10 Tips For A Great Game Day in 2022

Extra Life Game Day started in 2008 in memory of Victoria Enmon. It’s a day dedicated to playing games and raising funds to support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. As your Game Day approaches, it can become easy to feel overwhelmed. Here are the 10 things to do before Game Day to make sure you are in the best shape to raise the most money for the kids that you can. Do all of the things on this pre-Game Day checklist and you will be a few steps ahead of the pack when your Game Day kicks off!

1. Make the First Donation

One of the most important factors in fundraising is momentum. People are far more likely to donate to a cause when they see that others have done the same. If you make the first donation to your own fundraiser, you can add a bit of momentum all by yourself. Getting into that habit can help you raise up to ten times more for local kids!

2. Enable Facebook Fundraisers

One of the most helpful tools for grassroots fundraising has been Facebook Fundraisers. On average, people who launch Facebook Fundraisers are able to raise $263 USD more than those who don’t. We whipped up step-by-step instructions on how to go about setting up a Facebook Fundraiser through your Extra Life dashboard. **Note, this feature will convert all donations into USD and Facebook donations outside of the USA will not offer tax receipts.

3. Check for Matching Donations

Many employers offer matching donations for employee fundraising efforts. Before your Game Day, check in with your company’s Human Resources department to see if they offer employer matching. If they do, try to take advantage of that offer for your fundraising. It’s an easy way to double the amount of good you’re doing for your CMN Hospital.

4. Use Milestone and Incentives Features

We took a look at the data from 2019 and 2020 and noticed many participants leveled up their fundraising by enabling incentives and getting the word out. On average, participants raised between 3x-6x more for their hospitals than Extra Lifers who didn’t use this feature.

We know that often large goals mean having many smaller milestones and you can add those milestone markers to your Extra Life profile to show everyone else where your smaller goals stack up. Each milestone can be paired with an incentive if you so wish. This can be a really fun way of breaking up an ambitious goal into more digestible chunks.

5. Study Up on Streaming (although not required!)

If you are new to streaming or need to brush up on the basics, we’ve got a beginner’s guide to streaming that will help you cover the basics of how to set up a stream from scratch, let people know you’re streaming, and raise money from your stream.

Perhaps most helpful, the guide also walks newbies through the process of creating a stream bot to help all of those things come together during streams. **Note streaming is not required to participate in Extra Life. Here are ways you can support Extra Life and fundraise other than streaming.

6. Livestreaming Extensions and Streaming Overlays

Use our Twitch Extension that will help connect your stream with your current fundraising status. This will help both you and your viewers keep tabs on your progress toward your goal as well as your top donors! It’s a helpful tool to have in your back pocket, so we put together a handy guide to setting it up. **Note streaming is not required to participate in Extra Life. Here are ways you can support Extra Life and fundraise other than streaming.

Theme your stream for Game Day with Extra Life overlays! These are a collection of graphics that go over the screen to effectively brand your stream as an Extra Life fundraiser. We also created Twitch cards to let people know when you’re about to stream, when you’ll BRB and more. Let the world know you’re gaming for good on Game Day! **Note streaming is not required to participate in Extra Life. Here are ways you can support Extra Life and fundraise other than streaming.

7. Customize and Share These Social Media Graphics

Posts on social media are more effective when paired with videos or images. If you aren’t sure what images to add to your posts, dip into our Media Kit folder with Game Day assets to find customizable graphics that are suited to your needs!

8. Share About Extra Life

If you have a social media presence, please share this video or any others from our YouTube channel to share the word and impact of Extra Life with your followers! Being able to put faces to the kids we are all collectively working to help can go a long way toward helping you raise more money for the kids.

9. Upgrade to Platinum

An easy way to both support Extra Life and earn yourself some fun swag is by upgrading your account to Platinum status. Platinum Extra Lifers earn limited edition stickers for raising $75 USD, a t-shirt at $200 USD, a silver medal at $500 USD, a gold medal at $1,000 USD. Make sure you upgrade ASAP!

10. Download the Extra Life Fundraising App

One of the small things you can do to increase your fundraising reach is downloading the iOS or Android Extra Life app. On average, we see people who have downloaded and used the app raise 6% more than those who leave that tool unused.

Bonus: Follow us on Social and Join our Discord

Stay connected to our cause by connecting with us on social media and in the Extra Life Discord. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Subscribe to our Twitch and YouTube channels. Join your local Extra Life Facebook group. Connect with the Extra Life community on our Discord channel.

Here are additional resources that will set you up to make the most of your Extra Life fundraising!

• So You’ve Registered for Extra Life, Now What? Six tips to get started.
• How Extra Lifers can Socially Distance and Gather Virtually
• No streaming required | 6 Easy Ways to Raise Money For The Kids

We are grateful for ANY and all support you do to help change kids’ health to change the future for the kids treated at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. We believe that when we positively change the health of even one child, we create a ripple effect felt by our communities for years to come. When we ensure our children can lead healthy, fulfilling lives, we foster the scientists, inventors, artists, and leaders of tomorrow. Game on!

Don’t forget to sign up for Extra Life to Change Kids’ Health and Change the Future for kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games!