Samantha Rodriguez
Non-profit organizations can use raffles as a way to raise money for their respective causes. In order to have a successful raffle, organizations must find ways to maximize the sale of tickets, find prizes that will encourage people to purchase tickets, and motivate volunteers to sell tickets. In order to maximize sales of tickets, organizations should do two things- promote their cause and find people who are willing to help that cause. If sellers are doing door-to-door sales, then they should go to neighborhoods that will have families that will be able to afford the raffle tickets. Idealistically, it would be best to sell the raffle tickets in areas where the organization’s work directly affects the people living in that area, if the money is going to help a local problem. An example of this would be if the organization were raising money to clean up a near-by reservoir or river. This combination of people being able to contribute money and being directly affected by how well the organization does will make people more likely to purchase raffle tickets. If the sale is being done by sitting in a booth at a public space, then the volunteers should set up in an area where many people will see them. Places like malls or grocery stores are perfect places, because the people who will see the booth likely have money with them, so they will be able to buy tickets at that moment in time. The volunteers should make the booth noticeable, by placing eye-pleasing signs that clearly state what organization they are from and that raffle tickets are being sold. In order to maximize ticket sales, volunteers should also emphasize the cause that the money from the sales is going towards. They should have pamphlets or posters that outline the organization’s purpose and states how the money will help them accomplish a goal. Statistics, pictures, or stories relating to the cause should also be discussed, so the person who may buy the ticket will feel more of an emotional investment to the cause. By doing these things, people will be more likely to purchase the raffle tickets, therefore contributing more money towards the organization’s cause.
The other part to a successful raffle is to have prizes that people will want t try to win. People will buy tickets if they know that a prize is something that they will want to have. For example, if there is a popular sports team in the area, then close-up tickets to see one of their games is a prize that many people will want to try to win. Many people will enter this raffle, but only on person will be able to win it, allowing for the organization to still have money left over for use towards their cause. Another prize that many people will want might be an all-expenses paid spa day at a local salon or spa. If the price of this is worth more than the price of a ticket, then someone might be more willing to purchase a raffle ticket. The organization will still be able to have money to go towards their cause if they are able to sell many tickets for this raffle. It is a prize that many people want and will want to have a chance at, especially because they know their money will be going towards a good organization. Another prize that would stimulate ticket sales would be baskets of small prizes that were bought and donated by the people who are a part of that organization. These baskets could have themes that range from toys for children to cooking utensils to movies and popcorn. These baskets would be at no cost to the organization, as its members would donate all of the materials. There would be a basket that would suit every person’s tastes, and that would encourage many people to purchase a raffle ticket. All of these prizes should be advertised while selling tickets, that way the buyer will know what they could win and be more incentivized to buy the tickets and help the cause.
In order to help the volunteers be motivated to sell as many tickets as possible, they should be given both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. First, all of the volunteers should be informed of exactly what the money they are collecting will be going towards. Presentations by the leaders of the fundraiser should be given to all of the volunteers in a kick-off event in order to get the volunteers excited about selling the tickets and to have them informed about the good their work will do for the cause. They should also be asked to set goals for themselves on how many tickets they sell, so they will have a personal reason for wanting to sell tickets. An extrinsic motivation for the volunteers should be that for every certain amount of tickets that the sell, they are able to receive one raffle ticket for free. This would make the volunteers want to sell as many tickets as they can, so they are able to have as many chances to win one of the prizes as they can. It acts as a reward and an incentive for the volunteers to sell the raffle tickets, making the fundraiser very successful. These proposals will help non-profit organizations hold a successful fundraiser for their causes. They will be able to make a difference in their communities and other areas where their money will be used to help people or causes, and this fundraiser will assist them in reaching that goal.