At Whaddayaknow? we pride ourselves with offering the best event trivia experience and Chicagoland (and elsewhere). But we also love helping important charity organizations with fun fundraising events that help the communities and provide support to essential causes. 

Here’s just a small list of all of the great causes we have been thrilled to provide fun and entertainment with for the following charitable groups!

Since 1992, Housing Forward has helped over 20,000 unhoused individuals experiencing or finding themselves at risk of homelessness. We’ve been proud to work with this impactful organization, including hosting events like Compete to Defeat, hosting both live and virtual events to help fundraise for this important institution. 

Their Mission Statement 

Ending homelessness means addressing it at all levels, from the possibility of a housing crisis to its permanent resolution, aiming to prevent homelessness whenever possible, responding to housing crises when they do occur, and stabilizing people with supportive services and housing.

How Can You Help?If you are passionate about assisting the unhoused community, you can apply to volunteer here, or you can donate to a cause that provides nearly 100,000 meals and over 200,000 nights of housing each year.

Focused on permanent supportive housing, innovative programs for families, and providing housing resource specialists, Facing Forward is dedicated to the goal to end homelessness. And Whaddayaknow? Has been thrilled to help their fundraising efforts with their Trivia Night for a Cause events, featuring Chicagoland’s best trivia and incredible prizes from local businesses.

Their Mission Statement

Facing Forward ends homelessness for families and individuals by offering hope, help and housing. Facing Forward provides permanent housing, education, advocacy, and social services.

How Can You Help?

Facing Forward has a list of preferred In-Kind donations you can offer, but you can also get involved volunteering, applying for one of their open positions, and, of course, donating directly to help them achieve their mission.

The ACLU is a historic institution dedicated to defending the rights of Americans since being founded in 1920. Whaddayaknow? has managed to partner with this amazing organization to host our unique trivia event format!

Their Mission Statement

The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union — beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.

How Can You Help?

You can donate, volunteer, or find out how to talk to your congressman on the topics that matter most to you here.

We were more than happy to provide one of our best trivia hosts (shout out to Brian) to help fundraise for Ascend Justice’s Young Professionals Board, and are thrilled to provide a customized set for the Young Professionals Board’s Trivia Night to both inspire teamwork for the young professionals going out of their way to support this essential cause.

Their Mission Statement

Ascend Justice’s mission is to empower individuals and families impacted by gender-based violence or the child welfare system to achieve safety and stability through holistic legal advocacy and systemic reform.

They are working toward strong communities where people have the power to navigate fair systems and overcome violence.

What They Had To Say

“We worked with Daniel who helped coordinate the trivia portion of Ascend Justice’s SOLD OUT Young Professionals Board’s Trivia Night event on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Brian was our host for the evening and he was able to fill the evening with trivia that fit with the crowd that we had present. (As a legal services organization, the questions they posed included answers that contained legal words in them such as “case”, “court”, etc. and a movie portion were all court movies like My Cousin Vinny) This was all done with no prompt whatsoever.

They also were sure to include our logo on the screens they used to display questions, answers, and scores along with our mission. Again, without any prompt from us. How thoughtful!

We opted to not have a theme for the night and the questions they selected ranged in knowledge and time so, no matter your level of smarts or your age, the questions ran the gamut and made it a fun game experience for all in attendance.

We would HIGHLY recommend Whaddayaknow? for your private event as they are friendly, SUPER easy to work with, timely, and thoughtful.

Thank you, Daniel and Brian, for your part in raising over $5,700 for Ascend Justice!

Professional, Prompt, Engaging, and Friendly. Dan is an absolute pleasure to work with and our host at our Young Professionals Board’s Trivia Night, Kari, was an absolute HIT with our rambunctious crowd. 14 teams varying in ages and background were stumped by the clever questions – curated specifically for our event! – creating lively competition in a friendly atmosphere”.

And Even More Praise!

“I’ve played Whaddayaknow Trivia for 4 years now at several different bars. My friends and I love it because the questions are unique and challenging, and often require collaboration among all of us– which is fun when you’re doing a team activity (as opposed to having that one friend who knows all the answers while everyone else observes).

I’m also a member of the Domestic Violence Legal Clinic’s Young Professionals Board, and we recently hosted a fundraising event with Whaddayaknow. It was a huge success, largely due to the communication and preparation of Dan Burns. Dan worked with us to create a shortened version of the normal trivia for the event. He even wrote in a few questions that were related to the topic of our organization, and offered helpful suggestions for us to raise more money! Our host that night, Chuck, was very professional and worked with the venue to set up all the AV equipment and ensure the event went smoothly. Everyone had a great time, and we raised more than $2,000 for our organization.

Would definitely recommend to anyone who is looking to host a unique event for their organization or company!”

How You Can Help

There are multiple ways to give, from one-time donations to monthly sponsorships, as well as opportunities to become an advocate to combat gender-based violence and help empower the childcare welfare system. You can also volunteer, look for a career at Ascend Justice, serve as a Brand Ambassador, or simply sign up to stay informed on their efforts and future events.

