If you are a regular reader of this blog, you certainly are aware of its founder, Sandra Sims. Sandra has written dozens of outstanding articles posted here and many high-quality e-books, which have helped non-profits all over the world earn more money. Jim Berigan has also written dozens of fundraising articles on this site, as well as at TopSchoolFundraisers and FundraisingIdeas.org.

Now, Jim and Sandra have teamed up to write a brand new e-book, called Raffle Secrets, The Complete Raffle Fundraising System. This fifty page e-book dives into the nitty-gritty of how to plan and execute a highly successful raffle event.

Whether your raffle is just part of a larger fundraising event or it stands alone with a mega-prize, this book will answer your most pressing questions and concerns.

After years of blogging about fundraising and working for numerous non-profit organizations, Jim and Sandra know what you’re looking for.

Here are just a few of the topics found in Raffle Secrets:

• How to decide if a raffle is right for your group (includes checklist)
• How to keep your raffle legal
• The top 5 most attractive prizes and how to get them at low -or no- cost
• 5 ideas to add revenue with ticket-buying incentives
• How to set the ideal length of time for ticket sales
• Create an event schedule so you’ll stay on track (includes a sample!)
• How to set the price for the tickets
• How to estimate costs (includes sample budget)
• The formula for creating the perfect ticket price
• Where to get your raffle tickets printed
• Promoting your raffle: advertising and publicity
• The #1 way to sell the most tickets
• 10 tips for selling tickets at a public booth
• Incentives and contests to motive volunteer ticket sellers
• Marketing techniques to build excitement
• How to give away the raffle prizes with a big event

In addition to the fifty page e-book, we are also including three FREE bonus e-books. These are:

• 18 Unusual and Amazing Raffles You Can Do to Raise Money for Your Cause
• Drive into Fundraising Success with a Car Raffle
• House Raffles – The Big Time Prize

If you have ever benefited from the articles that Jim or Sandra have posted here at StepByStepFundraising, then you’ve got to check Raffle Secrets out. They have put the same level of creativity, solid information, and personal experience into this e-book as they have each one of the articles on this blog. You’ll want to check this out now!

Raffle fundraisers can be very successful fundraisers for a variety of organizations. Your costs are next to nothing, and the proceeds are limited only by the number of tickets sold.The raffle fundraiser works so well because you can achieve high profit margins. If the prizes for your raffle drawing are donated, the only costs are the printing of the raffle tickets. (While you’re at it, get the ticket printing donated as well!) Raffles are less risky than big events. You don’t have to depend on getting large groups of people together at one time, like in a dinner or auction.

This is great for any size group – from just one person to hundreds. I conducted a raffle fundraiser with only 5 ticket sellers that raised over $1000 profit for our charity! If we can do it, you can too. Follow these guidelines and you will be totally amazed by the results.

Essentials for a Successful Raffle

Prizes – It would not be a raffle if you had nothing to give away! So what kind of prizes should you have? First of all, put yourself in your potential supporter’s shoes – What if someone comes up to you and says they are selling raffle tickets? What prize would you like to win?

Here are some prizes that attract many people’s attention:

Cars – Sports cars, Luxury cars, SUV’s in this years model. Another great alternative is a completely restored classic / collector’s car. You may or may not be able to get this donated. If not, consider other types of prizes, since your profit will be higher if all items are donated.

Travel – Always a winner. Roundtrip Airfare, a package deal, a cruise, hotel stays, even airline miles all make great prizes. Most people love to travel and the biggest obstacle is usually cost. Now if they win this raffle, they’ll just have to take some vacation time and go.

The larger trips such as week-long cruises or packages with airfare and hotel may draw more ticket buyers. However, travel doesn’t have to be exotic to make a great prize. Even a weekend getaway within driving distance could be a great prize. As long as it’s a place people in your area would want to go to for a vacation. A one night stay at a local hotel is not usually as appealing.

Electronic Equipment – Big screen TVs, DVDs, and stereos. These are big incentives, especially for the guys.

