What is a Chinese Auction?

Chinese Auction – Tricky Tray – Penny Sale

Pick-A-Prize – Silent Auction – Basket Auction

A Chinese Auction (also called Tricky Tray, Penny Sale, Pick-A- Prize, Silent Auction or Basket Auction) is a great way to raise money while adding excitement to your event. Holding the auction is relatively inexpensive, you only need to obtain prizes, tickets and a location. A Chinese Auction is different than a standard raffle where there are typically only one or a few prizes to win. In a standard raffle, ticket purchasers have no say in what prize they might win. In a Chinese Auction the ticket purchaser can choose from multiple prizes which ones he would like to win.

If you need standard raffle tickets, visit: www.RaffleTicket.com

Typically Chinese Auctions are held at fundraising events by churches, schools, municipalities, clubs and numerous other organizations. At the event attendees purchase individual Auction ticket sheets. Chinese Auctions are almost always very profitable. The tickets are usually inexpensive and attendees may buy many tickets. Ticket costs are low compared to the value of the auction items, so it’s a great deal for the winners. Chinese auction tickets will usually have 25 small bid tickets, all with the same number. The ticket sheet also has a stub with the same number. The purchaser retains this stub to determine if he has won when the auction numbers are drawn. The stub portion also has another small ticket that can be used for a door prize drawing.

Winners are chosen by their ticket number rather than a written bid. During the event the attendee tears off the 25 small bid tickets and places them in the basket or tray corresponding to the prize(s) he would like to win. The great thing about this type of auction / raffle is that it allows the purchaser decide which prize(s) he would like to win. He might see one prize he really likes and put most, if not all, of his tickets in that basket, thereby increasing his chance to win that prize. It might also encourage him to buy more tickets. For example, one of your prizes might be “A day at the spa”. That probably wouldn’t excite most men but “A $50 Home Depot gift card” might well get their attention.

Once the auction begins, the presenter will pull a winning ticket from one of the baskets or trays and announces the winning number. This creates excitement as the attendees check their ticket numbers to see if they won.

To raise more money, we suggest after every few drawings, you make an announcement, something like: “ This might be your last chance to buy tickets to win one of the remaining prizes”.  After offering the attendees an opportunity to buy more tickets and place them in the baskets or trays, the drawings continue.

Steps to holding your Chinese Auction

Step 1) Purchase your tickets. Make sure you purchase more tickets than you anticipate selling. If your event is exciting, ticket sales may surprise you. It would be a shame if you had willing purchasers but no more tickets to sell.

You can purchase your tickets at: www.RaffleTicketsCheap.com (Just $39 for 1000 tickets).

If you want customized tickets go to Custom Chinese Auction Tickets (Just $59/1000)

Step 2) Choose your date and book your event location.

Step 3) Obtain your prizes. 2 choices:

a) We suggest you visit local merchants, tell them about your organization and event and ask them for a prize donation or reduced price. Emphasize how many people will be at the event; perhaps offer to place discount coupons for the merchant in front of their prize basket. One strategy if the merchant is reluctant: Suppose you are asking a pizza place to donate a large pizza and the merchant is reluctant, tell him you totally understand and that while he was your first choice, you were already planning to ask (name one of his competitors) if the merchant didn’t want to participate.

b) Ask the members of you organization to provide the prizes, ie, ask each participant to donate a prize worth the same approximate value. The members might even provide something home made like baked items or a craft project. One benefit of this approach is that it adds even more excitement as the members wait to see who won their donated prize.

Meals, electronics, gift & discount cards, golf related, home and garden, spa packages, magazine subscriptions, autographed items and vacation deals are just some prize ideas. If you have some items with a lower value, it might be advisable to group several together in a package.

Step 4) Set the price for each sheet of tickets. Consider the total value of your prizes and the number of people you expect to attend. We suggest you structure the ticket pricing so that you will take in at least 2 times the value of the prizes.

Step 5) Recruit volunteers from you organization. You will need people to go around the event to answer questions and sell tickets. You will also need an announcer.

Step 6) Hold the Auction(s) 2 Choices:

a) Display prizes on tables and provide a raffle basket or tray near each prize (you can also use fish bowls or even hats). Arrange the tables in a way that is easy to access with wide aisles to allow many viewers. Place the baskets on both sides of the tables. Make sure the tables are not placed close to any walls so the attendees can walk all the way around them.

b)  Display the prizes on tables but you don’t need baskets or trays. The presenter gives a description of the first acution item. Attendees then raise their hands or call out that they would like to enter the auction for the item. Volunteers then collect those ticket and place them in the basket or bowl. Once all the tickets are collected, the drawing is held and the winning ticket number is announced. If you’re lucky, this may create a bidding frenzy on some of the more popular items, resulting in the attendees buying more tickets before the drawing is held. The process is repeated for all of the auction items.

With this scenario, we suggest you start with the lowest value items and work your way to the highest value. This will build excitement and help you sell more tickets.

