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Senior board sets early solicitation and prize changes for Game Night amid gift-card rules
Summary
The Farmers Branch Senior Advisory Board’s Game Night committee will solicit sponsors earlier, consider smaller, more numerous prizes and navigate a city rule that prohibits accepting cash to buy gift cards.
Members of the Farmers Branch Senior Advisory Board’s Game Night committee discussed fundraising logistics, prize structure and city rules on donations as they plan the 2024 event.
The committee told the board that rooms for Game Night are reserved for Sept. 13. Committee members said they want to begin solicitation earlier than past years—some corporate donors require 60 days’ notice—and to revise the solicitation letter and brochure so larger sponsors can be approached sooner.
Board members and staff discussed prize strategy. Committee members proposed reducing the number of large grand prizes and increasing the number of smaller prizes so more attendees win during the evening. The group also discussed staging drawings throughout the event rather than awarding a few large prizes all at once, to maintain engagement across the four-hour program.
There was extended discussion of the city’s donation rules. “I just wanna clarify that a sponsor can give us gift cards, and we can give those gift cards out. We just cannot take cash in and then go buy gift cards, just to clarify that,” said Jennifer, a staff member. Committee members noted that this restricts using cash donations to purchase gift cards for distribution and will affect how they accept and allocate donations.
Committee members suggested alternatives such as asking a donor to purchase gift cards directly, soliciting donated tangible items or arranging for businesses to contribute tickets or experiences (for example, theater tickets). They also discussed whether volunteers outside the advisory board can help with solicitations to expand outreach.
On logistics, the committee flagged several practical items: securing a louder PA system or a central announcing point so winners can hear announcements across multiple rooms, narrowing decisions about prize cutoffs for raffle tickets tied to casino and bingo areas, and coordinating with staff to distribute and track donated items.
The committee set a timetable: finalize solicitation letter and mailing list with staff contact Jennifer, begin outreach immediately, run surveys of members before the summer to shape prize decisions and present final prize and logistics recommendations to the board at the March meeting.
No formal vote was recorded on prize structure at the meeting; the board asked the Game Night committee to return with formal recommendations in March.
