Hosting a murder mystery party as a fundraiser is extremely popular. Whether you choose to charge a fee, serve food or any other ways to raise money, many people will be unable to resist the intrigue and excitement of a murder mystery party. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Choose a location. Because this is a fundraiser, you may be able to have a hall or hotel donate a room. Ask around. If this is a smaller party, it could possibly be held at someone's home as well.
2. Anticipate the number of guests. Set a goal for the amount of guests you want to show up. If you have a hall, you might strive for 100 people. If you are at someone's house for the event, a more plausible number may be 20 or 30.
3. Purchase a kit. Find a murder mystery kit that is focused around the number of people you are going to have. Most kits that are sold offer between 8 to 30 characters. If you are going to have more, you might want to assign the characters to the first 30 people, and have the others be the guests that are trying to solve the crime. Each kit has a theme, so choose one that you believe your guests will like and will enjoy dressing up for. Some examples are a Nile River cruise or a New York fashion show.
4. Decide on Charges. Have a door charge, say around $25 per person. This may or may not include dinner, it depends on your costs of that. For some crowds an open bar may be a good idea, as well as a 50/50 raffle. If you have 50 guests, at $25 per person, that is $1,250. Add on some profit from an open bar, perhaps $250, and if you can raise another $500 on 50/50 raffles, you are looking at collecting $2,000.
5. Send out invites. It is imperative that guests RSVP to this event so you may assign characters. Since this is a fundraiser, make sure that is on the invitations. On the average, about 66 percent of invited guests will attend, so invite a few over your target number! You may also want to advertise in the local newspapers if this event is open to the public. Encourage guests to dress up.
6. Assign characters. As people RSVP, assign characters. The kit will help you with this. If some people are too shy to play characters, they can be on the "guest" list. This will also help everyone plan on dress.
7. Study and read the kit well. This is important so you can plan and implement the "murder" as required. You will probably need to enlist the help of a few others. Your kit should have a checklist with it to make sure all avenues are covered. If not, as you go through the kit, make your own.
8. Decorate. Decorate the place to "set the stage" for the themed murder mystery event. A few well-placed items and a few strong colors will tie together a room nicely for a fundraiser.
9. Party. Make sure all guests are having fun and that the "murder" is going as planned. Be sure to take lots of photos to send to local newspapers, or publish on your group's websites or newsletters. If the murder mystery party is successful, everyone will be anticipating the next one.
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