Longtime CEO Offers Tips for Successful Fundraisers

Photo courtesy of Southern Gaming

With over 25 years of experience under his belt, Tom Waller knows a few things about fundraising. As founder and CEO of Premier Casino Events, Waller’s company has hosted more than 2,500 successful events in the last 27 years. Recently, Waller spoke at the Kentucky State Charitable Gaming Conference, an event that drew hundreds of non-profit organizations from across the Midwest, on fundraising. Here are his top tips for those organizations:

1. Fundraisers Are About Raising Funds: The sole purpose of a fundraiser is to increase revenue for an organization. With that being said, every activity planned should offer guests a way to increase their contribution to your cause (i.e. silent auction, raffle, casino games, etc.).
2. Spend Money to Make Money: Creating events with all the emphasis on price alone often discourages attendance and participation so be sure to design a fundraiser that makes people want to attend and stay to the very end.
3. Always Be Thinking Long Term: Hosting an exciting event that generates a lot of buzz in the community and among your supporters will lead to a 20-25% increase in attendance the following year.
4. Select Your Ticket Price with Care: Weigh the pros and cons of making more money on the front end (the “admission price”) or on the backend (event activities) and decide which option is the best for your organization.
5. Make Your Event Creative and Social: Every good event needs a “hook” or something to generate buzz. Does the event have a theme? What is the “promise” of the event?
6. Don’t Reinvent the Wheel: Build upon previous successes rather than starting over from scratch.
7. Use Your Resources: Make a list of available resources such as supporters who would be interested in volunteering or corporate sponsors who would be willing to donate a products or services for a silent auction and reach out. It might also be a good idea to keep this information on file for future events.
8. Make Sure You Are Compliant: Hosting a casino event or bingo night? Make sure you are registered with your state’s office of Charitable Gaming.
9. Promote Your Sponsors: Show your sponsors some love by hanging signage, mentioning them over the loudspeaker several times during the event, asking them to participate in raffle drawings, or giving them a special area at the event (i.e. Rent It Today Booth or Sony Lounge).
10. Get Your Guests to Laugh and Participate Actively: Laughter and active participation leads to great events and great memories.

A Passion for Excellence

Organizing a fundraiser in Indianapolis or one of the surrounding areas? Premier Casino Events can help! With over 27 years experience in the industry, Premier Casino Events is “serious about fun.” From craps and roulette tables to slot machines and wheels, Premier Casino Events offers the very best rental casino equipment in the Midwest. Specializing in corporate parties, special events, and fundraisers, Premier Casino Events is committed to meeting the needs of every customer and helping make their event a success.

In addition to casino game rentals, Premier Casino Events also carries a wide variety of non-casino games, accessories, and entertainment options. In all, the company has hosted over 2,500 events and entertained more than one million guests since 1989.

For more information on Premier Casino Rental or to view a list of their available casino games, visit their website.