The Raffle A Wonderful Fundraiser by Rosa Guadarrama
The Raffle A Wonderful Fundraiser by Rosa Guadarrama
Last month I attended a wonderful fundraiser for the worthy cause of helping children. The subject is one many people subscribe to, embrace and love to support. The fundraiser had many different aspects to make it a success; you paid $125. for dinner, purchased items made by the students and raffle tickets. The raffle tickets were sold an hour prior to notification and this is where the error occurred. To maximize the sale of Raffle tickets they should go out at the same time as invitations. This first level of raffles can be labeled “early bird” and can have a handful of gifts of a certain caliber. These can be raffled off at the early stages of the event so that momentum builds. The second level is having a designated person who will have the raffles available from the time of the invitation to the time of the actual event. This person should be able to be contacted by phone and or email offering the option of “will call” or mailing them prior to the event. Once at the event raffles should be sold at the reception desk and several vendors should walk around offering raffle tickets.
Prizes that encourage purchase and are highly regarded are items of value that not everyone can afford: facials, spas, weekend getaways, hotel stays, nail salons, theater tickets, movie tickets, local restaurants and packages for “friend events: easel paint, wine tasting, beer brewery and dinner for an entire group of four or more”. When local shops participate, the encounter could become a win/win situation for all involved. If it does not create a long term relationship you know about the business and can pass on the word based on your experience, how they made you feel and the fact that it was a prize.
Finally, how to motivate the volunteers selling the raffle tickets? May I suggest three options. First of all, it would be nice to have a monetary prize for the person who sells the most tickets. This would require one person to be in charge or the set numbers provided to each volunteer, this could be extremely lucrative. Secondly, there could be a raffle prize strictly for the volunteers. This could be one prize or divided in to three levels for example: those who sold over 1,000. tickets are in one category, those who sold 700-400 are in the second category and finally all others in the third. The volunteers could be invited to the fundraiser at a discounted price or they could be provided with special recognition by awarding them with a certificate or a special event just for them at a later date. Finally, each group is different and based on location event, etc. can determine a different response that propels their motivation. I propose we ask for their input. One can ask what would be beneficial to this group. The responses might be, to give a donation on their behalf, get community credits for school, receive a pin for the girl scouts, written approved volunteer time; the suggestions will be endless.
The fundraiser last month was a huge success, somethings are easier to sell than others. I for one was lucky enough to receive a facial and a visit to The Holocaust Museum for two, which I will attend with a lady I met at the event since we said we would invite the other person if we would win. It was an enjoyable event, I made a new friend, won two prizes and volunteered for a worthy cause without an incentive, but with the thought that my services were needed. That was enough for me.
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Contributed by Rosa Guadarrama
December 16, 2015