Of course, you expect your prize draw to earn money for your organisation, but you need not limit yourself to the money you earn selling Raffle Tickets. Consider these facts. Your supporters:

• Use social media platforms to connect with like-minded individual and learn about their world
• Are more trusting of their peers’ opinions than of paid advertisement
• Prefer to purchase goods and services after reading positive consumer reviews

It’s clear, then, that great modern business require great modern feedback. If your supporters or customers can’t be bothered to write a few lines about you on a website that appraises your sort of organisation, you’re far less likely to attract new customers. Instead of selling Raffle Tickets, why not use the promise of a coveted prize from your business to drum up those positive reviews. Chances are, you can circumvent some our those pesky gaming laws while you’re at it.

Simply select those websites where you feel you should make an impression (e.g. Google Places or FourSquare) and then let customers know that they will receive a free virtual Raffle Ticket for each site on which they write a positive review. With very little expense, you’ve created the best possible sales pitch. And, unlike traditional advertising, this feedback has staying power. Most sites will reveal how many reviews you’ve received and what your average rating is. That makes it simple for potential customers to judge whether or not they wish to do business with you!

Another bonus: social media feedback is a two-edged sword. If you’ve received negative reviews in the past, an influx of positive reviews can hide the bad ones and raise your overall ranking.

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Back in March, I reported on the human egg raffle, wherein one lucky UK couple won a human egg, along with IVF services, to be provided in the US (as UK law prohibited such a prize draw). Controversial or not, apparently, the Bridge Center were not the only organisation to realize how profitable such a raffle might be.

From the States, a similar circumstance, without the donated human genetic material. Dr. Mark Trolice, an infertility specialist, started the charity Fertile Dreams to help those who, like his own wife, have difficulty conceiving. Every year, they sell raffle tickets to raise funds for the organisation, with the grand prize being a full round of in vitro fertilization treatment. The group also encourages infertile couples to consider adoption, as Dr. Trolice and his wife have, completing their family with 5 children!

Last year’s raffle winners, Niki and Fred Trusty, won big. They had already decided, after many years of failing to conceive, to give IVF a try, and attended Fertile Dreams’ annual conference, Paths to Parenthood. Hearing of the prize draw, Fred calculated the odds and the couple decided to take a chance—20 chances, actually. The purchased 20 Raffle Tickets, spending $500 (about £320) and won the treatment. Doctors harvested 18 of Niki’s eggs, one of which eventually became her son, Harrison, now 6 months old. She calls him her miracle baby.

Planning your own prize draw? No, you can’t raffle off your own children, but you can think about what your group has to offer, and what your supporters likely desire. Like the Trusty’s investment, the price of your Raffle Ticket may seem small compared to the value of winning that top prize!

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Here’s a novel suggestion for leveraging the power of Gift Certificate, Raffle Tickets, and charity events, which benefits both the not-for-profit charity and the for-profit sponsor! It’s a variation on the scaled prize draw, which I had discussed at length in the past.

This version can truly benefit both organisations:

• Increases brand awareness for both groups
• Garners good will for both groups
• Provides attendees with a value-added bonus
• Boosts traffic at the sponsor’s shop

It works best at a charity event sponsored by a brick-and-mortar shop. Here’s how you do it.

Inside the venue, set up a small display of prizes: merchandise from the sponsor’s shop. A volunteer should monitor these prizes and sell Raffle Tickets, perhaps for a pound each. Other volunteers can certainly move about the venue selling more Raffle Tickets, if you wish to push sales.

At the gate, all entrant receive a Gift Certificate, good for a free Raffle Ticket for, say £50 of merchandise at the sponsor’s shop. Here’s the key: the Gift Certificate can only be redeemed for a Raffle Ticket at the sponsor’s shop. Donors who attend the event must stop by the shop to benefit from the prize draw. If the display inside the venue is done properly, customers will be eager to visit the brick-and-mortar location to see more goods.

In the meantime, the first prize draw adds an extra element of festivities to the evening. Guests can examine the merchandise, purchase tickets, and await the draw. You can increase excitement by awarding prizes throughout the evening, continually reminding people that there is still time to buy more Raffle Tickets (save the most valuable prizes for last) and that they can visit the sponsor’s shop after the event to arrange for another Raffle Ticket!

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Did you ever stop to consider the people who purchase your Raffle Tickets, enter your prize draw, and support your organisation? I’ve identified eight types of customers:

Diehard fans support your organisation, no matter what. They’re always willing to help, and, provided you haven’t hit them up too many times in the last few months, they’ll buy some Raffle Tickets, just to help your cause.

Sometimes fans support your organisation in theory, and they’ll support you financially, if they like your prizes, and if your tickets don’t cost too much, and if they haven’t just bought a 3-D TV they need to pay off.

