You would be surprised at how many businesses are willing to give prizes, just for the asking. Your local beauty parlor for a haircut, or maybe products, a dealership for an oil change. Just call, you have nothing to lose! Also, don't forget your dollar stores for cheap prizes. I have found that the prize doesn't matter as much as the excitement of being the first to yell BINGO!!! Good luck to you.
Maybe you can visit a distributor or "santa shop" type vendor and pick up some cheap prizes. They usually let you take them and pay later. You can sell food, etc. as previously mentioned on the site and use that money to pay for the prizes you chose for the vendor. You can usually return what you do not use.
Ask the parents to donate new or gently used toys/stuffed animals. Display everything on a table and each winner can pick a prize. OR, your admission can be to ask each person attending to bring one item from the Dollar Store to donate into the prize pool.
We too have all of our prizes donated by parents and the community. Some parents and businesses donate money which is used to purchase whatever is needed for the night. We usually have enough to purchase a few prizes also. We have everything from soda and hot dogs donated to a TV/VCR combo donated by Circuit City. We are ok with charging to play, we just can't give away money as prizes.
We cash in all the vouchers and points earned with Book Fair and give away books for Bingo prizes. We make sure every child in attendance, younger and older siblings too, receive a book even if they don't win. Maybe you could enlist enough parents to bake and bag cookies and brownies and donate cakes and pies, etc. to be used as Bingo prizes.
Ask your community for prize donations. Ask your parents to donate prizes. Sell cookies and cake, drinks and popcorn, all donated by grocery stores, and use some of the money raised as a prize. Good luck