Gift Certificates – For stores like Home Depot, Best Buy, and local or chain restaurants. These make great secondary prizes.

These are just a few examples. As mentioned earlier, it is important to offer a prize that your potential sellers will place a high value on. A Barbecue Grill, a Handmade Quilt, a Gourmet Dinner, all of these could be great prizes for the right audience.

Okay, okay. So I know what you are thinking. How do I go about getting these prizes?

Recommended Reading:

Fundraising Job Opportunity: Do You Have What It Takes?
A Checklist for Those Worried about the Strength of their Non-Profit
5 Reasons You Should Collaborate with Another Non-profit in 2011- Part I
5 Reasons You Should Collaborate with Another Non-profit in 2011- Part II
7 Ways to Maximize Your Mini-Fundraiser Earnings
What’s a Non-profit to do When a Tsunami Strikes a World Away?
8 Things to Admire about Jimmy Wales’ Appeal Letter for Wikipedia
How Do You Raise Money for a Non-profit that Caters to the Well-to-Do?
15 Things to Do Right After Your Group Gets Some Good Press

The absolute best way is to survey the members of your organization. Every member could possibly have something of value to contribute to the prize pool. And if not, they may know somebody who can. Go for your biggest prize first, though. You need to secure that “hook” in order to have a viable raffle.

Earlier I mentioned that I had conducted a raffle that raised over $1000. In case you are wondering, our prize was a big screen TV. The company I worked for at the time had a point system incentive program. I pooled my points with some of my co-workers to get the big prize.

I also sent out an email asking my friends and the other ticket sellers for donations. I quickly got several more donations including some nice watches. Lastly, I went to several local restaurants and they were more than happy to donate gift certificates. And BINGO, we had the makings of a great raffle!

A Few Words of Caution:

Legal guidelines regarding raffles vary by state. Do a little internet research to find out about the state raffle laws and the restrictions in your county and city.

There are also some legal issues with big ticket items like cars. You may need to sell a minimum number of tickets for the car to be given away. These are legal details that would need to be explored with the dealer before committing to a deal. It is best to consult an attorney when raffling off big-ticket items like cars or boats.

Lastly, let me advise against buying the prizes for the raffle and then paying for it with the proceeds. Only raffle off donated prizes. This will naturally increase your profits! You will be putting virtually all of the ticket sales toward your particular charitable purpose. This will make a much bigger impact for your organization and what it is striving to accomplish.

Price Point

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!

Again, you have to know your audience. What are your supporters willing to pay for a ticket? For some prizes and/or audiences you may need to charge $1 or $2 a ticket. But remember, the lower your ticket price, the more tickets you need to sell to make a good profit.

This is why having a big prize is so important. You can charge a higher ticket price for big ticket prizes. If you are raffling a large prize such as a car, you could charge $10 or even more.

For the raffle that I conducted, we charged $5 per ticket. This accurately reflected the value of the prize and was a price most people were willing to pay. In fact many people bought 2 or more tickets each. For many raffles $5 is a good median price. This is usually a good price for items such as travel, TVs, BBQ grills, etc.

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

Total Tickets Sold – No matter what your prize or what your cost per ticket, your organization has to sell tickets. People have to be willing, able and take action to sell tickets.

Goals

How much money do you want to raise? Is this your group’s only fundraiser for the year, or a supplement? Deciding how much to be raised from the raffle is the first step in creating goals.

Second, estimate the number of ticket sellers you can count on. How many tickets should each person sell, at minimum, to reach the fundraising goal? This ticket / amount raised goal is the Target goal.

Lastly set a stretch goal. This will provide motivation for your group to achieve more. Your super sellers will go for the stretch.

How will you motivate the volunteers to sell more tickets? Possibly a prize (like a gift certificate) for the persons that sell the most? Simple encouragement, praise and enthusiasm will go a long way in motivating your group.

Also, create time-line goals. Set a goal for one or two midpoint dates during the selling period. This will help you gauge your progress.

