How to donate to Ukraine's army by playing quiz?

The full-scale invasion of Russia continues, and the Ukrainian military will continue to need the support of volunteers in weapons, equipment, and medical supplies. Such assistance allows the soldiers to defend and liberate territories but requires considerable funds, which are becoming increasingly difficult to collect.

Volunteers have to devise different ways to make fundraisers creative. Charity events have become one of these options, helping people distract from the realities of war, find friends, unite, and most importantly, spend time with benefit, supporting the army.

Veronika Strelchenko from Khmelnytskyi came up with her own way of closing large fundraisers and making them interesting. In 2022, with her friend Nataliia Kozenko, she started organizing intellectual quizzes — "Quiz On," where team participants compete and answer various questions for a charitable contribution to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the end, the winners with the most points receive gifts. It was easy for the volunteer to dare to organize such an event since she had already conducted quizzes before that.

In 2016, she took part in intellectual quizzes. Already in 2020, together with friends, they organized quizzes in their city, but due to COVID-19, they had to stop the activities. When the full-scale invasion began, she decided to try to organize them again, but already to help the army. Earlier, the team spent contributions on gifts for the participants, and now they go for the needs of the military.

Veronika Strelchenko and her friend Nataliia Kozenko. Photo from the heroine's archive

During the year, she managed to hold about nine charity quizzes, thanks to which more than ₴226 thousand (around $5900) were collected. Although the first quiz brought only 200$, donations collected for one game have increased three times since then.

Report on the funds collected from the charity quiz. Photo from the heroine's archive

In addition to fundraisers for the army, these quizzes give people not only entertainment but also comprehensive intellectual development. Activity among participants during the year has not decreased — at least 60 people regularly attend the quiz. As the founder points out, they can often donate even more than is required for the contribution, allowing volunteers to purchase more aid for the military.

The quiz participants are divided into teams, where they can prove themselves and learn to interact with other colleagues in the game. Quiz questions cover different topics, so participants can show their knowledge or gain it through the game. 

Conducting a quiz requires personal, mental, and financial resources. The organizers have to choose a place, equip it for a comfortable stay for the participants, come up with questions, and find prizes for the winners. Usually, the quizzes are held once a month, but if there is an opportunity and desire, they can be held more often.

"You need to be ready to invest in organizing such an event, but the result is usually worth it," emphasizes the founder of "Quiz On." Currently, three people are working on quizzes in Khmelnytskyi.

"Usually, we are very confident in our abilities, but organizing events is quite a lot of work," Strelchenko continues. "If you can do everything yourself — great, but there is a risk of burning out over time. The division of responsibilities is necessary because the team can look at the situation from different angles and discuss certain points you can overlook on your own."

Any motivated person can organize a charity quiz, but you should prepare for it beforehand. Strelchenko shared with Rubryka the main aspects during the preparation and conducting of the quiz.

The primary idea of the quizzes is that they are held in bars, where participants relax after work but simultaneously have mental activity in the form of intellectual competition. A cafe will also be a convenient place for a quiz, as people can order drinks and food.

"Be prepared that you may be refused to hold a quiz in catering establishments because the time when it will take place may coincide with a profitable time for the cafe," the founder explains.

However, hubs, community centers, or even the premises of cultural institutions will be no less convenient venues. In particular, "Quiz On" was once held on the premises of the Khmelnytskyi Philharmonic.

Nataliia Kozenko checks the results. Photo from open sources

When you find a room, you should see if it is technically equipped. The organizer adds that the best time for quizzes is weekday evenings. People can relax after work. On weekends, they are more likely to spend time with their family.

The team at the intellectual quiz. Photo from open sources

Questions for intellectual quizzes are mainly composed by the organizers themselves with the help of the Internet and articles on various topics.

Veronika Strelchenko during the quiz. Photo from the heroine's archive

For the first quiz, you can take ready-made questions from the Internet, but it is better to rework them a little for a better perception of the participants. ChatGPT or any other service with artificial intelligence will help diversify the quiz.

"Once, we used artificial intelligence to create an illustration for a song, so the participants looked at the picture and had to guess which song it was. Modern technologies really help," says Strelchenko.

One of the questions during the quiz. Photo from open sources

Approximately 50 questions are usually created for a quiz, divided into rounds. They can be on completely different topics or be limited to one. The main thing is that the questions are not repeated and are clear, the organizer emphasizes. The players write down the correct answers on the sheets, which are then given for scoring.

Organizers will notify participants about the planned quiz through social networks. For this, a special poster is created with the main details of the event. 

"Ask acquaintances and friends to repost — it's an elementary thing, but it really works. After participating in the game, people tell their friends about it, and in this way, even more players appear," Strelchenko explains.

Along with sharing information about the quiz, there should be a link for registration. This helps organizers to prepare venues and stationery for the game in advance. Also, in the questionnaire, people indicate if they have their own team or need to be assigned to one.

"When we prepare for a quiz, we need to know how many tables and chairs we need. There was a case when the players called an hour before the start and said they would come. Of course, we didn't count on them, so we had to quickly look for a car that would bring the chairs, which also needed to be found. Fortunately, we managed to do everything," the organizer recalls.

Gifts also motivate participation and strengthen the spirit of the competition. If earlier the organizers of "Quiz On" bought them from contributions, now, sponsors help with that. They can also help with organizational expenses, the founder notes. The team also split the catering costs with sponsors, who also allocate gifts for the winners, such as sweets, books, certificates for attending a language school, etc.

Various activities add atmosphere. For example, in Khmelnytskyi, players are offered to wear costumes of their favorite characters, for which they also receive gifts. Once, the teams were offered to build a tower of marshmallows and spaghetti. For the highest, participants received additional points. Such a task became a real surprise for the participants, which also helped them develop team skills. 

Marshmallow and spaghetti tower. Photo from the heroine's archive

Since intellectual quizzes have a charitable motive, they require legal grounds for fundraising. The organizers decided to cooperate with the Podillia Volunteers charitable foundation, from where they took a box for contributions for participation in the game. In addition to the opening for donations in cash, it has a QR code via which participants can transfer money.

Box of the charity fund with which the organizers of the quiz cooperate. Photo from open sources

In addition to charitable contributions for the game, auctions play an essential role. The founder of the quiz recalls that they were given various items for the raffle, including collectible champagne from Bakhmut, paintings, a collectible coin of five hryvnias from the National Bank of Ukraine "Volodymyrskyi Sobor," an ammunition chest, a helmet of a Russian soldier painted by an artist from Mariupol, etc. 

"We also offered our participants to sign drones for a donation. Participants responded positively, and now, this is quite a popular idea. Each signature carries its own special meaning, and it is also a support and reminder for the soldiers that they are remembered," the organizer emphasizes.

A signed drone. Photo from open sources

The quiz organizers also advise reporting to the participants about the donations collected and what they were spent on. This builds trust and attracts future players. Social networks created for the quiz will be a convenient platform for this.

There is already more than one organized quiz on the "Quiz On" account. The team is gradually increasing and preparing to manage intellectual quizzes in other cities of Ukraine.

"The main thing is not to be afraid to organize such events and do it wholeheartedly. People will feel it and will give their support in return," Strelchenko is convinced. 

She adds that the fund they work with was initially wary of organizing quizzes. However, seeing the passion and motivation in their eyes, they decided to help. The "Quiz On" team continues its activities and is ready to share its experience with other volunteers.

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