Top Five Raffle Blunders

When the inherent simplicity of a prize draw is your main draw for fundraising purposes, it’s hard to believe that anyone could foul up the process. And yet, it is quite possible to fail at the endeavor. Here are some mistakes to avoid.

5. Strong arm techniques While mafioso tactics may work on the telly, it is inadvisable to threaten potential benefactors with death, dismemberment, or horse heads in order to persuade them to purchase a little accident insurance…er…a few Raffle Tickets.

4. Pyramid scheme You may not pay off some winners with the proceeds collected from others, while promising others the proceeds collected from generous people you have not yet met, to whom you will promise more money….

3. Other People’s Property We don’t care that your neighbor leaves the keys in his new Mercedes. It is not appropriate to offer another’s vehicle in a prize draw without permission.

2. Uncollectible prizes The lunar lander. A seven-night cruise on the Titanic. Unicorn rides. Amy Winehouse’s sense of decency. Don’t offer unless you can deliver.

1. Inappropriate timing Do not attempt to sell Raffle Tickets at a funeral. Do not attempt to sell Raffle Tickets when invited to tea with the Queen. Do not to attempt to sell Raffle Tickets to potential employers while seeking a new position. Do not attempt to sell Raffle Tickets at Gambler’s Anonymous.

So use a little common sense and the effort of printing your own Raffle Tickets will not go unrewarded!

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High quality card stock

That’s the foundation upon which we build our high-quality Raffle Tickets. Card stock is, of course, paper, but it differs from printer paper or newspaper, by virtue of being heavier, thicker, and more durable. However, it is lighter and more flexible than cardboard.

Card stock is measure in grammage, which describes the weight of one square metre of a particular stock. Generally speaking, the grammage of paper deemed of card stock quality lies between one hundred and three hundred grammes per square metre.

Your choice of card stock will depend on several factors: your intention for the product and the impact you need that product to produce. For quick prize draws, you will probably choose a lighter-weight stock. For Raffle Tickets, 220 will work. If you will be selling tickets over a long period of time, and you expect supporters to hang on to their tickets over a space of days or weeks before the draw, you may choose a 300 gramme stock, for an impressively heavy ticket.

We recommend Adagio pastel as a background for your black and white tickets. Color-tech words well for colour tickets, as does Mega-Silk. You can choose coated or uncoated tickets, but all our tickets have a smooth finish for a professional look and feel!

So don’t worry! We know the difference between paper and cardboard. Rest assured that your Raffle Tickets are top of the line, no matter what paper you choose to print them upon.

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Before you print your own Raffle Tickets you must have something to print upon them. That’s the law! Your Raffle Tickets must specify the top three prizes being offered to your supporters. In the past, this column has devoted pages to the consideration of honest, legitimate prizes: objects and services you may be able to obtain, which people will want to pay money to gamble on winning.

But suppose you’ve exhausted your valid options? You’re no longer welcome at the charitable car dealership, the socially minded art-collector’s, the business-like pet groomer? What if no one wants to help your cause?

When you’re all out of options, we present to you

Irreverent Prizes for Desperate Fundraisers*

• Take my spouse, please! What? She keeps saying she wants to get out more often! They do it on reality TV. Specify time limits if you want him/her back.
• No one said anything about new! If your car is worth less than your monthly loan payments, consider that an old clunker might be worth fifty pence to someone
• What’s behind door number two? Time to clean out the attic. Great-grandmother’s collection of rusty spoons, a pram with three wheels, that pile of antique hubcaps on your neighbor’s lawn: stuff it into an unmarked box and sell chances at the unknown mystery prize (specify no returns).
• Kid friendly Your children clamor for a sense of independence! Offer it to them by selling their unique skills in a draw. Tiny hands are brilliant at cleaning out tight spaces like gutters! Or, your immobile couch potato kid can put his skills to use working as a coffee table.
• Fabulous-ish Trying to get out of that family or high school reunion? Offer up your identity for one night. Winners get to visit exotic locales and meet new people, while inheriting a whole new set of problems to make them feel better about their own lives. Works best if the event includes an open bar.
• Please include head shots at time of purchase Have you a copy of Photoshop? Winners receive a set of lovely doctored holiday snaps proving they’ve been to Majorca, Cairo, New York. All the benefits of holiday with none of the hassle.
• What’s the opposite of fabulous? Can you sing tunelessly, for a long time? Express offensive political opinions? Force your company on others? Do so with a vengeance, then raffle off the ability to make it stop!

Well, thanks for bearing with us thus far! And check back for more silly (and even more serious) suggestions for running the best raffle ever!

* For comic purposes only. Involuntary human servitude and enforced child labor are definitely illegal in the UK. Check local laws or your Gaming Council for other limitations of charity draws.