Boost your Ticket Sales

Are you still brainstorming? Keep on going – push your ideas further. How can you sell the most tickets possible?

Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

• Combine raffle ticket sales with other activities of the organization. Does your group sponsor a fall carnival, dinner, sports tournament or other event? Set up a booth at these events to sell tickets.
• Sell tickets at your regular group meetings, and keep everyone up to date about the campaign’s progress.
• Set up booths at local fairs and grocery stores.
• Have a reasonable time line for sales, especially for big-ticket items. A minimum of one month selling period should be allowed. Plan for 2-3 months for larger ticket items.
• Give your prizes away at a regularly planned event, or a special event. Have tickets available for last minute buys.
• Leverage your 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 cause or organization, the more likely they are to buy tickets.

Step by Step Raffle Guide

Now that you have an idea of the essentials for your raffle campaign, lets break it down into steps

1. Planning Meeting with the committee – brainstorm as many ideas and possibilities, as well potential pitfalls. Assign members to researching prizes.

2. Regroup with your committee – report progress on prizes.

3. Finalize your “big prize’

4. Finalize timelines, when ticket sales will start and when they will end. Plan the date and how the giveaway will take place.

5. Gather smaller prizes such as gift certificates for secondary prizes.

6. Make raffle ticket layout.

7. Get the Raffle Tickets Printed

8. Keep records of which tickets will be given to which sellers. Having numbered tickets will help in record keeping.

9. Distribute tickets to the sellers.

10. Assign captains to follow up with a groups of sellers

11. Have a mid-campaign committee meeting. Report on how ticket sales are going, how to boost sales if needed.

12. Set a due date (before the giveaway day) for the sellers to turn in the money and tickets (both sold and unsold. Place sold tickets in a safe holding area.

13. On the appointed date and time, draw for prizes.

14. Distribute all prizes.

15. Have a celebration party. Thank all your volunteers, ticket sellers and buyers. Acknowledge your highest fund raisers and give out awards.

There you have it! With a little creativity and super selling, you can raise a lot of support for your charity!

Tip: Find out more about how to plan a raffle fundraiser in the Raffle Secrets fundraising guidebook.

Will You Be Running a Raffle in 2011-12?  If so, check out the e-book from Sandra Sims and Jim Berigan.  Raffle Secrets is 50 pages long and comes with three free bonus e-books. Excellent content from authors you’ve known and trusted for years!

I field questions about raffle fundraisers quite often.  Especially since the downturn in the economy and housing crisis, I have heard from several people who want to raffle their own house.  It won’t sell on the real estate market so why not raffle it?

The first reason not to do a house raffle, is that in most cases a raffle must benefit a charity.  So the first hurdle is that you have to either be willing to donate your house to a charity that actually wants it, or is willing to buy it from you.  Neither option is probably appealing or easy.

The laws governing raffles and any “game of chance” very by state, and sometimes by county or city.  In other words, first look up the state laws, (if you live in the US) then contact your local government to see if there are additional restrictions before proceeding with any raffle, house or otherwise.

Unfortunately the legalities around raffles can have life altering consequences if not followed. Penelope and Joe VanDevelder of Waterford, Michigan decided to raffle their own home after a disappointing two years on the market.

Their plan was even featured on major news outlets, including MSNBC online and national morning television shows.  Then once authorities found out about the raffle, the couple had to shut it down and refund all of the tickets.

I truly feel compassionate for people who are going through this tough real estate climate.  With perseverance and a bit of luck, the VanDevelders and those in similar situations will find other options to avoid financial crisis.

While it’s unusual, there are charities who do house raffles with great success.  One major difference however is the type of house being offered.  Houses that are great prizes are not generally potential foreclosure situations.  In fact the houses that are offered as prizes are more like mansions.

