Fundraising in the summer is easy — outdoor barbeques, car washes, and 5k runs are classic money makers for organizations when the weather is nice. But when it isn’t, try out these ideas and garner more support for veterans all year-round.

Trivia Night

All across America, trivia nights are extremely popular. Why not create your own trivia night to raise money for your ALA unit?

What you’ll need:

• Venue to host event at
• Quiz questions
• Quiz answer sheets
• Food/drinks
• Microphone (depending on how many people you are expecting)

When you have found a venue spot, it’s time to decide on questions. You could make it a themed night, or just go with general trivia. Whatever you do, make sure you have different levels of difficulty and questions that would suit different age groups. Have attendees answer questions in rounds and turn in their answers. You’ll need someone to tally up the points at the end and be sure to have a prize for the winning team.

There are a few different ways to collect funds for your unit during a trivia game. Choose one or a few of these to ensure your fundraiser is a success:

• Charge a fee to play in the tournament, either per person or per team
• Sell refreshments
• Ask some sponsors to sponsor individual categories, and in exchange, their names will be mentioned and/or displayed during those categories. “This category is brought to you by…”
• Host your tournament at a local restaurant, and ask that they donate part of the proceeds from all sales that evening to your unit’s projects

Board Game Tournament 

Keeping with the competitive spirit, try hosting a board game tournament to raise money for your ALA unit. This is a simple fundraiser that you can repeat on a regular basis and is great for families.

First, you will need to decide on one or a few different games to play. If they are individual games, charge an entrance fee per person. If they are group games, charge an entry fee per team. If there are guests that just want to come and watch, charge a cheaper spectator fee, and be sure to have seating for them as well.

For additional funds and to keep players happy, offer paid refreshments and snacks throughout the course of the event.

When your guests have arrived, go over the “player code of conduct,” including house rules for each game, time limits per round, and tournament style (round robin, double elimination, etc.)

Then, be sure to keep a visible scoreboard (on a projector or chalkboard), and let the games begin! Offer prizes for winners, whether that is part of the money raised, gift cards, or a sponsored gift given by a local business.

Parents Night Out

Parents deserve a night off. Especially when they are cooped up inside with their children throughout the winter. Grant that wish with this easy fundraiser.

Just pick an evening, a place to host kids, and tell your local parents to drop their kids off for the evening in exchange for a donation to your ALA unit! You can charge a specific fee per child per hour, or just have a flat fee for the evening.

What you’ll need:

• Plenty of space for kids to run around in a child safe area
• Games, crafts, toys, books
• Lots of volunteer babysitters
• Snacks/drinks

Designate different babysitters and play areas for different aged children. Then have a blast while the parents enjoy a kid free night out!

Share your fundraising ideas with us by emailing ALAMagazine@ALAforVeterans.org or tag us on social media @ ALAforVeterans.