Page Text: Posted by Jessica Geer On September 25th
Raffles at Virtual Fundraising Galas can be a good idea.
Surprised? Many of you with whom I’ve worked in the past are probably thinking “Scott hates raffles, there’s no way he’s going to want it to apply to a Virtual Fundraising Gala.”
However; I stick to my previous statement; raffles at Virtual Fundraising Galas can be a good idea.
Here’s why. The primary reason I dislike raffles at fundraising events is the method of raffle ticket sales.
Typically, once you arrive at a fundraising event and get through registration, the first person that you see is someone coming up attempting to sell you a raffle ticket. They ambush your supporters before they can even get their first cocktail.
At this point your chances of offending someone are great; which sets the wrong tone for the evening. The additional downside is by donating a little bit of money for a raffle ticket, there’s a chance the supporter will feel like they have done “their part” in supporting the charity. Think bigger picture.
What happens with raffle ticket sales at a virtual event and why is it different?
Well, first of all, unless they are a late registrant, you’re not going to ask people the night of the event to buy raffle tickets. The supporters are going to be offered the opportunity during online registration.
Chances are registration for a virtual gala is going to happen a week or even two weeks before the event. Then when it becomes the night of the event they remember they bought a raffle ticket but they’re really not feeling the pain of buying the raffle ticket and no one ever made them uncomfortable.
That’s found money for the charity.
Then during the course of the live event we activate the digital wheel of chance. This wheel will contain all the names of ticket buyers and be displayed on a big LCD panel behind the auctioneer. We build the excitement, spin the digital wheel, then we have a winner and celebrate.
It’s no fuss and it’s done rather efficiently and quickly. If you were to give out multiple raffle prizes, it’s
really easy to remove a name from the wheel, (it can be done in less than a second) and we spin the wheel again
Instead of it being a long drawn out process it’s quick, it’s immediate, it’s fun. People will be eager to their names on the wheel as it’s spinning, which is a wonderful thing.
This generates excitement and engagement for the audience!
When we get back to traditional galas, am I still going to love raffles? The answer is likely no, for the reasons that were stated above. But for virtual fundraising galas, I say “go for it” as another stream of income for your charitable event
Ready to learn more about how a Virtual Fundraising Gala can help your organization raise funds? Contact us today!