🥍 Shot Accuracy Challenge
Fans buy shots at a target-covered net during the break, with a sponsor-funded prize for the hit and a donation QR on the board.
Why it works
It converts dead time between periods into revenue without asking anyone for a donation. Because the contest turns on skill rather than chance, a sponsor can fund a real grand prize, and the crowd watching the attempt is a captive audience for the halftime ask on the video board.
How to run it
- 1
Pick the skill your sport already owns and your venue can safely stage in a two-minute break: a field goal from the 20, a serve into a taped box, a half-court shot, a putt across the gym floor, a puck through a cutout, a throw into a target net.
- 2
Get the venue's sign-off on the staging, the equipment, and where the crowd stands. Do this first, it's the thing most likely to kill the play on game day.
- 3
Sell the naming sponsor and the grand-prize sponsor. A local business will fund a real prize (a TV, a $500 gift card, a year of car washes) in exchange for their name on the contest and a video-board mention every home game. Prize insurance is worth pricing if the grand prize is large.
- 4
Create a Product Sale for entry attempts, priced so an impulse buy is easy: $5 for one, $20 for five. Sell from a table with a QR code so nobody needs cash.
- 5
Set clear, written rules before the first attempt: who's eligible, the distance, how many attempts per entry, what counts as a make, and who judges it. Post them at the table and honor them exactly.
- 6
Line up consolation prizes so nobody walks away with nothing, donated gift cards, concession vouchers, or team gear keep the line moving all season.
- 7
Run the contest during the break, and put the donation QR code on the video board while the crowd is watching. The attempt is the attention-getter, the QR is the ask. If the board is yours to control, run the live donation board there instead of a static code: a total climbing between attempts does the asking for you.
- 8
Film it. A near-miss at the buzzer is the best social content your program will produce all season, and it sells next week's entries.
- 9
Boost it: a ~$20 Facebook & Instagram ad from the campaign's Ads tab reaches thousands of local people an organic post never will.
Responsibilities
Who does what, and when, so nothing slips.
- Clear the staging with the venue, then sell the naming and grand-prize sponsors.
- Write and post the rules, set the entry price, and create the product sale.
- Run the break, get the donation QR on the video board, and film the attempts.
- Staff the entry table, judge attempts against the posted rules, and reset equipment between tries.
- Hand out consolation prizes and keep the line moving.
- Fund the grand prize and the consolation prizes in exchange for naming and video-board recognition.
Before you run a raffle
Because the winner is decided by skill rather than a random draw, this is a contest of skill, not a raffle. Keep it that way: publish the rules, the distance, and the eligibility in advance, judge every attempt the same, and never decide a winner by drawing a name. If you add a random element (a drawing for who gets to attempt, for instance), your state's raffle rules may apply, so check before you do. If the grand prize is substantial, ask the sponsor to carry prize insurance.
Example messages
Sample outreach for this play, to spark your own.
Tonight at your team: $5 gets you a shot at {prize} during halftime, courtesy of {sponsor}. Make it and it's yours. Table's by the entrance.
Hi {business}, would you sponsor the your team Skills Challenge? You fund the prize, and your name is on the contest and up on the board at every home game all season. It's the moment the whole crowd is watching: {link}
Skills Challenge is up next at your team! $5 a shot at {prize}, or just scan the code on the board to support the team: {link}
These are just examples. You'll write and send your own messages when you set up your campaign.
Boost it. Plays that pair well
Game-Day Program & Ad Sales
A digital game-day program, roster, schedule, coach's welcome, and a donation link, with its ad space sold two ways: family tribute ads and local business ads. Accessed by QR at every home game and updated in minutes each week.
50/50 Raffle Night
Fans buy entries; the winner splits the pot with the team. The classic game-day fundraiser, now with online entry sales.