There’s a “Dream Home” raffle going on right now in California for a $2 Million dollar home that overlooks San Francisco Bay.  The proceeds from the raffle will benefit Community Action Marin a private non-profit social service agency that helps the poor and disadvantaged people in Marin County. This amazing house raffle could be a dream come true for the prize recipient.  Like any prize of that size the taxes that the winner would have to pay could be astronomical.  Like the winners of the HGTV Dream House Sweeps, they would likely sell the house, pay the taxes and keep the cash left over.  Which would still be a a wonderful prize!

So could your non-profit offer such an amazing prize for your next raffle?  If you’d like to have a house raffle, or other big prize like a car or big-time cash prize, it will take a lot of work to make it profitable.  The Marin County house raffle, like other house raffles that I’ve seen, has corporate sponsors to underwrite the costs.  Publicity, advertising and perhaps direct mail or in person sales would also be required to sell the number of tickets needed to make the fundraisers worthwhile.

And after all that’s been said about legal issues, a fundraiser with a prize that size would need to be reviewed by an attorney experienced in such cases.   Insurance may also be another issue that you’d need to consider.

For charities who have the ability to plan and execute a fundraiser of that scope, a house raffle could be a viable way to raise money.  But for home owners who would like to sell their home, in 99% of cases, a house raffle is just not an option.

Will You Be Running a Raffle in 2011-12?  If so, check out the e-book from Sandra Sims and Jim Berigan.  Raffle Secrets is 50 pages long and comes with three free bonus books. Excellent content from authors you’ve known and trusted for years!

So how do get raffle tickets printed? There are several ways you can create raffle tickets.

No matter which way you choose, be sure to allow time for raffle ticket printing. Don’t let the printing throw off the schedule of your campaign.

Ticket Layout

First, figure out how you would like the tickets to look. Consider the size of tickets, color of cardstock or paper, and pictures or logos.
There are key pieces of information that need to be on your tickets. You need a section for the purchaser to fill out which will then be put in the drawing.

On the left-hand side of the ticket include: name, address, phone and email (optional).

On the right hand side print information about the drawing: the organization’s name, address and/or city, state, phone number, date of the raffle, list of major prizes, and website. Give this stub to the purchaser to keep.

Do it Yourself Raffle Tickets

You can create tickets from your personal computer, print them out and make copies. Cut out the tickets. Staple in books of 5 or 10 and you are ready to go.

The upside to printing raffle tickets yourself is that it is the cheapest option. You may even find someone to donate the copying.

The downside to this approach is that you cannot number tickets so easily. Second, unless done properly they could look unprofessional. This could cast doubt on the legitimacy of your organization or the ticket sales.

To make your tickets as professional as possible, be mindful of the design and layout. If this is not your forte, ask someone in your group who is good at graphics to create the tickets.

Using a heavier paper or card stock can also make your tickets more appealing.

Professional Printing

This is a better option if you are selling thousands of tickets. The tickets may have a more professional look, which will add value and credibility to your campaign. You could also number the them, which can be helpful in tracking sales.

There are a variety of suppliers and services for getting raffle tickets printed.  Some online services have applications that let you design the tickets online.  These services are often more economical now than in years past because of the online aspects. Depending on how many tickets you need, you may be able to print them from your own printer or get them mailed to you.

Using a ticket printing service will likely make your tickets look more professional and inspire trust in those who would like to buy a ticket.

Choose the best option that works for you and get those raffle tickets printed!

Are you considering a raffle as a fundraiser?  If so, check out the e-book from Sandra Sims and Jim Berigan.  Raffle Secrets is 50 pages long and comes with three free bonus books. Excellent content from authors you’ve known and trusted for years!

1. What is a Raffle?

A raffle is generally a contest in which participants purchase a ticket or “chance” at winning a prize.Raffles are conducted by registered charitable organizations and the net proceeds from the raffle must be devoted to a charitable or public service activity or endeavor.

2. Can a for profit business or individual run a raffle?

Contests sponsored by for profit businesses or governments would either be defined as a lottery (if a ticket purchase is required) or a sweepstakes (if no purchase is necessary) and there are other laws that govern these activities.

