Being an "early bird" has a positive connotation to it, don't you think?

Like event volunteers who get there early to help with set up. They're organized, they respect your time.

Or the ones who "RSVP" right away when you send out the Facebook invite to your fundraising event. They know you need numbers and they're motivated to support you.

When we're talking raffles, most groups sell over half their tickets jackpot during the last day of sales.

So those loyal supporters buy tickets on launch day?

They're the real MVPs.

We can't fight human behaviour — people (and mascots, apparently) react to "last minute" urgency. 

We can be strategic and find ways to consistently grow your jackpot, though.

Early Bird draws are good for that. 🐦

What are Early Bird draws?

Early Bird draws take place weeks or even months before your grand prize draw. Early bird prizes are typically smaller than your grand prize, but still exciting enough to entice people to buy tickets early and qualify for multiple prizes.

Should you add Early Bird draws to your raffle program?

If you find ticket sales stay stagnant between launch and "last chance" urgency, an Early Bird draw could kick your jackpots up a notch.

Weekly raffle programs — like the ones volunteer firefighters are running in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia — turn their lowest sales day into their second biggest with Early Bird draws:

Seasonal raffles, like Hamilton/Burlington SPCA's, break up their campaign with an extra cash prize:

The Nova Scotia Healthcare Foundations 50/50 added Early Bird draws to their monthly program 10 months post-launch:

And adding those extra draws (alongside other strategic marketing moves) helped them more than double their average jackpots:

Before adding monthly Early Bird draws (June/July 2023)

Before adding monthly Early Bird draws (June/July 2023)

Home lottery programs and Early Bird draws

Major year-round programs like Brentwood Lottery use cash prizes to keep people's interest between grand prize draws.

Their monthly 50/50 includes weekly Early Bird draws (here's their raffle banner from May 2024):

And over the years, supporters have celebrated big wins during Early Bird draws, taking home prizes like Harley Davidson motorcycles and $25,000 cash:

How do I add Early Bird draws to my raffle campaign?

This kind of change to your raffle program likely requires new licensing in your region. (If you're serious about adding an Early Bird draw to your program but are stuck on what to do, get in touch.)

Then when you're licensed to run an Early Bird draw, get your loudest supporters chirping about your big addition.

How do I promote my Early Bird draws?

People love urgency. They react to having "limited time".

Use the same "last chance" raffle marketing principles (outlined in our Raffle Marketing Guide) when you're getting close to Early Bird cut off time. 

Any posters, social media posts, emails, direct messages, etc. should promote the cut-off date to qualify for Early Bird prizes (like this one from Calgary Catholic Education Foundation):

Level up your raffle strategy by adding Early Bird draws

Think some additional draws could help grow your raffle program? We likely agree. Get in touch to chat strategy and licensing logistics.