates or a shoutout in your school newsletter — a little appreciation goes a long way!
Price per table (e.g., $150 for a table of 10) often works better than individual tickets
Offer early bird specials or discounts for pre-booked tables
Set up an event on Facebook and encourage sharing
Use your school newsletter, flyers, local community boards, and word-of-mouth
Consider creating a countdown or teaser posts to keep it front-of-mind
Make sure to advertise:
Time, date and location
Ticket price and booking link
What’s included (BYO or catered? Drinks? Dress-ups?)
Fundraising goal and contact details
Between trivia rounds, keep the energy up and cash flowing. We have dedicated an entire article in our series to this topic! Here are some examples, but read on for more:
Coin toss for a prize
Spaghetti tower building
Heads or Tails
Alphabet raffle
“Sell cheats” like extra answers or free passes
Award small prizes to keep it fun and low-cost — chocolates, wine, books, etc.
Themes can boost excitement and loosen up the crowd:
Disney
Halloween
80s / 90s / Retro
Aussie Icons
“Pick Your Own” table themes
Offer prizes for best-dressed team or best-decorated table!
Set your goal, budget and date
Book venue and equipment
Form a team and delegate roles
Plan your trivia rounds and games
Create a run sheet for the event (we have a template for this!)
Source prizes and sponsors
Promote with a “save the date” and flyers
Sell tickets (online or via school office)
Prepare MC notes and a run sheet
Set up, enjoy, and thank your volunteers and sponsors
Trivia nights build community, spark conversations, and bring in vital funds — all in one entertaining evening. Just remember: it’s not about being the smartest person in the room, but having the most fun together.
Everything Glows, established in 1989, is Australia’s ORIGINAL Glow Stick and Flashing Novelty wholesaler. We supply schools, community groups and speciality fundraising committees!
View profileCB Marketing & Events help plan, market and organise events in Queensland using local suppliers. With 15 years of experience know how to get the job done!
View profileOur events consist of Yobbo Lotto, Music Bingo, Horsing Around, Trivia Nights, Sports/Comedy nights and Silent Auctions and we look forward to helping you find the right fit for your fundraising needs.
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