More exciting news from the world of Raffle Tickets, philanthropy, and self improvement! Today’s story comes from Austria where, after a lifetime of hard work, millionaire Karl Rabeder has decided that his fortune and riches have brought him only misery. In pursuit of true happiness, Rabeder has begun raffling off his worldly possessions, including a mansion in the Alps, a home in Provence, a collection of gliders, and his sports car.

The Alpine villa, appraised at £1.4 million, is to be raffled off, with all proceeds goings towards Mr. Rabeder’s own microlending charities, providing small loans to self-employed people in Central and South America. He hopes to sell almost 22,000 Raffle Tickets, with each ticket selling for the equivalent of £87 a piece. Now that’s a chance worth taking!

Eventually, he hopes to achieve true contentment with nothing, having given away his entire fortune. He plans to live a simple existence, in an isolated mountain cabin or perhaps a bedsit in a small town. Karl Rabeder is one man who has certainly learned the value of giving and the happiness that comes from supporting a meaningful charity!

Raffling off ones home is nothing new, but, in this case, purchasing a Raffle Ticket would have a special meaning, given that the proceeds will all go entirely to worthy causes.

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Have you had much success selling Raffle Tickets to support your school, business, or charitable organisation? If so, you know it’s a smart way to add some extra cash to your annual budget. If you’ve never tried holding your own prize draw, or you’ve been disappointed with past results, now is the time to start preparing for a successful charity fundraiser.

Your success depends on a few factors:

• Your organisation’s reputation
• The value of your prizes
• The cost of your tickets
• The skills of your sales team
• Publicity and exposure

If your reputation is already stellar, you can build on that, but if people are skeptical of your group, use your prize draw as a means of getting your message out and creating better buzz around your name.

Regarding prizes and ticket prices, do put some good thought into these choices. You may have to make many phone calls, use your networking skills, and perhaps even call in some favors to find prizes that people can get excited about. Then, price accordingly. For big ticket items, you can certainly ask for two pounds per ticket (the legal limit), but remember, you can make the same amount of money even if you charge less, by selling more tickets.

Let your sales team speak for you and show you in your best light. Your team should be able to talk coherently about your mission, and they should be willing to follow the crowds! Sporting events and street fairs are wonderful places to send your team. The more exposure they give you, the more money you’ll make. Make sure to write about your upcoming prize draw on your own website, but also on blogs and forums. Send press releases to the newspaper. Let people know when and where tickets will be available.

Start planning now and reap the rewards throughout the year!

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Happy New Year!

Your fabulous ticket girl expects that you found plenty about which to feel jolly, with no coal in your stockings and all the eggnog you could stomach. It’s a new year and a new decade, so how about making a new start with your fundraising efforts?

Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Your group can make a difference in 2010, and you can power that change machine with the proceeds of your next prize draw. Start planning today and you can start printing your own Raffle Tickets online tomorrow.

Don’t think you have the funds to get started? You’d be surprised. Raffle Tickets, even beautiful, customised, full-colour Raffle Tickets, are not terribly expensive. If your organisation is a charitable one, prize donations should be easy to obtain. And even if you can’t find proper prizes, remember that certain services are always welcome.

• Cleaning
• Animal Care
• Tax Preparation
• House Painting
• Auto Service

Gift certificates for local companies that provide the services we always need are always welcome. So be creative! It’s a new year; time to make a new start for your group!

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It’s a beloved tradition around the world. I refer, of course, to the meat raffle or meat draw! What could be better than taking a chance with a few quid, preparing for the possibility of winning a lovely roast or some chops from the local butcher? There can be no more delicious way to liven up a slow night down at the pub. When a kindly gent approaches you with a handful of Raffle Tickets, it’s hard to resist.

While not widespread in the States, bars in the American state of Minnesota are also familiar with this tradition. It seems nothing heats up a frigid night in that region than the excitement of a prize draw. For most of the year, they need not even worry about the meat going off while they continue drinking. Simply popping their cuts into the boot keeps them even colder than an icebox!

