More Raffle Prizes That Never Were!

For the busy fundraiser, drumming up suitable donations for your organisation’s prize draw can be a time-consuming element of the job. Bumping elbows with the bigwigs, drumming up sympathy for the cause. Courting your monied supporters can get tiresome. Perhaps you have some valuable prizes right there in your own home. You can start printing your own Raffle Tickets even sooner once you know what you’ll be raffling.

• Your child’s macaroni collage: It’s priceless! The only question is, can you bear to part with it? It’s for a good cause, you know!
• Pile of comic books: Your spouse swears “they’ll be worth something someday.” Why not today?
• Collection of old tins from back fence According to Grandfather, these are genuine antiques! Suitable for target practice.
• How about a nice shrubbery? There’s loads of them just growing by the side of the road. Bring your own shovel.
• Chance to win more Raffle Tickets You could get quite a bit of mileage out of this one. No shortage of prizes, no end to the fund raising possibilities.

Of course, you’ll need to make all these decisions in advance prior to printing your Raffle Tickets. Must abide by the law, after all. Your supporters will thank you for it, and so with the Gaming Council!

Happy drawing!

I know you tried. You wanted to make money, brand your organisation, and spread your message to the world. What went wrong?

• 10: Should not have printed “All proceeds go directly to bailing Mum out of jail…again” directly on the body of the Raffle Ticket
• 9: Sponsors misunderstood donation request, were under the impression they would all be getting free cars
• 8: Confounded everyone by printing your text in black on a black Raffle Ticket
• 7: Your 4-year-old mistook your collection of Raffle Ticket stubs for confetti
• 6: Next time, don’t store Raffle Tickets in the same area where you store sensitive documents for your assistant to shred
• 5: You delegated the job of ordering Raffle Tickets to your illiterate chav nephew
• 4: You delegated the job of selling Raffle Tickets to your agoraphobic auntie
• 3: You neglected to delegate the job of selling Raffle Tickets to anyone in your organisation
• 2: Your top prize of a brand new rubbish bin was not as big of a draw as you’d anticipated
• 1: You forgot to browse the design gallery at UKTicketPrinting.co.uk!

Ready for success in fund raising and strong Raffle Ticket Sales? Print your own Raffle Tickets with designs that fit your budget and sense of style and start selling more tickets in less time!

You’re well aware that I have won only one raffle in my entire life. A few months back, I picked up a Gift Certificate for an expensive restaurant, while my boyfriend came home with an armload of books, thanks to a charity organization for which I do quite a bit of volunteer work. Everybody loves winning, of course. In the spirit of fantasy, here is a list of prizes I wish to win. Be sure to print out your Raffle Tickets accordingly.

• Cat obedience lessons My kitty could use a refresher course in following instructions. I would especially appreciate it if he learned not to wake me up on the weekends.
• Queer Eye for the Straight Guy I love that man of mine, but he’s a bit rough around the edges. I shan’t hold my breath for the full makeover, but if they could just get the engine grease out from under his fingernails, it would suffice.
• In-house staff Why can’t I live the posh life? I want to win a butler, a maid, and a cook. While I’m at it, I might as well wish for a hereditary estate with an income. I’ll take a title, too.
• Tea with the Queen All I’m saying is that, if Buckingham Palace is strapped for cash, they could really make better use of their resources. I would pay two quid for a chance at that!
• Night at the Library Am I the only one who has dreamed since childhood of having the library entirely to myself?
• Everyone else gets a holiday In my ultimate fantasy prize, everyone around me get tickets to some far-flung locale. I stay at home and enjoy the peace and quiet.

So start arranging prizes and printing those Raffle Tickets today. You can count on my contribution. I would pay quite a bit of money to win any of these prizes!

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!

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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