In 2025, Whaddayaknow? started handing out information encouraging the support of Holy Family Ministries, which focuses on families and the youth of Chicago who need additional support to grow and excel. We’ve helped promote this cause to many of our 100+ locations throughout the city of Chicago, and are thrilled to promote this important cause. 

Their Mission Statement

Holy Family Ministries provides educational opportunities for children, youth, and families in Chicago’s under-resourced neighborhoods to excel academically, grow spiritually, expand life experiences, and become exceptional leaders through a faith-based approach.

Holy Family Ministries is a community of children, youth, and families propelled to achieve dreams beyond the boundaries of their neighborhoods.

How You Can Help

There are multiple ways you can volunteer, visit their chapel to experience their program firsthand, attend their events, or subscribe to the Holy Family Ministries newsletter for the latest updates. And, of course, you can always donate through their website here.

We’ve been lucky enough to provide trivia for the Anti-Cruelty Society, which has been helping find animals their forever homes since 1899, for multiple events, including at the former Lagunitas Brewery and at Northwestern University’s Medill School (each hosted by the writer of this article). 

(The writer of this article also adopted his forever pet, Jean-Dog Van Barkke, from the Anti-Cruelty Society)

They aim to raise awareness about the needs of animals, with adoption services as well as low-cost spay and neutering services, and we were more than happy to help provide our event trivia for fun events that helped a cause so important to all of our hosts.

Their Mission Statement

Founded in 1899, Anti-Cruelty is Chicago’s oldest and largest, private, Open Door animal welfare organization. For over 125 years, Anti-Cruelty has worked at the intersection of animal welfare and social well-being to provide the BEST Care for Animals, People, and in Communities. With a mission of building a healthy and happy community where pets and people thrive together, our programs offer a multi-faceted approach to strengthening the Human-Animal bond by increasing access to adoptions, veterinary care, community outreach services, humane education, and more, serving 20,000 pets and people annually. 

How You Can Help

There are a variety of ways you can give to Anti-Cruelty, or you can volunteer. And there always is a need to foster, and if you’re ready to bring home your next companion, you can always adopt with their easy and affordable process.

It’s been our honor to help provide our trivia to help fundraising for Some Assembly Required, helping this incredible organization with their equally incredible goal of assisting families with children suffering cardiac defects and difficulties. With both in-person and virtual events we were proud to be able to assist in helping with fundraising goals!

Their Mission Statement

We are here to help ease the burden for the cardiac families because when your child is recovering from heart surgery, your focus should be on your heart hero’s recovery, not your parking expenses.

Through the generosity of our donors, we are able to provide parking passes free of charge to parents whose children are recovering from cardiac surgeries or have prolonged hospitalizations due to their cardiac conditions.

What They Had To Say

“We recently hosted a fundraiser event for our organization for children with heart defects, Some Assembly Required CCU, with Dan and Whaddayaknow! The event was virtual and Dan did a phenomenal job organizing and tailoring questions to our audience, keeping the game moving, helping everyone with technical aspects, and promoting our organization for donations! This was our THIRD event with them (second virtual) and can’t wait to host another event soon!”

How You Can HelpCheck out their fundraising events (which, yes, does include future Whaddayaknow? events) or make a donation to help children in need.

By introducing the sport of lacrosse to many who would not otherwise be exposed to the teamwork-encouraging sport, OWLS Lacrosse provides a safe and fun environment to so many youths across the Chicagoland area. Whaddayaknow? has been lucky enough to help boost and promote their mission with our live trivia.

Their Mission Statement

OWLS exists to empower youth by opening pathways to growth and opportunity.

We combine the powers of lacrosse, mentorship, and academic support to promote personal growth, school success, and postsecondary readiness for youth in historically underserved communities.

What They Had To Say

“OWLS Lacrosse partnered with Whaddayaknow to raise awareness for our foundation and seek donations. They were amazing partners! They catered some of the content to OWLS and included our logo on the scoresheet, so we could identify our participants. They made it so easy for us to host a fundraising event! We will certainly do it again!”

How You Can Help

OWLS is always looking for volunteers, corporate partners, and donations for those wanting to help. You can also help by purchasing their merch, signing up to their newsletter, or applying for an open role to join the team! 

The Family Shelter Service from Metropolitan Family Services fills an important need in the community, with 24/7 assistance to those in need, and to help those individuals affected by domestic violence. We’re proud to say we could help in our own small way on this important issue by leading fundraising events for these hard working philanthropists. 

Their Mission Statement

Since 1976, Family Shelter Service has answered the call in our community to help victims of domestic violence escape abuse and rebuild their lives. We work to eliminate barriers, provide faster, greater and more equal access to services in an environment where survivors can feel supported and empowered to disentangle from their situation. Together, we are building community and providing lifesaving services and critical programs to serve our clients as they restore their self-worth and their lives.