In New Zealand and Australia, such raffles are also known as “the meat tray.” As the name implies, these prize draws usually offer a tray of meats. Perhaps it will contain meat suitable for the barbecue, but more often, the trays are breakfast trays (with sausage, bacon, and eggs) or seafood trays. Care must be taken in these climates to keep the seafood trays fresh and cold!

In any event, Raffle Tickets are sold, the atmosphere in the pub remains jovial, and the charity hosting the prize draw benefits. Everyone goes home happy. Meat raffles are a simple way to make a few pounds in a short period of time, while brightening the day of everyone in the pub. Looking for a new fundraising opportunity? Try some meat?

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After all the care you’ve taken in finding donors, collecting prizes, printing proper Raffle Tickets, organising your volunteers, marketing your event, and selling those Raffle Tickets, do you really want to fore go all possible pomp and circumstance in the actual drawing of prizes?

No!

The big moment should be, after all, a big moment! This is the minute your entire raffle campaign has been leading up to! Make it sparkle. make it a moment to remember. Turn it from a someone’s hand fishing around in a hat full of tiny scraps of paper to a spectacle that will keep the crowd talking and double your event attendance next year. Make it a moment people won’t forget, a moment people will regret missing.

• Announce the time left until the draw at regular intervals.
• Stress that Raffle Tickets are still available for purchase.
• If possible, display the prizes prominently at your event
• Have a microphone and a podium? Use them.
• Appoint an engaging MC, someone who can talk and joke with the crowd.
• Find a local celebrity to draw the actual Raffle Tickets.

When the winners are announced, don’t skimp on the celebration. Call them up to the podium if you can. Media attention may be helpful. Perhaps you can convince a local news source to cover your event, in which case photographs are in order. In any case, you will want someone from your organisation to take snapshots of your winners as they claim the prizes. Let them pose with your celebrity guest, or with their raffle prizes.

If you already have a band, get them in on the action! Let them play an upbeat song as each winner takes the stage. Inexpensive tiaras or paper crowns make an excellent and amusing addition to the celebration.

Whatever you do, keep the atmosphere charged with excitement! Your supporters will go home happy, whether or not they’ve won, and you will have created your own publicity. Next year’s event will be even more well-attended!

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Once again fate has failed to favor me.

I should be satisfied with that time my boyfriend and I each won raffle prizes, but having won one raffle, once in my life, I want to win some more!

On Saturday, we went out to our favourite club, where a proper Halloween celebration was underway. The club were offering chances at a single big prize: free passes for an entire year. We attend this club quite often, so that would have been a brilliant prize for either of us. At fifteen pounds a head, it’s not exactly an inexpensive habit. (It truly is an absolutely fabulous club, though.)

Well, we each shelled out two pounds for ten Raffle Tickets at the door. Four hours later, on our way out, I asked the girl at the door when they would be drawing the winner.

“Oh, we did that already,” she said.

They had done it with no one looking, and then just told the winner. No big announcement or anything. What a disappointment.

You and I know better. If you’re going to the trouble of selling Raffle Tickets, you ought to play it up, generate some excitement, create theatre! Let everyone feel the anticipation. Let everyone envy the winner.

So, I didn’t win. Maybe next year!

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Yes, it’s true that we have some restrictive laws regarding prize draws in the UK, but small businesses can legally use raffles to draw customers into the shop, generate interest in the business, and reward those who have made them successful. While, in most cases, you will not be allowed to directly profit from your business raffle, there are still benefits for your organisation to such a game.

Running a prize draw out of a business carries its own rules and restrictions. If you already have a solicitor, it’s best to consult him or her before you print your Raffle Tickets, just to play safe, but here are some things to keep in mind:

• You must run your raffle directly out of your place of business
• You may only sell tickets to your customers
• Ticket sales can take place over no more than 7 days
• You may not offer prizes worth over 50 pounds
• You may not make a profit from your prize draw

Under the Gambling Act of 2005, your business raffle falls under System B. As such you are required to print certain information on the body of your Raffle Ticket: your name and address, the price of the ticket, the category of people who may purchase the ticket, and some verbiage stating that the rights conferred by the ticket are non-transferable.

