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Using a Murder Mystery Game for a Fundraising Event.

Murder Mysteries are becoming increasingly popular. People pay to participate in murder mystery dinners at restaurants, or even weekend breaks purely as a means of entertainment ? so why not run a murder mystery for a fundraising event? Many people have already found them to be a hugely enjoyable (and profitable) success, and repeat the event on a yearly basis!

What kind of things to you need to consider?

Firstly you need to pick the type of mystery you want to run.

Large group mystery games come in a variety of formats and you need to pick a format that will work best for you and your venue.

At Red Herring Games we sell a variety of games which may suit ? not just the ones listed in the fundraising section, see also our large group section.

Some games work best conducted at a table, in which case you really need to be prepared to run the event over a meal (which obviously puts up costs). These come in a variety of formats, from passing paper clues, to interviewing cast at tables.

Other games are run with guests / participants visiting different rooms and listening to cast talking. These games can be run without a sit down meal, and you simply need to decide whether you want any refreshments, and if so what type. These games are written, or can be adapted to run at local shows making use of different rooms, or stalls which participants should visit to solve the case. If you are running mysteries in conjunction with another function like this then you reduce several costs; advertising and refreshments to name two that quickly spring to mind.

So first of all decide what type of event to run: a sit down meal style event, or a wander about event.

How do you pick between them?

Well, firstly what kind of venue do you have available?

Secondly how many people can you fit into the building / do you want to take part? (Obviously the more participants the more money you raise!)

Thirdly, how much effort do you want to go to? Some of these mysteries require prop clues; others simply require easy to get props and some printed paper clues.

Only you know what money, time and help you have available to run an event, so we cannot provide any hard and fast rules, but if you need help picking a game, contact us at Red Herring Games and we will try to advise you.

You?ve picked a game. What next?

Preparations for fundraising events have to start well in advance. We would advise you begin planning for your event at least a couple of months in advance to allow time for you to book a venue, arrange everything you need, rehearse, and of course advertise the event.

Never ever try to run an event single handed. Always gather a team around you. This is essential, especially if you happen to get sick at a critical moment! Try to keep the actual planning team small. It is easier to fix a date for a small group of people to meet, than to coordinate diaries for a large number.

From this planning team you can then set up satellite teams of people who can meet to arrange other aspects of the event such as catering, decorating etc. You don?t need to be involved in everything! Act as coordinator. Volunteers are usually happier to take small jobs which they can do as required than be forced to attend large meetings to discuss things.

At the planning meetings decide on the people you need to run the event, this could be catering staff, table clearing personnel, waiting staff, ticket sellers, set producers, cast, to name a few. Then simply find the people you need and give them a list of jobs.

People are more prepared to give their time for a specific job, than to attend meetings and have to volunteer for something they think they can do. Also you get over people?s modesty ? by simply asking them to do the job you know they can do well!

Believe me, this method works much easier than simply asking for ?volunteers for a mystery event?!

Things to discuss in your planning meetings:

Time, Location and Event Format

Fix a date for the event. Everyone involved in the preparation needs a date to work towards, and given what is involved, please set a date well in advance to give yourself ample time.

Find a venue and book it!

Use your mystery as a guide for what type of venue you need. Red Herring Games sell a variety of different mystery formats and most of the games can be adapted if you have people on your team with a little imagination to fit just about any format you choose. If you have a new format idea then email us at Red Herring Games and we?ll see what we can do, we might be able to suggest an adaptation, or work with you to create a new game for you at a reasonable price.

Format. Decide how you are running the mystery event. Will the mystery be the main event, or just simply a side show to keep guests amused while they have food and drink? Do you want them to have food and drink during the event? If so, how are you doing it? Do you have one main room in which all guests can mingle to eat and drink, or are you spreading the menu around different rooms?

Refreshments are a harder thing to do than you think. You have all sorts of health and safety and hygiene requirements to meet if you are selling tickets. Consider getting in outside caterers. These aren?t as expensive as you might think, depending on the menu you choose, and the price of the meal can be included in the ticket so that you make the money in addition to the meal cost. Of course if you run the event as part of a fair or rural show etc, then caterers are not required and you can charge less to take part.

