Embrace the Chase: $1,000 prize money on the line for charity digital scavenger hunt

Advocate Safehouse Project is putting the FUN in fundraiser with its inaugural digital scavenger hunt Embrace The Chase, a competitive game that anyone and everyone can play from anywhere — with some serious prize money to boot.

From noon on June 22 to noon on June 23, participants will be asked to submit photos or videos, complete brain teasers and riddles to earn points. The top four teams at the end of the 24-hour digital event will win the prize money: $1,000 for first place; $750 for second place; $500 for third place; and $250 for fourth place.

Not your average fundraiser

Julie Olson, executive director of Advocate Safehouse Project, said the fundraiser idea came about when the organization decided it wanted to do something different from the typical walking/running race.

“We wanted to think outside the comfort zone,” she said.

When a board member suggested the digital scavenger hunt, the organization held a test version at its board member retreat last fall. Olson said many members were skeptical they would enjoy it.

“We had so much fun. Ours only lasted for 20 minutes, and when it was over none of us wanted to be done yet,” Olson said. “This is an opportunity to have some fun with your friends, family or co-workers.”

What to expect

Players are encouraged to sign up in teams of four, however single players or smaller teams can also play the game. You must download an app on your Apple or Android phone or tablet to play (see factbox for registration and other instructions).

There will be more than 200 challenges available to complete in the 24-hour period. Sarah Buckley, community education advocate for Advocate Safehouse Project, said some of the challenges relate to Advocate Safehouse Project’s work, such as education-based challenges about healthy relationships, while others might be tied to sponsors or popular community information.

Players might have to answer a question — such as “When was Advocate Safehouse Project founded? — for one mission, while another might require they upload a photo or video.

Here are some tips for how to play and take home that prize money.

Tip No. 1 – Go for big points

Since the missions can be done in any order and there are various amounts of points tied to each mission, Buckley said one strategy might be to go for the challenges with the most amount of points first.

Players can see the points — and bonus points — tied to each challenge before they start it.

“You want to complete as many challenges as possible so you can have as many points as possible in those 24 hours,” she said.

Tip No. 2 – The app is your friend

For photo and video challenges, players cannot find shortcuts by uploading previously taken files from their phones. You must use the app to shoot all photos and videos in real time.

For example, if the challenge is asking for a picture connected to the 19th Street Diner in Glenwood Springs, you either must go to the diner in person or you’d need to access the internet to snap your image. However, if using the internet to complete a photo or video challenge, you’d have to access it via a separate device than the one from which you’re using the game app.

The app also features a dashboard that allows players to see where they rank in real-time as the scavenger hunt progresses, giving players the opportunity to be competitive and try to beat out other teams.

Tip No. 3 – Break up challenges among team members

Once a challenge is completed by one member on a team, it’s completed for the entire team. So, another strategy might be to break up the list of possible challenges and assign them out to team members.

Tip No. 4 – Players can correct wrong answers

Advocate Safehouse Project volunteers will be approving and disapproving entries during the 24-hour game period.

If players submit an answer and it’s wrong, they’ll have the option to go back in and change it to collect those points.

via:: Post Independent