Extra Life – Play Games. Heal Kids.

Extra Life is a charitable gaming program of Children's Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals which raises funds and awareness across the U.S. and Canada. There are thousands of Extra Lifers (gamers who sign up for Extra Life) across the world who raise money for their local children's hospital by playing games.

It's a lot like running a 5K, where you raise money and then run the race. Only in Extra Life, you play games — video games, board games, other tabletop games and more! And you can do it any day of the year.

Become an Extra Lifer

Since inception in 2008, more than $100 million has been raised through the Extra Life charity for their member hospitals, including Children's Health.

How Do I Participate in Extra Life Game Day?

Throughout the month of April, Extra Life celebrates #ExtraLifeTabletop, with the biggest celebration taking place during the annual Tabletop Weekend, April 12-14, 2024. This coincides with National Board Game Day and we’re hoping the Extra Life community uses this day a fundraising opportunity to support Children’s Health.

You can choose what you want to do during Tabletop Weekend. You can game from the comfort of your own couch, at your friend's house, at a rec center—anywhere is fair game (Pun intended. Eyerolls permitted)! Lots of Extra Lifers organize big group events for the occasion and just as many pull out the sweatpants and snacks for a chill day at home. It's your Extra Life fundraiser—do it your way!

Here's a quick rundown on how to participate in Tabletop Weekend:

1. Sign up for Extra Life
2. Decide what extra life game you want to play (video, table top, dodgeball, etc.)
3. Invite your friends to play with you! HINT: Ask them to make a donation in order to play, or ask them to donate for a boost or advantage during the game.
4. Get your game on!

Make sure you check out the FAQs below for more Tabletop Weekend resources.

Extra Lifers

There are many ways to participate in Extra Life, and many different supporters. Click below to learn more about all the ways you can play games and make life better for children.

• 

  Kirsten Miller

  
  Kirsten Miller plays Final Fantasy and streams it on Twitch. She asks her viewers and followers to donate while she’s streaming. Check out her Extra Life Page.
• 

  DFW Gaming Village

  
  This group of gamers plays tabletop games. They host game days at their house and ask their guests to bring a donation. Throughout the night they also host raffles and other fun games. Check out their Extra Life Page.
• 

  OpTic Gaming

  
  Children’s Health partner, OpTic Gaming, has raised over $71,000 and donated three gaming carts to Children’s Health. Check out their Fundraising Page.

FAQs

There are many ways to participate in Extra Life, and many different supporters. Click below to learn more about all the ways you can play games and make life better for children.

• How do I sign up for Extra Life?

  Registering for Extra Life is quick and easy!

  • Go to www.extra-life.org
  • Click the SIGN UP button in the top right corner
  • Answer a few questions and in three clicks you’ll have your own Extra Life fundraising page!

• What do I do on Game Day?

  It’s totally up to you! You can game from the comfort of your own couch, at your friend’s house, at a rec center, at work — anywhere is fair game (Pun intended. Eyerolls permitted)! Lots of Extra Lifers organize big group events for the occasion and just as many pull out the sweatpants and snacks for a chill day at home. Your Game Day doesn’t even have to be on November 4th. It’s your fundraiser—do it your way!

  Extra Life Resources
  Extra Life logos and image
  Promo graphics

• Fundraising Tips and Tricks

  • Customize your DonorDrive fundraising page
  • Become an Extra Life Platinum Participant
  • Create your Facebook Fundraiser
  • Utilize fundraising milestones and incentives on your DonorDrive fundraising page
  • Enable DonorDrive Live Fundraising
  • Utilize the Extra Life Multimedia Kit and Live Stream Tools
  • Make sure to use the extralife tag on Twitch and #extralife on YouTube
  • Download the DonorDrive Charity Fundraising app
  • Share about Extra Life on your social media channels
  • Always tag Extra Life and your local hospital when you share posts regarding Extra Life activities

• Play Games online and stay connected

  Family game night can include your favorite card, board or video games, and backyard games like tag or cornhole! Playing online games is also a great way to stay connected in an increasingly virtual world. Many game titles have an online version. Check out Board Game Arena for various board games. No need to download anything, you can play directly from a web browser. Steam, a digital gaming platform where you can buy and play games, is another option. They feature games from diverse genres: free-to-play, indie, sports and more.

  Gather with those you share a home with, invite loved ones digitally from afar, and commit to raising funds via Extra Life.

• How do I host a tabletop game night?

  Whether with family/friends, your co-workers, or in the community at large, you can organize a game night (or convert your established game nights) to an Extra Life fundraising event in April. The important thing is to set the expectation that this game night is special because you'll be raising funds for kids in your community through Extra Life. Here are some ways that you can maximize your fundraising totals:

  Entry Fee/Cover Charge: Ask for an entry fee to play tonight. You can set up multiple game stations or provide a variety of games to cater to different interests.

  Tournament Style: Structure a bracket as a special side event within your game night. Card games make great tournament games (Skip-Bo, Speed, Uno All Wilds, Magic: The Gathering, etc.) Offer prizes for winners and runners-up to attract more participants.

  Re-Roll: Golf tournaments raise a lot of funds through mulligans, where someone can make a donation in order to take another shot if they didn't like the shot they just made. Apply this principle to dice rolling and let your players donate in order to roll again.

  Alter the Game Rules: Playing Monopoly and trying to get out of jail? Donate! Think of creative ways to spice up games and create fun ways to collect donations.

  Donations for Losing: Get everyone to agree that the loser of each game has to make a donation to the team. Make it fun! Celebrate when they donate and encourage sympathizers to join them in donating.

  Silent Auction: Ask local businesses to donate items for a silent auction. Everyone can place their bids throughout the night and the winner donates to the team in order to receive their prize. Be sure to send thank you notes and promote the businesses that donate items. Tag them on social media.

  There are many other ways that you can create (or convert) your own tabletop game night fundraiser. Just remember that before you start, you'll need to register at extra-life.org so that everyone knows where to make their donations during the event.

Questions?

Please reach out to Marcie Long with any questions at marcie.long@childrens.com.