3. How do I know if conducting a raffle is legal in my state?

Some states allow raffles while others do not. See this list of United States Raffle Laws by State

4. Are raffles legal in Canada?

The gaming commission of the province where the raffle will take place has legal authority over raffles conducted in that province. More information about gaming in Canada.

5. Can our group sell raffle tickets online?

Selling tickets online is a gray area and I have not found a definitive answer one way or another. It is best to consult with an attorney who has experience in this area. Many charities do at least advertise their raffles online and have an address or contact information so people can order tickets.

6. What information should be printed on the tickets?

There are key pieces of information that need to be on your tickets. You need a section for the purchaser to fill out which will then be put in the drawing. On the left-hand side of the ticket include: name, address, phone and email (optional).

On the right hand side print information about the drawing: the organization’s name, address and/or city, state, phone number, date of the raffle, list of major prizes, and website. Give this stub to the purchaser to keep.

Numbered tickets will enhance the professionalism of your tickets and give your coordinator an easy way to keep track of the number sold. Numbered tickets are also required for some states. Raffle ticket software makes numbering tickets easy.

7. How much should we charge for raffle tickets?

That depends on the value of the prizes offered.

• For low value items, $1-2 per ticket is normal.
• For high value items such as automobiles, boats, or large travel prizes $10-20 per ticket is acceptable. I have seen some raffles charge up to $100 per ticket. However it can be more difficult to sell tickets at this price.
• For mid level prizes such as televisions, weekend getaways etc. $5 is a good median price.

More Raffle Questions

You can view more Frequently Asked Questions About Raffles here. For a complete guide that will help your group set up a raffle see Raffle Secrets: The Complete Raffle Fundraising System.

The Burlington High School Student Council is holding a raffle to support the Great River Hospice in Iowa, with a very unique prize that makes local football fans quite comfortable indeed. Winners have the opportunity to sit in a comfortable sofa during Burlington High School home varsity football games. They will also enjoy free snacks from the concession stand.

Raffles are sold for $2.00 each. Tickets are sold at the gates of the stadium and also in the stands. There is information about Great River Hospice available at a table next to the concession stand.

The student council hopes to raise $2,000 with their fundraiser. Upcoming games on October 5th and October 19th will help them reach this goal.

Source: thehawkeye.com

My son’s school had a raffle this year that was so successful that next year the school might just implement this raffle idea as the only fundraiser.

Our school like most schools has an auction/dinner fundraiser every year. An event that a handful of parents work on all year long for weeks and weeks and the rest of the school parents put in a pretty good share of time too. This year was one of the most successful ones because we also implemented a raffle that raised a quarter of the whole event!

The truth is I think that raffles rule! But you have to do it in a smart way. Here is what we did:

Since kids are great raffle tickets salespeople we wanted to make it fun and rewarding for the kids to sell the tickets. We made a list of all the coolest raffle prizes that our kids would love to receive. The #1 thing was a Unicycle (we have a circus performing arts class that all the kids take), after that we came up with a Tamagotchi , a skateboard and tons of beanie babies!

What we did is organize in effect two raffles, one was the fundraising raffle and one was the “kid raffle”. You cannot buy raffle tickets for the “kid raffle,” you can only earn them. For every 10 tickets that a kid sells they get one free kid raffle ticket. Naturally, the kid raffle’s main prize was a unicycle (which we got donated) and the rest of the prizes were bought by us.

The kids went nuts!!! We gave each child a packet with all the instructions and got them psyched… We made an executive decision that no kid will go empty handed at the end of the raffle and we bought beanie babies for all of them (we got them on eBay for a dollar each).

In order to try and inspire people to buy more raffle tickets for the regular fundraising raffle we awarded those who spent a lot of money with loads of tickets. One raffle ticket sold for a dollar, 6 for 5 dollars all the way to 500 tickets for $200! The thinking for the high amount is that many family members, friends and grandparents live far away. They would be happy to support junior’s school and cannot attend the fundraiser BUT they can buy raffle tickets… and would make junior really happy because the more tickets they buy the more the granddaughter receives free “kid raffle” tickets.