Fortunately, most ticket templates for sale in the UK make it simple to comply by these rules. Often you will find a space on the template for specific information, or even suggested text.

While your business raffle may not, legally, allow you to do all you wish to do, it’s certainly a brilliant way to inspire your customers! If you choose your own popular merchandise for prizes, basing your sales on the 50 pound retail price of the item still allows you to come out ahead, and it allows your customers to take a chance on something they probably already want. Everyone wins!

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Your selection of prizes

go a long way toward persuading donors to purchase Raffle Tickets and support your organisation. Regular readers know that offering desirable prizes, and even prizes at two value levels, can make a difference in the number of tickets you sell.

But what motivates your sales force?

Some of us are lucky enough to hire a dedicated sales team, motivated to work for commission or salary. But most of us have to make do with volunteers:

• Angels and other supporters
• Friends and family members
• Children or those benefiting from the proceeds

These groups also have less incentive to see the job through. They are more likely to get discouraged and even disappear. After all, they’re not winning any prizes.

Consider these tactics to keep your volunteer crew involved in Raffle Ticket sales:

• Regular meetings, so they feel accountable and aware of their progress. Coffee and other treats make such meetings a social pleasure, and they will be well-attended. Volunteers look forward to this type of contact.
• Email updates. Even if it’s not possible to meet in person, they will feel more involved if you send them periodic reminders of how well you are achieving your goals with their help.
• Thank you notes. Be sure to let volunteers know they are appreciated. A short, personal note is a brilliant way to achieve this. The occasional volunteer breakfast or coffee also works wonders.
• Small prizes based on sales or attitude. Especially if you’ve done your work, you should have some small item available to the person who sells the most tickets, maintains the best attitude, or represents your organisation in the best light. Reward any behavior you like!
• Some organisations find that volunteers sell more tickets if they are held accountable for a certain number. Let them take a certain number of tickets, and, if they cannot sell them by a deadline, ask them to purchase the remainder themselves. This only works with a very involved volunteer crew.

However you choose to motivate them, remember that you need your volunteers. Treat them well, and they will repay you a thousandfold!

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It’s time once again for

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!

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Risk-takers. Penny-pinchers. Big spender. Small change.

Your upcoming fundraising drive is imminent, and you don’t want any dodgy schemes fouling up your big plans for financial security. Everything needs to come together to ensure that your organisation continue achieving the mission for another year. You have big plans for the world, but you don’t need a maths expert to tell you you’ll need money to carry through on those plans.

That’s why you’ve considering adding a raffle to your other activities. You can kick off the fundraising drive weeks earlier than planned, and start minding the pounds well in advance. But times are tight, and some of your top donors may not be able to offer such large donations as they have in the past.

Some organisers report new success in offering two levels of Raffle Tickets, which requires only minimal extra work, but can result in additional funding from a new source: those who are interested in your cause but have very little money. Surely, your group is in need of pounds and pounds, but when the economy is restricted, the pence can add up as well.

Divide your prizes into two categories. In the top category, you place the new cars, the exotic holidays, and other big-ticket items. These are your two-pound Raffle Tickets. When you start selling these tickets, word-of-mouth will generate new customers excited to purchase a chance at this expensive prizes. In the second category, you offer the gift certificates, the small novelty items, and other inexpensive prizes. You can sell these Raffle Tickets for twenty-five or fifty p. It may not sound like much, but imagine selling a thousand of these tickets. Your supporters pocket change can make a big difference.

When you’ve divvied up your prizes, print your own Raffle Tickets, two sets. You’ll have twice the earning power, and the ability to reach a new audience and spread your message even further.

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