Organise a charity quiz for Macmillan

Arranging your quiz night

Choose a quiz date

When choosing your quiz date, try to go for a date that doesn't clash with any other major events or occasions, or other quizzes taking place in the area. You'll need to give yourself a few weeks to plan your quiz (a bit less if you're holding a virtual quiz) so allow for this time when choosing the date for your event.

Decide where to host your quiz night

If you're hosting your quiz remotely then you're sorted! But if it's safe to do so and you want to hold your quiz at a pub, town hall, or another venue, make sure you book your venue as far in advance as possible. Some venues may even be able to give you a charity rate for the hire fee, and pubs may even give you their space for free if you can guarantee a minimum spend at the bar on the night.

Invite people to your quiz

When it comes to organising quizzes, the more the merrier as this will boost your fundraising total.

Spread the word

Think about asking your friends, family and wider network to spread the word and gather teams of up to, say, six people. Advertise the quiz at your local groups, clubs and pubs to get the word out even further.

See more tips about spreading the word about your event.

Keep an eye on your numbers

If you’re hosting your quiz at a venue, you may only be allowed to have a maximum number of participants at your quiz depending on the venue capacity and current social distancing measures. Make a note of the number of teams your venue can host and keep an eye on the number of teams you confirm for the night so you know when you’ve hit maximum capacity.

Setting ticket prices for your quiz night

Get a donation amount per person or per team eg £5-£10. There are lots of other ways for you to boost your fundraising total on the night of the quiz including a raffle and bonus games such as heads and tails. Set up an online giving page to collect donations before and on the night of your quiz.

Creating your quiz

Investing a bit of extra time and effort into your quiz will be well worth it and appreciated by your participants. You can use our ready-made quiz questions, write your own from scratch or even mix and match!

Use our ready-to-go quiz pack

Take a look at our guide on how to run a virtual quiz, which can easily be adapted for a quiz held in person at a safe distance. This includes a set of five rounds of quiz questions ranging in difficulty and a whole batch of ideas for creative/brainteaser rounds you may wish to include.

Making your own quiz

Don't make it too hard: try to strike the right balance with your questions to suit the needs and abilities of your quiz participants. Think about adding in some easier questions here and there.

Give each round a theme: for some of your rounds you can stick to traditional themes like sport, history, or geography, but you can tailor the quiz to make it even more engaging – eg why not do a round themed on the past year’s events, your local area or include a music round to mix things up a bit?

Throw in a fun round (or two!): add an extra element of fun to your quiz by including one or two rounds which are a bit sillier and/or interactive. An easy option is to include a simple picture or riddles round which can be done mid-quiz, or even get creative and make a guess the ingredient/smell challenge, who can build the highest pipe-cleaner tower or best loo-roll outfit challenge – guaranteed to cause lots of laughter and rivalry.

On the night

Think about refreshments

Depending on the location of your quiz, you could include a drinks token in the price of the ticket, or make sure the available bar is fully stocked. Some venues might allow guests to bring their own food or snacks, or you could even charge a bit more per ticket and lay on a simple supper or snack selection.

Don’t let the quiz run late

Be strict with yourself and keep an eye on the time when you’re going through each of your quiz rounds. Allow time for a 30 minute refreshment break that can always be cut a bit short if you’re running slightly over.

Be VERY strict about cheating

Stress a strict ban on the use of mobile phones during rounds – cheating of any kind should not be tolerated. You can even rope in a few volunteers to monitor this around the teams and tables. Whoever wins must win fair and square!