Step 7) Make money – Have fun!

A Good Approach to Raising More Funds on Raffle Ticket Sales

A good approach to raising more funds on raffle ticket sales for church groups, civic groups, and youth sports organizations would be to have nonprofit organization groups that already support the community and good causes support the cause for the ticket sales. To name a few would be Habitat for Humanity, the Humane Society, Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Peace Corps. I think that if these groups and nonprofit organizations sponsored or if you could include the name into the ticket raffles it would help sell more raffle tickets.

Here are some good prizes that might help volunteers be motivated to sell more tickets would be things that students could use. Most volunteers are younger and might be in school or planning to go to college soon. Too name a few would be computers, an electronic tablet, backpacks, headphones, and mobile phones. Another good idea for prizes would be something universal that virtually almost anyone can use, want, or need. Gift cards are very universal and work well for volunteers themselves or as a gift to give for others.

Having businesses donate some things to offer volunteers would greatly help both for this company and the company that donates, both for advertising and taxes. Plus when someone hears a brand that they like it might give them some more drive to work harder to do what it takes to get that item.

Having schools, colleges, and universities putting their name out there on the ads and having them sponsor will greatly help with raffle ticket sales. It would draw their interest into buying the ticket and supporting a local school they like or heard of. There is potential that would buy the raffle tickets to support a school or university that they once went to. Plus there are all of the sport fans out there that would like to buy or donate to their favorite college teams and buy tickets.

Having ticket sales as part of an internship for colleges and schools would get many students to do volunteer in ticket sales. Having the opportunity to work towards funds for school and prizes, sounds like it would generate great motivation for ticket sale. The students would also be able to use the name of their school and let the customers now their supporting a good cause, have potential to win and helping with education funds.

I feel with the fact that the potential customer would be supporting so many nonprofit groups, schools, teams and the future of student’s education they would feel obligated to buy more than just one ticket. That is a lot of good cause and support of their community which in return, we all know that one good cause will turn in some good effects. Let’s start off with multiple good causes so that they can later in return become multiple positive effects for every community instead of just one. Think about this would you only buy one ticket that supports some many good things in your community?

Making a Better Raffle

I have seen first-hand how church raffles operate as far as the raffles themselves, the volunteers, and the outcome. I believe that raffles are a great way to raise money, but they are not presented in a way that makes more people from outside of the church want to attend the raffle.

The first thing I would do to bring in more people is change the way raffles are advertised. My church, and others that I have attended, go with the traditional word of mouth approach to advertise that they are having a raffle. While this method is a tried and true, it is outdated for the way the world currently operates. I think that churches are missing the boat when it comes to social media. It may be hard to convince them to change, but advertising on Facebook, twitter, or other social media networks can boost the attendance for their raffles. If a church would take the time and create a Facebook page, and use it to promote the raffle, I believe that it is guaranteed that the members of the church would share the information about the raffle on their page, and others would do the same.

The next thing I would change is the prizes. Some church raffles offer some good prizes, but they could be more varied. The majority of raffles I have seen offer a cash prize, but I have seen that people are hesitant to accept that prize, because they feel they are taking money from the church. What I would do is offer prizes that are geared more towards what people want today. If possible, I would offer items that are on the smaller scale like iPhones, iPods, Android, and other smartphones. In addition to those, I would also go to the larger scale and offer things like iPads, Android based tablets, laptops, and if possible, smart televisions. These prizes are geared towards what people want today, and since they are a physical item, and not money, people would not feel guilty about accepting them.

When it comes to volunteers, it may be hard to get them motivated to sell more tickets. Generally, the volunteers you see at a church raffle are 40 years old and older. I believe that going after a younger demographic would increase tickets sales, but you have to figure out a way to bring the younger demo in. The only way I could see them volunteering is by offering them a prize too. The prize for them would be along the same lines as the prizes listed above. In addition, the prize would have to be given to the person who generated the most sales. This should motivate the ticket sellers to try and get higher ticket sales.

I believe that these methods can boost the attendance and money generated by raffles, because it would garner the attention of a younger crowd to a raffle. Raffles have no problems bringing in an older crowd, but in order to maximize their profits, they have to figure out a way to bring in the younger demo.

How to Correctly Implement a Raffle Fundraiser

Non-profit organizations provide a great opportunity for individuals in a community to get together for a singular purpose. Although, the finances responsible to keep these establishments operational aren’t going to pay themselves! That’s where fundraisers come in. And there’s a key word that should not be overlooked by any means: Fun!

Raffle fundraisers are a fantastic way to engage the community of any organization in a positive way. It offers a sense of equality and control. Each person who enters has the same odds of winning as the next. But you can choose to increase your odds by buying more tickets, just as they can. Having tickets given or assigned to you, also offers a sense of identity in the raffle. Your raffle tickets are totally unique to you. I’ve often found myself personally invested in a single ticket to a great degree. “Come on! I’m number 102378!!!!”