What They Had To Say

“The organization I volunteer for, Family Shelter Service, used Whaddayaknow to host a trivia fundraiser event in March. The event went very well. Dan was very easy to work with leading up to the event, offering various options of using materials and bringing a host to actually read the trivia for the group. He answered all of our questions quickly and even worked directly with the venue regarding tech questions, so I didn’t even have to be the middle-woman the whole time. This was very helpful as I was busy organizing other aspects of the event.

The host was great on the night of the event. He showed up early to the venue (Mullen’s bar in Naperville) and had everything set up and ready to go. The venue was having some difficulties with their sound system, but the host was on it and had everything figured out before the event started. He did a great job talking about our organization and working with us to give us some stage time for raffles and to make announcements.

Overall this was a great experience and I would absolutely recommend using them for any upcoming events you have!”

How You Can Help

You can make a donation, or if you want to get more involved, you can join as an advocate or volunteer, or can apply to work with the organization.

Changing Worlds encourage the creativity and expression that comes from art, which is a cause that is near and dear to our hearts. So naturally we were eager to team up with them to help with their fundraising efforts.

Their Mission Statement

We believe Art has the singular power to change our world for the better. Our mission is to harness the transformative power of Art to Change Our World by ensuring that every student, school, and community in Chicagoland has equal and exceptional access to the healing, affirming, connecting, and aspirational power of art education.

What They Have To Say

“The Changing Worlds Associate Board worked with Whaddayaknow to have a raffle during trivia at Honky Tonk BBQ. Everything went really well. The night was great, the questions were cool and the host was awesome!”

How You Can Help

Changing Worlds is always looking for donations to help further their vision to spread the power of art education.

Make-A-Wish has made a difference for numerous children living through the most difficult time imaginable, offering hope and joy by granting hundreds of thousands of wishes to bring happiness in the most dire situations. Whaddayaknow? is so thankful to be able to add just a little bit of fun to the organization by offering our trivia event to help with fundraising for this historic institution. 

Their Mission Statement

Give Hope by Granting Life-Changing Wishes

For a child living with a critical illness, life can be full of long hospital stays, difficult treatments and stress that no kid should have to bear. But having a heartfelt wish granted can provide them with a renewed sense of hope, much-needed joy and strength for their ongoing fight.

What They Have To Say

“Even though we can’t play trivia in bars right now, Whaddayaknow has made the best of the current situation and is offering virtual trivia every weeknight at 7 PM CST. My friends and I play every Tuesday night and it’s a great way to connect, especially when we’re running out of things to talk about at Zoom happy hours haha. The trivia is aired over a free Twitch stream, so my team gets together on Zoom and one person presents the Twitch stream and another team member submits our answers on the easy-to-use online scoresheet. Whaddayaknow even worked with me to host a virtual trivia fundraiser for Make-A-Wish one Tuesday! Whaddayaknow did a great job tying many questions back to Make-A-Wish and encouraging participants to donate throughout the evening. Many of my family/friends played for the first time that night and loved it so much that they started playing regularly! Whaddayaknow is professional, thoughtful and fun and I would encourage anyone to join the public virtual trivia nights or consider hiring them for a corporate or fundraising event! You won’t be disappointed :)”

How You Can Help

If you know of anyone who could use a wish, you can always refer a child, and of course donations go a long way to help make dreams come true.

We recently were able to help Between Friends host an incredible fundraiser for an incredible cause – preventing domestic violence and providing support for those who need it. Hosted by our partner Midcoast Coast Brewing, which holds our event trivia every Tuesday, we let teams actually BUY points.

Those points alone accounted for $120 of their fundraising efforts (along with a raffle and a silent auction, the organization achieved so much more during the event) and it was even hosted by the trivia host writing this article. 

Their Mission Statement

Between Friends is dedicated to preventing domestic violence and ending the cycle of abuse by equipping our communities with the tools necessary for everyone to feel safe and equal in their relationships. To break the cycle of domestic violence, we offer crisis intervention and support services for survivors and their children that include a 24-hour crisis line, court advocacy, and counseling. To build a community free of abuse, we provide comprehensive prevention and education programs for youth and adults.

How You Can Help

Look out for future events, or get involved through donations, corporate sponsorship and more here!

If you want to utilize the nation’s best trivia event game for a fun, exciting fundraising event, contact us or email us directly at dan@freepubtrivia.com to set up your event!

Jeff GoodSmith is the Lead Content Strategist for Whaddayaknow? He’s hosted trivia events across Chicago for the past ten years, leading over 1,000 events at 70+ bars and dozens of private events. 

As the content lead for Whaddayaknow? Jeff helps share stories that celebrate the joy and excitement of trivia. Apart from keeping patrons informed on the latest W? upcoming events and special occasions, he uses his passion for storytelling to write content that is engaging for trivia lovers and the trivia curious alike. 

You can follow Jeff on X @goodsmithtweets and on Instagram @naivepegasus