How Your NPO Can Benefit From a Raffle by Tim Lofgren
How Your NPO Can Benefit From a Raffle by Tim Lofgren
Non-profit organizations (NPOs) face a unique challenge in the world of business. The use of donations and volunteer labor usually become the sole resource pool of NPOs. This kind of resource stream creates limitations on the potential of the organization's success. The revenue stream brought in from raffles is a result of creative product development, but the marketing required for a successful raffle is limited by the thin resource pool mentioned above. Raffles are a common tool of churches, school, and various other NPOs. However, by using modern organizational methods in resource management, NPOs can increase paid raffle entrants, find raffle rewards that create excitement around the organization's efforts, and motivate volunteers to sell more raffle entries. A successful raffle is one in which the organization raises significant funds for its operations and participants are satisfied with the raffle after its completion, even if they do not win the raffle.
Getting more raffle ticket sales offers two benefits through the increased funds and recognition for the organization. With an NPO's limited resources, encouraging sales without putting high demand on resource input becomes essential. This can be accomplished through networking with community organizations and the general public through cold-canvassing and social media. Both of which are relatively cheap and create a direct connection between the source organization and potential participants. Through business-to-business networking announcements can be arranged at other local organizations like schools, churches, and businesses. Creating fliers that advertise a raffle can be placed in local businesses, handed out directly to consumers, or posted digitally on social media. Proper social media management can also help to attract eyes to the organization's effort in an efficient way through a laptop and volunteer hours.
The main draw of a raffle is the prize. Bigger prizes get more eyes and, in business, more eyes means more sales. Since NPOs do not have the funds to purchase items that can draw large numbers of participants, it is important to find sources of highly-desired prizes that come from donations. NPOs can seek donations of celebrity memorabilia from local sports teams, hometown celebrities, and internships within innovative industries like robotics, software application development, or artificial intelligence.
Since volunteers are the main labor pool of NPOs, it is important to keep them satisfied so that they know that their efforts have meaning. NPOs can accomplish this by designing and implementing recognition programs that create healthy competition among volunteers. These can come in the form of awards ceremonies, bonus packages, or career opportunities. For the volunteers that may not earn high performance recognition, the organization can create a simultaneous group recognition system that the organization will use to act as a group motivator. These act as motivational tools for volunteers that may not be able to achieve the highest recognition in the organization, but still provide a sense of achievement within the larger context of the main goal. They can be as simple as a pizza party or a group trip to a theme park.
Through the use of modern business management, non-profit organizations can achieve major operational goals to increase raffle entrants, find rewards that draw in entrants, and motivate volunteers to gain more raffle entries for the organization. Using social media, business-to-business networking, and employee motivational techniques, NPOs can put themselves in a position to increase raffle funding and, ultimately, draw attention to their cause to help those in need.
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Contributed by Tim Lofgren
October 30, 2015