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I’ve mentioned before…

Never in my life had I ever won anything in a raffle. I’d not won so much as a bingo game, which is statistically remarkable, given the sheer number of bingo games I had to play in French class as a child. On the plus side, I can count in French. On the minus side, sometimes one wants to feel lucky.

My luck is of the more meaningful sort, in fact–walking away from car accidents, or discovering that friends made long ago can have a huge and positive impact on my life. And it’s not as if I’ve never won anything: I won a decent prize for an essay about King Lear once, and a smaller one for a short play. Still, after writing this blog for so long, it seemed like I really ought to have some luck at a raffle sooner or later.

Well, I finally won! In fact, I won twice!

I was invited to an appreciation celebration for a volunteer organization where I do a lot of work. My boyfriend and I walked in an hour late and were persuaded to acquire one Raffle Ticket each.

“I never win raffles,” I whispered.

The draws were spread out over the course of the event, and a few people won books. We enjoyed the snacks and then they announced the next draw: a fifteen pound gift certificate to a swanky restaurant I had always wanted to try but could not afford.

My number came up! I was amazed and ran to claim my prize. But imagine my surprise when my boyfriend’s number came up next! He claimed a package of three books by local authors. We were there well under an hour and we certainly came out ahead.

So consider the power of the raffle draw at your next fundraiser. Think of the joy you will bring to your supporters as you raise money for your own cause. And think of me. I love to win!

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This one is for the neophytes.

Some of us are born natural salespeople. As children, we sell charity items to support our school and clubs with a smile and a sense of purpose, rejoicing in every pound recorded in our ledgers. Others of us are shy, reticent, and perhaps a little afraid of our customers.

If you have printed Raffle Tickets, you now find yourself in the position of needing to move them: you must go out into the community and begin selling Raffle Tickets here, there, and everywhere. Otherwise, what are they for?

How? If you wish to raise funds for a worthy cause (of course your cause is worthy) you need only be honest. Here’s a sample script:

You: Hi, my name is Penelope and I’m working for the Children’s Fund to help provide medical care for one hundred underprivileged children overseas. Today we’re selling Raffle Tickets at only two pounds each, with a chance to win a new car. Would you like to purchase some?

It’s that simple!

Where can you sell Raffle Tickets? How about your neighborhood? It’s an opportunity to get to know your neighbors. Your neighborhood pub is also a good bet, as are sporting events.

Your place of employment is a possibility, but remember to get an administrator’s permission first! Don’t make a nuisance of yourself, either. You want to sell Raffle Tickets, not alienate your coworkers.

Wherever people congregate, you will find a market for your draw. So go ahead. Practice with your friends and family. Introduce yourself and your worthy cause. Be prepared to discuss the wonderful work that is to be done with the proceeds. Then start selling.

Have you any interest in a Raffle Ticket

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After months of nail-biting anticipation

…the big day has finally arrived! I am so very pleased to announce the launch of the new UK Ticket Printing website! Printing ones own Raffle Tickets has never been so easy. If you can browse the Internet, you can navigate amongst hundreds of smart designs for any type of raffle. And the best part? Your Raffle Tickets will be shipped to your door anywhere in the UK, within two days of placing your order!

To get started, you can point your browser directly to our new Raffle Ticket page and search by category. Have you something specific in mind? Our in-site search box can help you locate raffle tickets by specific theme, colour, city, country, or any other searchable term to strike your fancy.

We guarantee satisfaction with every order! Once you approve your proofs, we shall print your Raffle Tickets according to your exact specifications. Having printing Raffle Tickets online for well over a decade, we can assure you of high-quality, low-cost tickets. We print in high resolution with secure barcodes and individual numbering, to keep your draws safe, and our in-house staff of talented designers keep adding new images, so there’s always something lovely for you.

If you want to hold your own private raffle, or organise a large raffle for a charity or other organisation, you’re in luck. Just head over to UK Ticket Printing and get started.

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How loud can you shout?

When you’re throwing your creative and financial efforts into a big raffle drawing, particularly one in conjunction with some other big event, your success is dependent on the number of people who show up! You can’t sell raffle tickets without customers to purchase them, and you won’t have any customers if you’re unable to reach potential supporters.

What can you do to get the word out (aside from screaming yourself hoarse, of course)?

Word of mouth

Yes, I said you shouldn’t do the screaming, but what if your promotion is so marvellous that others can’t help but shout it from the rooftops for you? If you have a splendid idea that others respond to, perhaps you can acquire some viral marketing. Let others spread the word for you.

By post

Perhaps you can’t count on others, but you can count on the postman! If you’re printing your own raffle tickets, why not print a little something for your mailing list, like a stack of postcards or perhaps some elegant invitations, which may be included within a larger mailing?

