For three years now, I’ve intended to write this post – about this interesting event we have at my church every year. One of the biggest fundraisers at our church each year, the wild game dinner, is an opportunity to try wild game dishes of all sorts! Venison tacos, rabbit ramen, bison balls, etc. Each time, I try so many things I’ve never tried before!
Important Fundraising Elements of Our Wild Game Dinner
The wild game dinner requires a church committee and a whole lot of planning! This group of people have been planning this event for a while now so they have things down to an art. Here are some key fundraising elements of our wild game dinner.
Our event goes toward funding our church food pantry, and…wow…this committee does a phenomenal job of raising money through its efforts.
- Ticket sales
- Booth sales
- Special tables of recognition
- Raffle tickets
- Silent auction
- Live auction
Ticket Sales for a Wild Game Dinner
This year’s tickets were $10 a person or $30 a family. We were able to purchase before and after church services on Sundays or through an online payment program which the church promoted on social media.
Booth Sales
Each group that wishes to sponsor a booth/table at the event must pay a booth fee. This year our booth fee was $25. In our case, many of the tables were hosted by adult Sunday school groups, local organizations, etc.
Special VIP Tables
Families or local businesses can opt to pay for a special table with their family name or business name displayed on a sign. The tables are gussied up a little nicer than the general tables for the rest of the attendees. I’m not sure what the price is, but I feel like this is a large earner toward the fundraiser.
Raffle Tickets
The church raffles off two large gifted prizes. This year, one raffle prize was a shotgun (remember this is a Wild Game dinner!). The other was a weekend in a nice cabin on the White River. The raffle tickets sell for $20 each.
Silent Auction
The church asked different groups and individuals to sponsor an auction item or auction basket for a silent auction that is held during the evening. The silent auction is held in a different area of the church. Certain volunteers man the silent auction room, and the auction closes toward the end of the night so that the auction winners can go home with their winnings.
Live Auction at Our Wild Game Dinner
The most entertaining part of the night is the live auction – held toward the end of the night. Our live auction features big ticket items that have been donated by local businesses. For example, a diamond bracelet donated by a local jewelry store went for $800! Diamond earrings went for $300 and a guitar went for $250, etc.
Other Unique Elements of a Wild Game Dinner
What makes a wild game dinner so special is the unique features that you likely won’t experience at any other event.
- Live music
- Camoflauge
- Special activities for the kids
- Wildnerness style decor
- Cafeteria-style food lines
- WILD food! – any type of wild game and catfish (which it not technically wild game but there is an abundance of catfish in Arkansas lakes and ponds so catfish is popular here)
Live Music
Okay, okay. Live music is not so unusual at large event, after all. But…I’m convinced our church has the BEST live entertainment – our very own church band members from our contemporary service. They have incredible voices whether singing alone or together, and their presence on the stage really adds to the enjoyment of the night.
Camouflage
You better believe I only own one solo piece of camo – a super cute moto jacket – and it’s reserved for this event every year! Everybody is decked out in camo – even people you wouldn’t expect – like me. Over the years, my girls have worn camouflage leggings, camo hair scrunchies, etc. If nothing else, a pair of olive green leggings and a black shirt works well. Dressing up is not required, but many people do rock the camo. If you know me…you know I love a good dress up theme!
Activities for Kids
Obviously, as this is a church event for us, this is a family-friendly event. Our church youth group and children’s ministry teams provide a special area for kids to be entertained. They do animal-based activities like making animal masks, wilderness art, etc.
In the past, the Arkansas Game and Fish has attended with its large fish aquarium truck. The kids love going outside and seeing the fish.
Wilderness Style Decor
What’s a wild game dinner without some deer horns, duck decoys, and camouflage tablecloths? As with most any type of event, the bigger and bolder the decor, the better!
Cafeteria-Style Food Lines
As guests arrive at 5 p.m., they immediately go to the ticket table and check in. Then, they grab a cafeteria tray, disposable plates and bowls, and cutlery. They can go left or right as booths line the walls of the room. They can choose to take something from each table they pass or they can elect to bypass foods they are feeling adventurous enough to try! And people are welcome to visit a table more than once.
There are two self-serve drink stations set up in the room (which is our large Family Life Center).
Once a guest is all set with his food and drink, he can choose to sit at any of the open tables. Those with the VIP tables can easily locate their names or business names on the separate tables.
Wild Game Dinner Food
Let’s finally get to the what everyone really gets excited about at a wild game dinner…the WILD food! Well, I shouldn’t say everyone. The first time I went to our event, I was skeptical as to what I would eat. But, let me tell you…there is so much good stuff to try that I come out stuffed every time!
And now my girls are the skeptics. But they find plenty to eat – even if most of it is dessert! There is definitely plenty of that!
Wild Game Dinner Food Ideas
We have such a variety of food at our wild game event! You will see there are some “tame” meats mixed in with the wild game.
- Pheasant and rice
- Wild boar sliders
- Venison tacos
- Venison chili
- Rabbit and ramen
- Dirty venison and rice
- Bear bites
- Squirrel
- Alligator
- Fried catfish
- Venison gumbo
- Beaver bites
- Cowboy cornbread (with deer meat)
- Deer meat tacos
- Bison balls (meatballs)
Food Preparation for Our Wild Game Dinner
As I started to explain above, every group that wishes to host a booth must pay to host a booth. Then, that group is responsible for decorating the area and providing a pre-determined type of food.
Most booths offer some type of wild game (more on that below). Others offer side dishes, and a few tables offer desserts. As for my Sunday school group, we host a “tame game” table of pulled pork sliders and mac n cheese. Last year, we also offered brisket which was a big hit.
In the past, we prepared pulled pork sliders – which was quite a bit of work. Multiple couples in our group smoked pork butts and briskets at home. (The couples that did not provide smoked meat provided the rest of the needed goods – bbq sauces, slow cookers of mac and cheese, etc.)
We then met about 1 1/2 hours ahead of the event at the church. We used the church kitchen to shred the pork and brisket and prepare the sliders on Hawaiian buns. We had 6 pork butts, one brisket, and 300 Hawaiian rolls. It was a huge group effort, and it was all quite a bit of work! But it was so fun working together for this unified event!
This year, we got a little smarter and simply scooped pulled pork onto each plate as guests arrived at our table. The guests could choose to take a slider roll or not, and they were able to pour their own choice of bbq sauce. (We had a wide variety of bbq sauce – watermelon bbq sauce, Japanese bbq sauce, sugar-free original bbq sauce, hickory smoked bbq sauce, sweet and spicy, etc.) This process worked very well, and we did not have to spend an hour beforehand frantically putting together sliders in the church kitchen!
I hope you found some of these ideas from our awesome church event helpful for setting up your own wild game dinner! I’m so proud of our church for putting in the hard work to grow this event over the years!
This year, few weeks after our church wild game dinner was over, our group received a nice thank you card – on special personalized wild game dinner stationary – thanking us for our donation/contribution to the event. It was a nice touch!
I hope you found some inspiration here from my church’s unique wild game event!
More Fun Party Ideas
Planning a Murder Mystery Party
1980s Theme Murder Mystery Party
80s Theme Murder Mystery Party
Plan a Rad 1980s Murder Mystery Party
1980s Party Food and 1980s Drink Ideas
How to Plan a Potluck Charcuterie Table Plus 50 Charcuterie Boards
Best Fiesta and Cinco de Mayo Quotes
Patriotic Recipes for a July 4th Party
Chips and Hummus Party Plus 12 Hummus Recipes
Best Tropical Foods for a Luau
Unique Fiesta Party Theme Ideas
Leave a Reply