In my opinion, the only reason for having a raffle that compliments an auction/dinner is to be able to squeeze money from people that are not going to be at the physical event.

In order to solve the problem of filling in your name and number on each ticket we offered a “free fill in service” for those who bought $40 worth of tickets or more. We devised a system at the end to make this easy for us to do. I can’t tell you how many of my friends added $20 bucks just so they won’t have to fill out 30 tickets…

Out of about 50 kids (we are a very small school k-6) we sold about 6 $200 deals (which also included 2 free tickets to the main event, a $50 value)..

Some kids sold hundreds of dollars worth of raffle tickets just by approaching their church members or even at the local market (naturally, we made it clear that kids do not sell on their own and must have an adult present). What I found is that people will be happy to give 5-10 bucks to a local school not really caring what the raffle prizes were.

This was a way to get money from school supporters who could not attend the dinner event for whatever reason.

We ended up raising over $6000 with this raffle which was huge for us. I am already thinking of ways to refine this system in order to make it even more successful next year.

When I think of how much time and energy goes into doing the fundraiser dinner and relatively how little time was involved with the raffle I wonder if it is possible to stretch these ideas and make it the main event.

I think that the key to the success was having the secondary kid raffle. Because once you charge up the kids they not only do a great job but most of them love it too… And also I think that people are quite tired of buying from those catalogs stuff that they really don’t need or want and would prefer to just give the full amount of money to the school….

If you were given a choice between buying overpriced $8 gift wrap (which the school only sees $3) or buying 12 raffle tickets for $10 which all goes to the school what would you choose?

About the Author: Frustrated with the usual unorganized school fundraisers Suzanne Wouk turned to the internet in search of a better way. She started the site FundraisingMom.com in order to share the information she found with others.

For a general guide that will help your group set up a raffle see How to Organize a Raffle Fundraiser. For a more extensive course check out Raffle Secrets.

For more information about school fundraisers visit Top School Fundraisers.

Ginette Soper, an eighth grader in Illinois, has put together a fund-raiser to benefit Restoration Ministries. She is selling Beanie Babies for ten dollars each. To date she has sold 80 of the 100 Beanie Babies that she had for the fund-raiser. She has raised more than $800.

The funds will go to help children who participate in Restoration Ministries’ after-school programs. Soper is familiar with the ministry program through her mother. The Restoration Ministry is in Harvey and serves more than 7,000 annually. It has an emphasis for helping underprivileged youth, but it has 26 programs which for every segment of the population.

Soper’s mother owns Salon St. Clair and helped her daughter arrange the fund-raiser at the salon. She also donated beauty treatments for a raffle for the fund-raiser. A salon client that works for Ty, Inc. was impressed with Ginette Soper’s idea and gave her 100 Beanie Babies as a donation for her fund-raising efforts.

People can purchase a Beanie Baby for $10. They can write a positive message on the Beanie Baby, or just their name and the Beanie Baby is then sent on to the children at Restoration Ministries. If someone donates $20 they can “sponsor” a Beanie Baby and also enter the raffle at the salon.

Will You Be Running a Raffle in 2011-12?  If so, check out the brand new e-book from Sandra Sims and Jim Berigan.  RaffleSecrets is 50 pages long and comes with three free bonus books. Excellent content from authors you’ve known and trusted for years!

Special deal just for Step by Step Fundraising readers going on now. Don’t miss the savings!  If your non-profit is having a raffle this year, you’ve got to check this out!

When planning a raffle fundraiser it’s important to pay careful consideration to the raffle prizes that you choose. First of all, put yourself in your potential supporter’s shoes – What if someone comes up to you and says they are selling raffle tickets? What prize would you like to win?

Here are some prizes that attract many people’s attention:

Travel – Always a winner. Roundtrip Airfare, a package deal, a cruise, hotel stays, even airline miles all make great prizes. Most people love to travel and the biggest obstacle is usually cost. Now if they win this raffle, they’ll just have to take some vacation time and go.

