Fun fund raising

Library Administrator's Digest, Sep 2000 by Randall, Eve

Let's talk raffles! "Wait! I don't want to sell raffle tickets." Yes, I can hear you saying that. And yet, raffles abound and with good reason. So rein in that thought as you consider some of the kinds of raffles you can design for the various purposes you need them to serve.

Big Ticket Items - Libraries can raise big bucks with big-ticket items. Most raffles of this type work like this: a limited amount of tickets are printed so the number of entrants is limited. (That can be a draw because the odds of winning are known.) Tickets are sold by board and staff for a fair, but somewhat high, dollar amount. It is very important to maintain control of the pre-numbered tickets so that all tickets can be accounted for at the time of the drawing. Plan to set up booths in public places such as stores and malls to sell tickets. I recommend allowing for a cash alternative to the prize item.

An example would be a car raffle: 2,000 tickets at $20 each are sold and the winner gets a car or $15,000. I buy one of these tickets every year, and it is not for love of the organization selling them. I want the car.

Is a car too big? How about one of those flat TV sets? Many people who are curious about them but not willing to invest in one yet may be willing to spend $5 on a chance to win one. Think about the things you want and you will find loads of ideas for prizes.

Lower Priced Items - Quilts are a personal favorite of mine. Hand made, of course. I love them but don't sew and will buy a ticket every time. Make up posters to advertise raffle ticket sales that include a picture of the prize if possible. Include dimensions when appropriate and always include information on where to find tickets. This kind of ticket usually sells for about $1 a chance.

Any advertising, as well as the tickets themselves, should identify your library and the specific project or program being supported if you are raising funds for something specific. Some people will buy a ticket for the sake of the library or project even if they are not enthusiastic about the prize.

50-50s - These are the ones where you get, for example: one chance for $2, three chances for $5 or an arm's length worth for $10. The winner gets half of the money collected. These are nice additions to event revenues, and that is really the only place I recommend them. If you can sell them, draw the winner and give away the prize in the same confined place and period of time, you can make a few bucks quickly without worrying about cash control confusion. Some generous people will even donate back the prize in the spirit of the event, but don't count on that. The cash prize can be supplemented with other, donated door prize type items to heighten interest by increasing the amount of winners.

Lottery Numbers - There are also the raffles that run for a period of time connected to the winning lottery ticket number. A person with a ticket the same number as the lottery number wins the grand prize, if it is one number higher or lower it wins a lesser prize. You can make these run for a month and sell the tickets for $5 each with $50 grand prizes and $25 second prizes based on a specific day of the week lottery. These require a bit more monitoring as someone will need to keep track of the lottery numbers to check against the tickets and send out the checks.

These are a couple of the types of raffles you can consider, and the list goes on and on.

Why consider a raffle? They can be organized in a fairly small period of time and customized many ways to suit your needs and abilities. And ... they're fun!

Eve Randall in News, Four County (NY) Library System, May 2000