Want a Fabulous Fundraiser that Pays Big? Try a Casino Night Fundraiser!
Bake sales, carnivals, and wrapping paper drives. What do all of these have in common? They’re some of the traditional ways that organizations try to fund their programs. But if you want a fabulous fundraiser that pays big, consider throwing a casino night fundraiser using our casino games. A successful casino night isn’t something you can throw together, but with good planning it can be one of the most rewarding fundraisers you’ll ever host.
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As a fundraiser, a casino night works a bit differently from other casino parties. The biggest difference between a casino party and a casino fundraiser is that guests purchase tickets in advance. But once your guests arrive, it’s the same kind of Las Vegas style evening featuring games like Blackjack, Roulette, Poker, and Craps. Guests are given a generous number of chips as part of their ticket price, but if they run out of chips and want to keep playing they can purchase more. No actual gambling takes place.
If you’re thinking you want to do a casino night fundraiser, then here are some helpful tips to keep in mind.
Hire a Professional Casino Party Company
“Wait a minute,” you’re thinking. “I want to raise money and hiring professionals sounds expensive.” Experienced casino night fundraiser planners will tell you that it’s money well spent. Creating a Las Vegas style event in a school gym or hotel conference room is not easy. And if you want your guests to really feel like they’re attending a high-end event (which they’ve paid for) then folding tables with a home-made roulette wheel is not going to work. More importantly, you’ll need dealers who know the rules and pay outs for bets inside and out. Volunteers won’t cut it. Empire Casino Parties offers high end, casino quality tables with trained dealers. Our dealers will make sure that your guests enjoy an exciting night out and have an experience that they won’t forget.
Find Local Businesses to Sponsor Your Tables
Local small business owners are more than willing to sponsor a table at your event in return for some signage. By recruiting this type of sponsorship you’ll cover the cost of your professional casino party company a table at a time. Signage can be as simple as an ad posted on a table or hung on a wall. You can increase the fun and the return on your sponsors advertising dollars by handing out swag at “their” tables. For example, a real estate agent might provide stress balls (with her contact info printed on it) to be handed out at her sponsored Roulette table when someone looses an especially large bet.
Start Planning at Least Six Months Out
In order for your fundraiser to be successful, you need to make sure that you have all your sponsorships, raffle prizes, and ticket sales lined up way in advance. You’ll want to give yourself a few months to recruit appropriate sponsorships and to sell an adequate number of tickets to meet your fundraising goal. Six months of advance planning will usually give you enough time to put on a spectacular event.
Create an Elegant Atmosphere
The suggested donation for tickets to a casino night fundraiser is somewhere between $50 and $100 per person. That’s an expensive night out for most couples. The fact that the money is going to a good cause will help to ease the sting somewhat, but the best cure is to make sure that your guests have a fabulous time. You can accomplish this by creating an elegant party atmosphere. Shop your dollar store to find inexpensive but nice looking casino themed decorations. Hire a DJ or party band to provide background music (or even some dancing for those guests who’ve lost all their chips early). Provide finger foods and other sophisticated snacks. With nice decorations, mood music, and refreshments your guests will feel that they really are getting a luxurious night out.
Include a Second Fundraiser in Your Casino Fundraiser
You can increase your profits by adding a silent or live auction to the night. Of course, this increases the complexity of your planning as you’ll have to solicit donations for your auction, but the added effort can definitely help you to raise more money for your cause. As an added benefit, if you schedule the live auction at the mid-point of the evening it will force those guests who have planted themselves at a table to move away. This will free up space at your tables when you resume play so that more people get a chance to try different games.
At Utah Live Bands we have experience supporting these kinds of events. We can help you in your planning to make sure that you’ve done all the advance work you need to do to host a successful and profitable fundraiser. And once the night starts, our staff will make sure your guests have a memorable evening. Contact us today for more information.