Hang it on the wall

Haven’t got a mailing list? Looking for a larger audience? Target specific groups with posters and fliers! Also available in designs to match your favourite raffle ticket, you can post these publicity tools wherever you expect to find business.

Virtually yours

Don’t underestimate the power of the Internet. Discuss your raffle drawing details online, through your organisation’s website, on social networking sites, or on a blog. Be sure to include the details and answer questions from any quarter. You may be surprised who you find.

You needn’t spend all your money on publicity. Be creative! Can you convince a television or radio personality to promote your cause on the air? Perhaps you know of musicians who would be willing to plug your raffle to their fans. Clubs and societies may be interested in allying themselves to you, especially if you share charitable interests. And of course, you may have an in-house newsletter, which will provide you as many inches of space as you choose.

What if you held a raffle and nobody came? With these simple suggestions, you need never worry about the answer to that question.

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What are the advantages?

You may wonder about the advantages of printing ones own raffle tickets online. What is it about custom raffle tickets that make them superior to other forms of fundraising? The first idea to keep in mind is that a raffle can be held in conjunction with any other event. It can literally multiply your fundraising efforts. In fact, UK Raffle and Lottery laws actually make holding a raffle at the same time as another event easier than holding one on its own.

Raffles are a wonderful way to engage the community in your organisation’s efforts. Since the law of the land makes donations the most effective way of obtaining prizes, your raffle forces you to engage with many businesses and individuals. You will achieve greater exposure and create new networks when you hold a raffle.

Of course, selling raffle tickets requires that you engage one on one with your benefactors. This helps to engender good feelings and publicity for your cause. People will remember your smiling sales team, and when you print your own raffle tickets, they will remember your custom logo, too!

Exposure and brand recognition while you earn money? How spectacular is that?

Finally, (for the post–of course I could go on all day about the benefits of printing your own raffle tickets), raffles help you generate excitement. Hopeful expectation is the cherry on top of charity gift-giving. Donating money feels wonderful, and winning prizes feels even better. And that moment between the two–the knowledge that one has done the proper thing, coupled with the hope or reward–that is a special result! Your raffle is a catalyst for wonderful emotions.

So consider how many people you can help with your raffle: your organisation, the people who benefit from your charity, those who partner with you in your efforts, and those who achieve that wonderful sensation resulting from the purchase of a raffle ticket.

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It’s official!

We have an unofficial launch date for the new site! Whilst I’ve been obsessing over raffle tickets, the legal department have been tying up loose ends, the design team have been putting the finishing touches on Event Kits, and the folks in IT have been making sure everything on the beta site does what it’s meant to do, when it’s meant to do it.

Thus, the unofficial launch date is less than two weeks away!

Of course, there are always complications, so I hesitate to make any promises, but soon enough, there will be a wonderful way to print your own raffle tickets and have them shipped anywhere in the UK! With any luck, this will happen in the second week of April.

Raffle Tickets shall be a great focus of the new site. While we’ll have many lovely Event Kits, you will find more Raffle Tickets than anything else, each with its own theme. You’ll find tickets for:

• Christmas
• Sport
• Holiday
• Nature
• Children
• Regions
• New Years
• And More!

I’ll be sure to post as soon as the unofficial becomes official. In the meantime, may all your raffles be lucrative!

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In any lottery

, your aim is to make money for your organisation. The last think you want is to violate the law of the land or create trouble for your favorite charity or group. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance that you are aware of the legal implications of your raffle.

In the UK, we have some strict laws concerning lotteries and raffles, as per the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976 and the National Lottery Act 1993. Large raffles are considered a form of gambling and therefore require a licence. There are three kinds of legal raffles.

• Small Raffle: If all your proceeds will go to charity and you intend to sell tickets only during the course of the event, a Small Raffle will suit your needs. Charge no more than one pound per ticket. You can give away any donated prizes, but may not have cash awards or spend over 250 pounds on prizes. You do not need a licence for this type of raffle.
• Private Raffle: If tickets will be offered only to a defined group, such as members of a club or employees of the same organisation, and the raffle will not be advertised or available outside this group, a Private Raffle will be appropriate. In this case, you will also not need a licence.
• Charity Raffle: If you want to sell raffle tickets amongst the general populace over a period of days, you will have to declare a Charity Raffle. Charge no more than 2 pounds per ticket and keep strict financial records. YOU MUST OBTAIN A LICENCE FROM THE GAMING BOARD OR LOCAL AUTHORITY FOR THIS!

An alternative way to sell raffle tickets without a licence is to hold a Prize Competition. Rather than determining the winner by drawing, you will ask a quiz question and reward prizes to those who answer correctly. Since the Prize Competition is based on skill rather than luck, it is not a matter for the Gaming Board.

Do It for Charity can offer some wonderful ideas on fund raising, including tips for keeping your raffle proper and legal. Best of luck!

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