Team Up For a More Successful Raffle Fundraiser
Anthony Vines offers a “plethora†of tips for holding a better raffle in her “Impact a Life†college scholarship essay.
Follow along as Anthony offers up some unique ideas to improve your organization’s next raffle fundraiser. Anthony is a Freshman at UCLA.
Thanks Anthony and good luck with your studies!
“Impact a Life†Scholarship contributor: Anthony Vines
Yþu ÑÂðn hõlÑ€ Anthony Vines’s pursuit þf a scholarship award bу ÑÂlÑ–ÑÂkÑ–ng the “sharing Ñ–Ñ• ÑÂðrÑ–ng†buttþnÑ• bõlþw.
A non-profits goal of profit from a raffle fundraiser is quite a similar to a college student’s search for scholarships. It’s all about bulk. The more scholarships applied for or people involved the greater the chances you meet your goal of profits. However, different from a student searching for scholarships, a non-profit can utilize other people in their efforts to maximize the chance of profit.
My advice would be to utilize those groups that will work for you for free. For example, I was a part of a group at my high school called the Public Service Academy. This organization, which you had to apply to and was ran through our English and history classes, would give service to local non-profits and organizations as a part of our academic requirements. So not do you hopefully get a person or group that wants to serve but they’ll do it for free as long as you sign a paper that states they were there. Another group, quite similar to my academy, I would advise any non-profit to talk to, is the Boy Scouts of America. As a former Eagle Scout, I know that in order to advance in some ranks you need to have proof of public service. Plus, Boy Scout troops are all over the country. In addition, some troops give service as an entire troop which would be extremely beneficial to a non-profit because troops can get verily large. The point, you want as many workers as possible to distribute the word and create ticket sales. The more you get, the greater the chances a non-profit will achieve their goal.
If a non-profit is unable to get a group like the one above, then I would advise asking those who they are benefiting through their work. For example, the Clayton Business and Community Association, a non-profit organization that donated lots of money to my high school’s sports, would require my school’s athletes to volunteer at their functions.
The CBCA’s event that produced the most money was a crab feed. At this crab feed multiple prizes we’re given through raffle tickets and auction. Most of the people who attended this crab feed we’re parents of students, friends of those parents, staff members, rich people that lived in the general community, and alumni. Which brings me to the second point of running a successful, profitable raffle. You have to know who you are selling to. You have to think: What prize can I offer that is going to make these people buy the most tickets? At this crab feed the bestselling products year after year we’re parking spot number three and front row seats to graduation. Why? Because there were parents out in the crowd. And what do parents want? They want their kid to have a good, guaranteed parking spot and want to see their children graduate. That’s knowing your audience.
The others in the audience, not necessarily interested in these products, we’re always pressured to give away their money when the cheerleaders asked them to. Think about it. Who are you more likely to buy girl scout cookies from? The girl scout or the girl scout’s parent? How can you say no to a little girl scout? Quite similarly, it was harder to say no to helping out my school’s athletic program when the athletes themselves were asking for help and serving crab.