Obligated buyers may not care about your mission or your prizes. They’re buying Raffle Tickets because they know your sales team personally. The bigger and more gregarious your sales team, the more of these supporters you’ll have.

Gamblers like to take a chance. They’re not interested in the prize or even the odds so much as they care about taking a chance. They love possibilities, so remind them about the thrill of winning.

Prize lovers don’t want to hear about your goals. They just want to know whether you’re offering the gadget they desire (but can’t afford). They love MP3 players, new phones, and trucks. They’ll pay a little extra for a Raffle Ticket as long as you offer a great prize.

New supporters are future diehard fans. They love your charity; they’ve just never heard of it. Your sales team can bring them into the fold, turning them into loyal supporters, as they sell them Raffle Tickets.

Big spenders love buying things while others are watching. Catch a guy with a fat wallet and a pretty date and he’ll buy some Raffle Tickets just to prove that he can.

Miscellaneous buyers are those occasional, extra sales. They didn’t plan to buy a ticket, they didn’t really need a prize. You just caught them at the right time, in the right mood. They took a chance. And that’s why you sales team need to take more chances, too. The more people you approach, the more tickets you’ll sell.

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How will you help your supporters get away while you sell more Raffle Tickets??

The most popular types of prize draws are those awarding holidays and vehicles. Are you ready to capitalise on this information? Indeed, these are big-ticket items, but with proper preparation, you can organise and manage a big-ticket prize draw. It takes only some advance planning, some networking, and some hard work and you’ll be well on your way to selling more Raffle Tickets.

Some organisations have the funds or the connections to pull this sort of promotion together effortlessly, but most of us will need to think about it. Who do we know in a position to donate our large prizes? Travel agents? Collectors? Do you know the owners of a car dealership, a bed and breakfast, or a company that offers day trip adventures? Begin by making up lists. Don’t think merely of the people you know. Consider their friends as well. If someone in your organisation has a rich, philanthropist uncle or an old university chum who collects antique vehicles, put them on your list, too.

Now, create your pitch. In many cases, it’s helpful to write your script down first. Remember to include:

• You name
• The name of your organisation
• Your group’s mission statement
• The specific intention for the fund you will raise
• A specific donation request

Do your research. Find phone numbers and contact information for everyone you wish to reach. When you do reach them, speak politely but confidently. Don’t feel any shame in asking for a donation: you are working for a really worthy cause, and people will be happy to help you out! Consider how happy you’ll be when you’ve secured your large donations and can get down to the happy business of printing your own Raffle Tickets online. It will be easy to choose a design that reflects the nature of the prizes you offer, and those prizes will be spectacular.

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At the height of the season, summer can feel like an endless joyride, but it’s already time to start planning your end-of-summer celebration, and, if you fancy adding a little extra money to the operating budget, it’s time to start planning your end-of-summer prize draw. Finding a proper Raffle Ticket for the affair is all part of the fun.

Whether you’re planning your parish’s annual Summer Fair or scheduling a golf tournament, you can find the perfect Raffle Ticket to accompany your summer celebration. Create a themed prize draw to go along with your planned activities, or sell tickets for chances to win high interest prizes.

Even small prizes can generate great interest. If you are to sell Raffle Tickets to the sun-and-sand set down at the shore, you may be tempted to invest in big prizes such as Jet Skis or boats, but consider your audience. Perhaps they’d be more willing to purchase less expensive tickets for a chance to win items such as boogie boards or even plastic shovels and pails for their children. Similarly, your golf-themed event could generate a lot of interest if you are to award a complete set of new clubs, but if your cause is a good one, you may get almost the same mileage from a gift basket of new golf balls, tees, and perhaps a visor or novelty coffee mug.

Whatever you choose, do take advantage of summertime’s good vibrations. Find the holiday crowd and capitalise on their good mood and free spending ways and ensure your group’s financial solvency for another season!

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You can turn your prize draw into a complicated and multi-layered affair, or you can keep it simple. If you fancy an easy, breezy fundraiser that fills your coffers without filling your time, it’s time to get back to the basics. What do you need to hold a successful prize draw? Interesting prizes, effective Raffle Tickets, supporters to buy them, and a distribution method to sell them.

• Prizes: You know your supporters best. They may be willing to take a 50 p chance on a small prize: a new football, for instance, or a skein of yarn, or a gift certificate to a popular independent book shop. Perhaps they will pay money to gamble on the possibility of a free lunch with someone in your organisation, or a lesson on something your administration may teach.
• Raffle Tickets: So easy to print online! You choose the perfect design, enter your event details into a ticket template, and click on a few buttons. Your Raffle Tickets are professionally printed, with perforated stubs, lines to collect customer information, individual numbering, and other security features.
• Supporters: Get the word out, in your print or email newsletter, on websites and web forums, at local meetings and other brick-and-mortar events, through local media, and with printed Posters or Fliers. Don’t forget phone trees, word of mouth, and door to door sales.
• Distribution: Take advantage of one of many online sites that sell Raffle Tickets for you. If you already have a sales team, offer them extra prizes and let them do their job. Or, incentivise small children with appropriate rewards and let them sell. Sell Raffle Tickets on your own website, at meetings, or at summer festivals. Wherever people are, that’s where you should be selling Raffle Tickets.

