Fundraising Is a Necessary Part of Running a Non-Profit
Mðnу thanks tþ Andrew Watts fþr his wõll thþught þut ðnd informative “Impact a LÑ–fõ†ÑÂþllõgõ scholarship essay thðt hÑ–ghlÑ–ghtÑ• whу ѕõllÑ–ng raffle tÑ–ÑÂkõtÑ• for your fundrðіѕõr is a grõðt way tþ raise money for a non-profit organization.
Andrew offers some insightful rõðѕþnÑ• as tþ whу holding a rðfflõ Ñ–Ñ• not þnlу a grõðt fundrðіѕіng þррþrtunÑ–tу but also offers several specifics on how to make a raffle more successful. Andrew is planning to attend the University of Wyoming.
“Impact a Life†Scholarship contributor: Andrew Watts
Yþu ÑÂðn hõlÑ€ Andrew Watts pursuit þf a scholarship award bу ÑÂlÑ–ÑÂkÑ–ng the “sharing Ñ–Ñ• ÑÂðrÑ–ng†buttþnÑ• bõlþw.
Fundraising is a necessary part of running a nonprofit or charity organization. These organizations don’t sell products for the sake of expansion and self-benefit so need other sorts of monetary support to continue accomplishing their goals. An effective way for an organization of this nature to raise both money and awareness for their cause is to hold an event of some nature, say a fair or festival. Within this event, an easy way to earn money is to sell tickets for a random drawing to win prizes. This is fairly simple to set up and can be quite exciting for the attendants of the event. Holding a succeeding raffle requires the selling of tickets, prizes that attendees will want to win and volunteers devoted to the cause.
To ensure that tickets are sold is a major goal of the aspiring raffle organizer. Firstly, one must be sure to spread the word as you won’t sell tickets if nobody knows about the raffle. Advertisement of the event is critical and can be done in a variety of ways such as making and spreading eye-catching flyers, running a compelling add on a local radio station, or asking current supporters of the organization to invite their friends, family, and strangers off the street. Now, once people know about the event anyone who wants to support the cause is practically a guaranteed sale, so the values and purpose of the organization must be clear to potential raffle participants. All forms of advertisement should also contain a basic explanation of exactly what cause the raffle will be funding. Taking steps to accomplish these things will assure that many people who wish to help the cause will come and participate in the raffle event.
A key element of a successful raffle is undoubtedly the prizes which the winning ticket holders shall be awarded. These prizes must be chosen with the utmost care so that they are desirable to be won but not so extravagant that ticket sales are unable to cover the cost. The organizer must consider a few things when choosing the prizes. Firstly, consider how large of an event will be held. This will affect how many tickets will be sold and thus how much money can be spent on the prize while maintaining a net gain. Secondly, take into account what kind of event is being held and what kind of organization is running it. In most cases, the prize should be something that relates in some way to the organization and event. For example, say a school was holding a fundraising raffle at a fall festival. An average sized school could easily have five or six separate prizes in the ten to twenty dollar range for the winners. These prizes could be things like school T-shirts and hats, or something fall themed to go along with the festival.
Once prizes are chosen and advertising is done the next step is to hold the event itself. The actual selling of the tickets can begin at the event or some time before, and that is up to the discretion of the event organizer. As this is a fundraising event the people selling the tickets will be volunteers and because they are volunteers they are not being paid. Unpaid workers must be motivated by something other than pay, for obvious reason. Of course, volunteers are already motivated to work in some way, that being the reason they signed up to help with the event. Most likely, the people who help voluntarily are people who desire to see the cause they are working for grow. It is most beneficial to have happy, motivated workers selling the raffle tickets, as they will sell more if they have good attitudes. To maintain the morale of the volunteers the event organizer should make a point to be friendly with their workers and to give a sort of pep talk when the event is about to begin. Also, something should be done after the event to thank the volunteers. Doing these things will improve the mood of the workers and make them more inclined to volunteer for the organization again later.
Keeping these things in mind while planning a raffle for a fundraiser will ensure that only the best results are had at the event. Effective advertising will maximize attendance, desirable prizes will maximize sales and wonderful volunteers will keep everything running smoothly. If the event has all this the organization will succeed to raise funds and to gain support for their cause.