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Are you stuck in a rut when it comes to distributing door prizes?
Do you use the same door prize distribution method at every women’s ministry event?
Would you like some fresh ideas to help your team give away door prizes?
While it is easy to just pull out those rolls of numbered carnival tickets, there are a lot more creative and exciting ways to give our door prizes!
Try one of these 15 fresh, fun ways to distribute door prizes at your next Women’s Ministry event.
15 Creative Ways to Give Away Door Prizes
1. Place stickers on the back of their name tags.
2. Utilize the Double Duty Door Prize Slips.
3. Hide stickers underneath their chairs.
4. Play “hot potato”. Whenever the music stops the person holding the door prize gets to keep it. This can be a lot more fun if you have several prizes moving around the circle/table at the same time. If you are at tables, you’ll want one prize per table.
5. Put stickers on the bottom of plates.
6. For an event that requires registration, print out all the names and place them in a basket.
7. Use a unique item to draw names from such as a beach hat, Christmas stocking, Easter basket, bucket, teapot, or any other item that ties into the theme for your event.
8. Sneak a sticker onto the backside of your event programs or hand-outs.
9. Play Bingo. Amazon (affiliate links) has an inexpensive Bingo game that comes with 50 playing cards (and you can purchase additional bingo cards if needed). If you have 5 door prizes, the first 5 people to get “Bingo” get a prize. (I would continue the same game – not start over each time.)
10. Play Pass the Package. Click the link for detailed instructions.
11. Give the door prizes to the Icebreaker Game winners.
12. Have the attendees pull colored chips or playing cards. Note: This can be complicated. It requires rigging the number of colored chips or playing cards prior to the event and knowing how many people are in attendance. I.E. If you have 3 door prizes only include 3 cards from the deck that have diamonds on them.
13. Use index cards – have everyone write their name on one side – use the other side for an icebreaker game or to get input (such as what night of the week is best for you for fellowships).
14. Ask questions to which there can only be one winner (we hope!).
- Whose birthday is the closest to the event date?
- Which person drove the farthest?
- Who has been married the longest?
- Who is the newlywed in the room?
- Who got up the earliest/latest that morning?
15. The early bird gets the worm! Give a prize to the person that arrived first (after everyone else has arrived). If you do this often, women will usually make more of an effort to arrive on time.
Personally, I love when door prize winners are chosen randomly (not that God can’t have a hand in how the winners are selected!).
The random distribution of door prizes removes any signs of favoritism.
Something you may want to think about… Our team decided to exclude ourselves from participating in any door prize drawings. Not only can it be awkward when a team member wins, but it keeps the focus on the attendees.
Your turn to share: How do you give away door prizes at your women’s ministry events?
You may also want to read:
Double-Duty Door Prize Slips
The Door Prize Basket
Door Prize Idea
Joyce MCClafferty says
I like your ideas how to hand out door prizes at our Women’s church breakfast.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Thank you, Joyce! I’m so glad you found these ideas helpful!
Martha Stacy says
The one with the smallest feet? Or vise versa.
Who cooked breakfast this morning?
Who exercised? How long to break a tie
Newest Mom
Newest Grandma
The tallest one and shortest one?
Cyndee Ownbey says
Thanks for the suggestions! I might stay away from the newest mom and newset grandma just because that could be triggering for some of the women in the room.
Margie Benscoter says
Thank you for some clever ideas. I like to encourage guests to RSVP by giving a prize to the first person to reply.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Hi Margie, you’re welcome! Thanks for the additional idea! 🙂
Frances says
At our monthly ladies church meeting, we fill out a prayer card with our name and our prayer request. I use these to draw for the door prizes. Before each lady leaves, they draw a card and pray for that ladies request.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Frances, thanks for sharing! Do you ever have women who do not want to share a prayer request?
Alice says
The ladies that sign before the event get their name in a drawing.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Yes, that’s another good suggestion. Thanks, Alice!
Luan Louis says
I have had Bible drills to determine door prize winners. Whoever finds the Scripture reference first stands and reads it–gets the door prize. It works pretty well!
Cyndee Ownbey says
Luan, I appreciate your heart for wanting women to know where books of the Bible are located when so many women have not grown up in the church.
Judy says
Cyndee, thank you for this wonderful resource. It is soooo helpful to find ideas to help with providing great fellowship for women. When budgets are so tight, sometimes it only takes a suggestion or two to make a really nice event for some wonderful women that look forward to being together and having fun. We use our women’s ministry as an outreach program. Showing that God is about fellowship, fun and loving on them is a great ministry for us as a church. God Bless You.
Cyndee Ownbey says
Judy, thank you for your kind words and encouragement! I love that you use your women’s ministry as an outreach! I pray more groups will do the same. God bless!
Fenna Vanden Heuvel says
On e I glued little jewellery closures on the back of dimes. Told the ladies if they brought a friend they would receive a diamond pin. Boy did I ever have a great turn out.
I use to go to a funeral home and they often gave me bouquets of flowers to cut down for centre pieces. Once there was a Chinese funeral and there was over 100 bouquets so I was able to get a lot. At that time I was doing a Hawian event so it was perfect. Had a blue tarp for a pool look and literally lined all the edges with flowers. I also lit torches but it got so smokey so snugged them out. Now all the ladies wanted to know how I got this perfect misty effect. All the ladies sat around the pool under umbrellas tables . Upon entering they received a punch with a pineapple slice on edge of glass .. Had a greeter dressed in a stewardess look who gave the leis and welcomed the ladies by saying ” Aloha, welcome to Hawii” This was an amazing meeting. ?
Fenna V Heuvel says
I often give the centerpiece away as a door prize. I will do up creative centre pieces like maybe hand cream or a jar of preserves and do the box or bag up real extravagant to match decor and that becomes centre piece for each table .
Just to add …for a neat idea for a centre piece , I had a goldfish in a rose bowl,a candle and a fancy salt shaker.
This was a reminder to be fishers of men,the light of the world and the salt of the earth. All the fish were later given to a lady who had an aquarium.
I love your site. Have followed it for years. Great ideas for meetings. I have been doing WM since 1990 so all your perks are helpful.
The ladies never know what I am going to come up with. Blessings….Fenna
Cyndee Ownbey says
Fenna, thanks for sharing so many creative ideas! I can imagine your women were surprised to see real fish on their tables! I love how that all ties into the scripture you were focused on. So creative!
Brandy Davis says
Thank you! Such great ideas!
Cyndee Ownbey says
Thanks, Brandy! So glad you found them helpful! 🙂
Tom says
How to incent members to bring visitors to monthly programs of lunch and entertainment at a Presbyterian Church?
Cyndee Ownbey says
Hey Tom, I’ve got several ideas you may want to try. 🙂 1. Offer a discount when more than 1 ticket is purchased. Like Buy One Get One 50% off. 2. Give your attendees invitations to take with them for the next event. 3. Encourage attendees to invite friends next month. Sometimes folks don’t realize guests are welcome and wanted! 4. Give all first time guests a welcome gift. A church near us gives first timers to their Bible studies a mug filled with info and chocolate. 5. Give away door prizes. It’s also great opportunity to share Christ – stock up on some $5 Christian movies, etc. 6. Make sure your event is published in every local newspaper and radio station. I hope these ideas help!
Gina Duke says
This is so helpful, Cyndee! We have an event coming up this weekend and you have some great ideas for drawing names. I don’t know which one to use!!!
Cyndee Ownbey says
Thanks Gina! Praying for your weekend to be a huge success!
Lisa Pepper says
I love these suggestions!!
Cyndee Ownbey says
Thanks Lisa! 🙂 Would love to hear what you try and how it goes!