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If low ticket sales have gotten you down, don’t give up! You can always sell more Raffle Tickets. You simply need to cast a wider net and reach a larger audience. How are you making the public aware of your organisation and the fabulous prizes you have to offer? Have you kept the news within a narrow circle, alerting only those who belong to the group, along, perhaps, with some family, friends, and neighbors?

Why not reach your entire community with some properly places print ads?

In many cases, you can inexpensively print Posters and Flyers with the same design as your favourite Raffle Ticket, and in many cases, these advertisements allow you to upload your own images. You can provide your sponsors with additional exposure, or add photographs of the prizes, or even honour men and women in your organisation by uploading .JPGs or other visual files right from your computer’s hard drive.

Sophisticated, lovely, or playful, there is a proper Poster for all of your prize draws. It’s simple to choose a matching design when you print your Raffle Tickets. You can print your Posters at the same time. You can also choose a different design, which may be brighter, more colourful, or more eye-catching than your Raffle Tickets.

Use your Poster or Flyer to include all the relevant information about your prize draw. You’ll have ample space to describe the organisation, the specific cause toward which the money will go, the prizes to be won, along with the date, time, and location of the draw. Of course, you will want to highlight where and how potential customers can purchase Raffle Tickets. Then hang your Posters where they are likely to see them: in shops, near bus benches, and anywhere else it is allowed.

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Here’s a brilliant resource for charitable organisations interested in earning more money through a prize draw, yet lacking the time, energy, manpower, or will to seek out donors, collect prizes, and print, market, and sell Raffle Tickets: Raffle.it Here’s a website that does all the work for you. You throw your lot in with other charities, the prizes are provided by the website, and all sales are online. You receive 80% of the price of each ticket sold, and your entire commitment consists of providing links to the site.

This site allows you to set up your own prize draws as well, provided you have prizes to offer. You can manage everything from a unique domain assigned to you. Prizes are high-interest items such as a new iPhone, iPad, iPod, or MacBook, a variety of digital cameras and shopping sprees, and other items that quicken the buyer’s pulse, such as a signed England Football shirt!

All you have to do is provide supporters with the proper web address. The site will build your widget, so you can add a snippet of code to your website and start selling immediately. Only a limited number of tickets are sold for each raffle, and prizes are awarded regardless of how many tickets sell.

Raffle.it adds a certain extra dimension of amusement, with an unusual method of choosing prizes. Rather than selling sequentially numbered Raffle Tickets, this site asks buyers to choose their own ticket number. The winner is the one who has chosen the lowest unique number. In other words, if 6 people choose the number 1, and 4 people choose the number 2, but only 1 person has chosen the number 3, number 3 is the winning ticket.

It may be the lazy man’s raffle, but if your charity need to earn more money and lack the resources to mount their own fundraising drive, this is an interesting option!

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Did you know that you can use a small raffle to circumvent alcohol licensing laws throughout the United Kingdom? While both the sale of intoxicating libations and the sale of Raffle Tickets are heavily overseen throughout the country, when done correctly, you can combine these two delightful concepts into an event in which you make money through alcohol sales (in a roundabout way) and your guests get to put a few drinks in them, for a good cause.

Recall, of course, that you do not require government oversight for a small prize draw held in a confined location amongst a particular group of people: those who patronise a particular shop or pub on a certain day, or employees of a small business. You can sell Raffle Tickets to your particular group, at a particular time, in a particular venue, without going through the Gaming Commission. Do be sure to read up on the rules and ascertain whether your prize draw falls into the proper categories before you decide to forgo a visit to the Commission.

As you know, it is illegal to sell alcohol without a licence. It is not, however, illegal to offer alcohol as a prize in a contest! Therefore, you can earn money at a charity event by selling Raffle Tickets and offering drinks as prizes.

Some offer a single drink as a prize, which means you can offer many prizes and draw out the suspense. Or, you could help everyone get their drinks more quickly by using bottles as prizes. In theory, the winner would pour out draughts for each of their friends and the evening’s festivities can get underway with greater haste.

Consider your guests. Would they prefer an evening of drinking to another kind of entertainment? Whether they genuinely want to help your cause, or simply show up for a beer, selling alcohol Raffle Tickets can help turn your dry and dusty event into a rousing success!

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