Adoption is stressful. Financing adoption should be the least of your worries. One way to raise money for your adoption is to hold a bingo night fundraiser. This attracts people of all ages and is a fun way to bring the community together for a great cause. Here are some steps in planning the event:
- Choose a date and a location. Research large spaces that can be rented out such as gyms, recreation centers, church basements, or community center. There might be small fee in renting out the place, or they might let you hold the event there for free! Also make sure to choose an evening during the week that preferably isn’t a school or work day as you might not get the same turnout you would get if you held the event on a Friday or Saturday.
- Get the supplies. Make sure you have enough bingo sheets. You can print free templates easily off of the internet. You will also need a bingo cage and balls, dry erase boards, and daubers. Make sure to check with churches or recreation centers as they might have all of the supplies for bingo already. You might even consider making it a themed night and center everything around Harry Potter or an upcoming holiday.
- Get the word out. Advertise the bingo night on flyers around town, contact friends and family, and post on social media. The more places you post about the event, the more people will be likely to attend! Remember to tell them the "why" behind bingo night.
- Raise the money. You can raise money by charging people a fee to enter the event. Also be sure to have a donation table at the event to give people more information about where the money is going. You could also sell t-shirts, food, and drink during the night to make more money.
- Get prizes for the winners. The person that wins each game will expect some sort of prize. You can ask around your town to see if local businesses will be willing to donate some prizes. If you need more prizes, you can purchase gift cards or wrap baked goods to serve as a prize for the winners.
Now you can support other fundraisers you see, provide support to another family trying to fund-raise, and share about your fundraising experience with us! Email your story (and photos too!) to adoption@gladney.org.
If you have questions about fundraising or other financial aspects of adoption, please reach out to our Senior Vice President of Finance.