The larger trips such as week-long cruises or packages with airfare and hotel may draw more ticket buyers. However, travel doesn’t have to be exotic to make a great prize. Even a weekend getaway within driving distance could be a great prize. As long as it’s a place people in your area would want to go to for a vacation. A one night stay at a local hotel is not usually as appealing.

Electronic Equipment – Big screen TVs, DVDs, and stereos. These are big incentives, especially for the guys.

Gift Certificates – For stores like Home Depot, Best Buy, and local or chain restaurants. These make great secondary prizes.

These are just a few examples. As mentioned earlier, it is important to offer a prize that your potential sellers will place a high value on. A Barbecue Grill, a Handmade Quilt, a Gourmet Dinner, all of these could be great prizes for the right audience.

Okay, okay. So I know what you are thinking. How do I go about getting these prizes?

The absolute best way is to survey the members of your organization. Every member could possibly have something of value to contribute to the prize pool. And if not, they may know somebody who can. Go for your biggest prize first, though. You need to secure that “hook” in order to have a viable raffle.

Use some creativity and any connections or opportunities that you have. One year I planned a raffle that raised over $1000. In case you are wondering, our prize was a big screen TV. The company I worked for at the time had a point system incentive program. I pooled my points with some of my co-workers to get the big prize.

I also sent out an email asking my friends and the other ticket sellers for donations. I quickly got several more donations including some nice watches. Lastly, I went to several local restaurants and they were more than happy to donate gift certificates. And BINGO, we had the makings of a great raffle!

For a general guide that will help your group set up a raffle see How to Organize a Raffle Fundraiser. For a more extensive course check out Raffle Secrets.

Whether you’re a small, medium, or large nonprofit organization raffle ticket fundraisers can greatly benefit your charity. If you’re organizing your first or fifth charity raffle, these tips I’m going to share with you will help you reach more targeted donors faster, easier, and for pennies on the dollar.

Capitalize on Local Media

They’re read and watched every single day by people in your community. It’s the local newspaper and radio stations. By using these outlets, your raffle will see a nice boost in ticket sales and organization awareness. It’s quite simple to approach these outlet’s.

How to Approach Local Radio Stations

There are many local radio stations that will announce public service announcements and news happening within their city or town. What you want to do to have your charity fundraising event announced on the airwaves is to first contact the radio station and ask to speak to the community events program director.

Always be sure to have your raffle tickets handy to provide one or two to the local media outlets. Offer to give them some tickets for their announcement on the radio. Most radio stations will join forces with local charities to kick off and promote their fundraising event.

You will be able to get on the smaller AM and FM radio stations fairly easily, but to get on the larger sized radio stations may be some more work. Just help them add more value to their listeners. Offer to give away some tickets to callers at the station.

Local Newspapers

Newspapers almost always have local events. These are pretty simple to get announced within their paper. The method is quite the same as with the radio stations to get in the newspapers. Simply call up the paper and ask to speak with the community events writer. Tell them about your charity raffle coming up, send him some information, and don’t forget to send him a “thank you” note for speaking with you. You always want to make an impression on the papers for future fundraisers and raffle ticket events.

Internet Fundraising

The internet has given the chance for smaller foundations to reach more people, but be careful be sure to follow your state regulations when using the internet for donations or raffle ticket fundraisers. A great example on how to use the internet for your raffle is to find and approach website’s that cater to your prizes. For example, if you have a Ford Mustang Raffle, there are hundreds and thousands of websites that cater to the Mustang enthusiasts. Wouldn’t these be great candidates to buy a raffle ticket.

Call up the owner of the website and tell him about what you are doing and the prizes you have. Your Mustang Raffle is perfect for their Mustang website. A perfect match! This will also work great for Harley Davidson raffle, house raffle and smaller and larger raffles.

For a general guide that will help your group set up a raffle see How to Organize a Raffle Fundraiser. For a more extensive course check out Raffle Secrets.