Invitations. Consider how you are inviting your guests. Will it be invitation only, or open house? Do you have enough space for them all to arrive at once? Or will you stagger arrival times? Will it be ticket only basis? Will you charge them to take part? Advertising. What about advertising? Will you rely on word of mouth or pay for advertisements in the local paper etc? Sometimes you can have a complete sell out of 70 tickets with a few nicely presented flyers and word of mouth only. These are popular social gatherings. You will know what will work for you, and a lot depends on how many participants you can cope with!

Further revenue. Don?t forget, once you have people willing to come to the mystery, to take advantage of their presence. You could run a raffle as well, or have a donation box at the main door, or simply auction off a few clues. People are coming to enjoy themselves, not necessarily to raise money (they might not even know that was what the event was for!) and many will happily give to the cause while they are there. Don?t feel awkward asking.

Funding

How are you funding the game? Some people will willingly give up their time and help with the props, but when it comes to a sit down meal, are you including this in the price of the tickets, or can you get sponsorship deals to pay for the food.

If you produce a booklet style program to accompany the game, even if it only surrounds blank paper for people to keep notes, then this gives you the option of including advertising for companies. Some companies may well sponsor the dinner in return for the advertising space. Rule of thumb is: if you don?t ask you don?t get.

You may feel awkward at first, but if you cause is good enough, then surely it is worth company money too.

Preparation for Mystery:

These instructions are also included in more detailed format within the fundraising games.

Cast:

Firstly select your cast members. If you plan on running this on a grand scale, it may also be worth selecting understudies, in case of accident or illness.

Give each cast member their scripts and any other information they need to know. Sometimes it is useful for cast to read through the solution as well.

Make sure they have ample time to rehearse their parts. If any struggle with memorising their scripts then think of ways in which this can be hidden on their ?stage? area, e.g. taped inside props, like a handbag.

Choose your game according to how good your cast are at memorising things and rehearsal time. Some games have larger parts to memorise than others.

Costumes:

Find costumes for the cast appropriate to the event. You may also want to secure costumes for any extras you need on the night, e.g. waiters, waitresses, or other assistants who can mingle and point guests in the right direction when they get stuck. Any extras will add to the ambience, but make sure the guests know they aren?t part of the mystery.

Dressing up the Venue:

Do your best to dress up all the rooms you plan on using for the event. This can be simple, or you can go all out. The more effort you make, the more enjoyable the mystery will be for the guests. As a general point, watch out for anachronisms within the rooms (things that are out of place e.g. a clock for a medieval mystery, or something post 1920?s for a 1920?s event.)

Ask around your volunteers for things they may have in their own houses or among friends to decorate the venue. This needn?t be costly. Only after you have exhausted friends and colleagues should you go shopping. Sometimes shops will happily give you what you need on loan (or to keep) if you are cheeky enough to ask, especially if it is for a good cause, (and don?t forget they can advertise!).

Music

Think about music. Music can do a lot to add ambience. Obviously you can just use a CD, but if you are producing this mystery on a large scale and have sufficient funds and space for a large gathering room then consider a band.

Props / Clues

All the mysteries will require some form of props or clues. Some of these will be easily available, others more so (like guns!). Obviously the more real the props look the better. However if you have difficulty getting hold of any of the required clues ? don?t panic! Simply get a photograph of what should have been there and say it was taken away by the police for analysis!

At the end of the event

Think about prizes. They don?t need to be big. A small box of chocolates, or a magnifying glass (or something in keeping with the theme of the event) is more than adequate at the end of the mystery. Most people will have simply enjoyed taking part in the game.

Why not get someone important locally to give out the prizes?

If conducting the game on a large scale why not get the solution amended and printed in a local newspaper, or read out on the radio.

And don?t forget to publicise how much you have raised both on the night and in the paper.

Finally, at the end of the night, or sometime during it, make sure you plug your next fundraising event.

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For any specific information regarding fundraising mystery games, or for any advice please contact us.