1. Gather Your Materials

In order to host a successful bingo night, you’ll need to get these 4 things:

• The right event space. A bingo night can be held in any large room where you can put (or that already has) enough tables and chairs for the number of people you expect to come. A school cafeteria, church fellowship hall, or community center rec room often works well.
• Supplies to play the game. Each participant in bingo night is going to need at least one bingo card (more if you want to switch cards between rounds or allow people to play multiple cards) and some small tokens or a dry-erase marker to mark off numbers as they’re called. You’ll also need one ball cage, numbered ping-pong balls, and a tray to track the numbers that have already been called in the round.
• Refreshments. A bingo night often lasts 2-3 hours, so you’ll want to have some snacks and drinks available for your participants so they can keep their energy up throughout the event.
• Prizes for the winners of each game!

2. Decide How to Collect Donations

When you decide on a cost to participate in your bingo night, you basically have two options. You could set a price per card per game and make your refreshment table into a concession stand. Or you could charge a flat rate that includes playing one card in each game of the night plus some number of refreshment tickets, and participants could pay a bit more to play multiple cards or get extra refreshments.

The collection method you choose will depend on your fundraising goals. Take some time to calculate approximately how much you’ll earn from each method based on the number of people you think will attend. Also, make sure that all the costs of your bingo night are covered in your existing budget, or that you’ll raise enough to cover outstanding costs and still have money remaining to put toward your cause.

3. Find the Right Caller

The most important person at your bingo night, who will make the event enjoyable and efficient, is the caller. So, you’ll want to put some thought into who that will be.

You could pick a member of your organization’s staff as the caller or find a volunteer from the community. Whoever you choose needs to be able to make the event interesting—bingo callers often add humor or their own style to the reading of the numbers—and have a strong quality to their voice. It’s ideal if your caller can project their voice without a microphone, but depending on the size of the room, you may need to add a microphone to your supply list.

4. Spread the Word

Getting the word out about a bingo night can be done in many ways. The most effective form of advertising will depend on who you expect to participate. Some examples of bingo-night communication tailored to different age groups include the following:

• Seniors—snail mail and printed flyers.
• K-12 students—posters in school hallways and an email announcement sent to parents.
• Young adults—social media posts.

If you’ve set a flat rate for the event, you could sell advance tickets online or at a table set up at your community center, church, or school. The pay-per-bingo-card method usually works better if you sell all your tickets at the event.

5. Set up the Space

In order to ensure a quick setup process, take inventory of all your bingo night materials several hours or days in advance. If you have your game supplies, refreshments, and prizes in order, you won’t have to arrive as early on the day of the event.

You’ll still want to come in a little while before the doors open, though, so you can make sure all the tables and chairs are set up the way you want them. Also, test your bingo cage and your microphone if you’re using one to ensure they’re working as they should.