Once you’ve purchased your tickets, your job is done. There’s no further involvement or participation on your end. Which for some people who are shy, is a great relief. Unless you win that is! But that’s a totally different spotlight!

People love suspense. The allure of having your numbers called out in perfect order is tantalizing. Having that dream become a reality is often more than just winning the raffle. It makes people feel lucky. Which is a great feeling to have. Everyone always says they’re the type to never win anything like a raffle. So when it happens, boy does it feel good! This will always gives you a very warm positive memory of the organization, which is sure to keep you happily involved in the future.

Raffle fundraisers are won by luck, but the money raised during them isn’t. Organizations should strive to improve their strategies for maximizing sales, and growing the number of participants.
The individuals designated as the ticket sellers should focus on their engagement with the potential customer, utilizing tricks such as:
-Making eye contact and smiling.

-Encouraging that the funds are going to a great cause.

-Be ready in advance to highlight the specifics of the cause if the person asks about it.

-Offer deals for buying multiple tickets. (Such as 1 for 2 dollars. 3 for 5 dollars.)

-Attempt to go around and make last minute sales. Working off of the pitch that “It’s starting soon! Get your ticket’s now!”

All of these tactics are good and well. Yet if the prize or prizes being raffled off aren’t appealing, the community of your organization still may not respond well.
While assigning prizes to your raffle, try and keep these tips in mind.

-Avoid setting the prizes as non-materialistic items, such as a cruise or a day at a spa. Most people want to physically be able to see and receive the prize they are winning then and there. They want to be able to envision it in their possession.

-Keep prizes fairly relevant to all age groups and demographics. Generally accepted luxuries or essentials should be a focus point for prizes.

-If multiple prizes are awarded (first drawn matching ticket is 1st place, second drawn matching ticket is 2nd place ETC), make an effort to keep the values relatively similar. While it’s natural for the value of prizes to lower respectively from place to place, keep that to a minimum. Individuals may feel disheartened or insulted if they received something significantly lesser in value than the previous winner.

Raffle fundraisers, when executed correctly, can heavily enhance the financial capabilities of any non-profit organization. So keep it fun, and keep raising! An organizations great idea and innovations might just be the winning ticket!

Hold a Raffle Fundraiser for Your Organization and Reap the Benefits

Non-profit organizations, such as church groups, civic groups, and youth sports organizations, can derive great benefit from holding a raffle fundraiser. They can maximize the sales of their raffle tickets by advertising and announcing the raffle locally, widely, and often. They can do this by posting on multiple social media websites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. In addition, they can send out e-mails or letters to market and campaign for their fundraiser. They can announce the raffle to their volunteers and staff. Furthermore, some organizations can place an advertisement in the local paper or post flyers around town. They can also spread invitations by word-of-mouth. Hosting the raffle contest during an annual meeting, dinner, or another large event could increase attendance greatly over hosting the raffle as a main, single event.

Organizations could offer incentives to volunteers and staff who invite friends and family to the raffle or event. They could also reward their people who post about the event on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media websites. Finally, making sure that any rules or guidelines for the raffle are clear will increase sales because sellers will be able to explain the raffle and ticket buyers will feel more secure in their investment.

Non-profit organizations can increase their raffle ticket sales by offering prizes that are of as high a value as feasible. Trips to various exotic destinations, flashy cars, and large amounts cash are often exciting to win. People covet even older model cars and trips to nearby destinations within the United States. Simple gifts, such as baskets geared toward the season, are good inexpensive ideas for adult audiences.

They can contain teas, coffees, candles, perfumes, candies, and other lower dollar items. Most men are looking for something to give a wife or girlfriend on her birthday, their anniversary, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, etc. Women can give the baskets to their mothers, colleagues, daughters, friends, and even themselves! Children may appreciate toys, gadgets, games, and parties. Local vendors appreciate recognition and may be willing to part with several gift cards in exchange for sponsorship. Computers, iPads, iPods, phones, tablets, and other hot technology items are inexpensive once they have been out for a year or so. This in no way diminishes their appeal to most adults and teenagers as a raffle prize.

Motivating volunteers to sell raffle tickets may not be something that people who are fundraising for organizations think about doing. However, if volunteers are motivated to sell raffle tickets, then the number of ticket sales should increase. Prizes and incentives encourage raffle ticket sellers to spread the word to family, friends, coworkers, church members, and others. Large incentives based on the number of tickets sold are usually more effective than small incentives for simply volunteering. For children, a pizza party, cash, an ice cream social, or the latest gadgets are great ideas.

Entry to the party or could be for a minimum number of raffle ticket sales. Organizations can reserve the money or gear for the top earners. For adults, gift cards to local vendors, a raffle entry, or an invitation to an after-party would be motivating. Again, organizations can base the receipt of the prize on a minimum number of ticket sales or give the best incentives to the top few earners. As with the raffle, offering a laptop or tablet to the highest seller is a good option for motivating adult and teen volunteers.

If you like these ideas or have other suggestions for a successful raffle, then please like or comment!