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Raffles Are a Time Tested Fundraising Method by Dieye Ajeh

Raffles Are a Time Tested Fundraising Method by Dieye Ajeh

 

Non-profit organizations unlike profit making organizations cannot get listed in the Stock Exchanges and raise funds. However there are numerous ways in which such organizations can raise funds. The beauty about such fund raising activities is that it also helps in building the team in addition to garnering funds. One such time tested method is through raffles.

Raffles are one type of fundraiser where you have almost total control over the expenses and income you raise. Raffles with proper strategy and execution can be very successful fundraisers. The costs are minimal and the only limiting factor in profits is the quantity of raffles sold. Add to this a passionate and motivated team of volunteers firing on all cylinders to sell the raffles we are looking at skyrocketing results. If arrangements can be done to get sponsors for the rewards then we are looking at only the printed cost of the raffle tickets. The sponsors can be promised free advertisement on the day the lottery of raffles is drawn to get the free prizes.

Firstly one needs to make sure that state and local compliance laws are adhered to and if license is required the same is requested and received prior to the activity.

The next thing to do is to set goals from the fund raising activity. How much money you want to make? Based on this the number of raffle tickets and volunteers can be determined. Also the price of each raffle plays a huge role.The lower the price of the tickets for the raffle items the more volunteers you will need and the more tickets you will have to sell to make your target goals.

Prizes:

The demographics of the audience are crucial to determine the prizes to be given. A men’s group would probably be excited about winning a Harley Davidson motorcycle whereas women would probably want a package destination trip.

Some of the prizes that can be tried are sports cars, travel packages, electronic equipment, plasma TVs and gift vouchers.

However it will be a good idea if a sample survey of the participants is done giving the participants a list of prizes to determine the final prizes to be given.

The price set for tickets can make or break a raffle fundraiser. The ticket price needs to be high enough to reflect the value of the prize, and the raise the funds needed. However, it shouldn’t be so high that no one will want to buy a ticket!

If you are raffling off a nice car to a wealthy group of people you could price these tickets at $40-$80. If your audience is more of working class, the price should be in the $2-$5 range. The important point here is to know the audience to whom you will be selling the tickets.

Carefully weigh all these aspects when setting the price of the tickets.

 

Motivating the volunteers

 

The goal needs to be a stretched one. This will provide motivation for your group to achieve more. Constant encouragement, praise and enthusiasm will go a long way in motivating your group. However each individual based on his target audience and ability needs to be given specific goals and varying monetary incentives on achieving the targets needs to be communicated clearly prior to distributing the raffles.  Also, create time-line goals. Set a goal for one or two midpoint dates during the selling period. This will help you gauge your team’s progress.

Also the major driving force should be that they are doing something for a higher cause that cannot be expressed in monetary gains.

Maximizing Sales

The sales of the raffles can be maximized by the following:

  • Combine raffle ticket sales with other activities of the organization. Setting up booths to sell raffles during annual carnival, dinner, sports tournament or other event can be done.
  • Creating awareness and visibility by putting up banners and posters in places having good target audience.
  • Planning well in advance and giving enough time for volunteers to sell more and more
  • Training the volunteers and making them practise the sales pitch over and over again
  • Leveraging the organization’s value to the community. When selling tickets, volunteers should make it clear what the sales are for. The more familiar people are with the higher and noble cause or organization, the more likely they are to buy tickets.

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Contributed by Dieye Ajeh