3 ways to relax this summer (instead of panicking about fundraising)

It’s summertime and the livin’ is easy… 🎷

In the summertime, when the weather is high… 🎵

It’s a smile, it’s a kiss, it’s a sip of wine, it’s the… you get it.

Summertime is supposed to be relaxing. (That’s why we save all our vacation days and burn through them in just a few months, isn’t it?)

But if you’re an involved parent — or teacher, coach… anyone who puts their hand up to make fundraising happen — you know the pressure creeps in as quickly as the school year does.

While we’re not suggesting raffles are as relaxing as, say, a vacation, we are saying fundraising with raffles gives you more time to relax. 

In-person fundraisers certainly have their place (especially for big, established charities), and online fundraisers like auctions can be profitable, too (although time-consuming to coordinate.) There are a bunch of ways to raise funds for your team, school, or other charity… we just think you should do it in the easiest way possible.

Cut to: Raffles. 50/50s, in particular. 

50/50 raffles are easy because:

• The raffle is the prize. 
• Build a jackpot and half goes to your group, half to the winner. (Like, you split it 50/50.) No prize or cash required beforehand.
• They give people options for supporting you.
• Some people have the capacity to contribute $5, some will want to give you hundreds. Ticket packages help you cater to your diverse range of donors.
• You can run them from your laptop or phone.
• When you're raffling online, it's easy to manage it on the go. Plus, a platform like Rafflebox takes care of payments, winner selection, and more.

So, is getting an easy, consistent fundraiser off the ground on your to-do list? Let’s get you ready to raffle.

Here are three ways you can get the ball rolling on a future raffle. These are preliminary, simple tasks — but trust us when we say: Getting this stuff done upfront creates a solid foundation for a successful fundraiser.

1. Send out an email to your fundraising crew.

The best raffles have a team behind them. Or at the very least, a champion. Someone (or, some people) responsible for administration, promotion… you know, making it happen.

So go ahead, set yourself up on a sun-drenched patio (perhaps one with refillable soft drinks and wasp repellent) and see if you can round up some key support with an email.

Check out live raffles in your area (or look for groups with causes like yours) for inspiration. It's always easier to get support when people understand the potential success. And if you need a ghost writer? Send something like this:

"Hey team,

It's early to chat about 2024 fundraising, but I think we should look into running online 50/50 raffles.

Here's a group like ours that's raising funds with raffles: URL

With some upfront planning, we could even run recurring raffles and fundraise all season. If you're interested in getting this off the ground, let me know and we can connect."

2. Get the details on your state or province’s charitable gaming rules and guidelines.

Every province or state has their own charitable gaming rules, so make sure you look up your region, plus raffle laws. Literally, you can Google this:

State or province + raffle 50/50 licence (or license, depending on where you live and how you spell.)

Then, download the documents you find as PDFs. This way, you can read them from your phone or tablet (from the beach, where you have no reception.) Take some notes, leave the beach with a plan, and fill in the blanks later. 

3. Strategize for ticket sales.

It’s never too early to consider how you’re going to build ticket sales. We’ve said it once and we'll never stop saying it: The best raffles have a promotion plan.

Invite some other involved parents and fundraisers to a bonfire and put some collective thought into how to build a raffle program. Ask each other questions like:

• Do we have a social media presence (or could we build one?)
• Do we have any budget to advertise a raffle?
• Do we host any events where we could promote the raffle?

Then, as the fire burns, let the conversation get creative:

• Can we build a recurring raffle program so we’re always raising funds in the background?
• Do we know any community figures who would post or talk about our raffle?

The sky’s the limit when it comes to raffling. Raise a few hundred dollars by sharing your raffle link around your inner circle, or, make a plan to promote it and watch your jackpot soar. Your raffle can be as high or low maintenance as you want. That’s the beauty of options.

Let’s raffle!

There you have it, that’s how you get the ball rolling on raffling. Raffles are by no means no-work projects, but, if you get this stuff done this summer… Well, you’ll be raffling your way to bigger results by this time next year.

Take some time to scroll through live raffles and see how other groups like yours are doing, and if you’re ready to see how raffling could add to your fundraising, book a call with us. We’ll give you the lowdown.