8 Reasons to Consider a Shared Raffle

If we’re being honest, organising a raffle isn’t one of the easiest tasks in the fundraising world. Yes, it’s a dependable way to raise money, but it also takes time and constant effort to make a raffle successful, not to mention a dedicated team of willing volunteers to promote the raffle and sell tickets.

Raffles have undergone a transformation thanks to the digital age and there are now several online options available to help remove the hassles associated with traditional raffles. One of the most innovative digital options that is transforming the way we think about raffles, is the ‘shared raffle’.

In the last couple of years, you may have come across the Scouts Monster Raffle or Toyota Good for Cricket, and of course, the latest and greatest, Bolsta Raffles. These are shared raffles that enable not-for-profit or charity organisations to participate in the same raffle with other organisations to raise funds. Organisers of a shared raffle provide the prizes, access to a digital platform and take care of all the administration. As a participant in a shared raffle, your organisation sells tickets and retains a portion of ticket sales. The remaining portion goes to the organisers to cover the cost of the prizes, the digital platform and the administration of the raffle.

Shared raffles allow participating organisations to begin a raffle quickly and with no financial outlay for prizes. For the organisers, by allowing many organisations to participate in a single raffle, ticket sales increase and so larger prizes can be offered, making the raffle more attractive for ticket buyers. A clever concept that harnesses the collective power of the many.

So, if you are a fundraiser and think a shared raffle is the way to go, here are eight benefits for your consideration:

Reason 1 – It doesn’t require experience

Seasoned raffle campaigners have typically learned the hard way about what it takes to run a successful raffle. There are many moving parts such as finding or buying prizes, getting tickets printed and distributed, collecting funds, arranging permits and keeping financial records. Shared raffles do most of this heavy lifting for you, leaving you to spend your precious time on the tasks that will yield results, such as rallying your team and promoting your campaign.

Reason 2 – It’s fast

In a shared raffle, you can be up and running in a brief time. You create a digital campaign, it gets approved, and you are free to start promoting your campaign and selling tickets.

Reason 3 – No outlay means no risk

In a shared raffle, the prizes are provided, which means you don’t have to outlay funds for prizes in advance. This removes the financial risk that typically comes with buying prizes for your own raffle. You keep a portion of the ticket sales without spending a cent in advance. This means that if you sell one ticket, you have made a profit.

Reason 4 – The more the merrier

Shared raffles prosper as more organisations participate. It enables organisers to guarantee larger prize pools for participating organisations in future raffles. This benefits all the participants of shared raffles in the long run.

Reason 5 – Greater prizes

Shared raffles generate much larger ticket sales and can therefore offer much larger prize pools. If you are a small not-for-profit organisation, it is unlikely that you could offer prizes like cars, cash or gold bullion. Bigger prizes make it an easier decision for ticket buyers to support your cause.

Reason 6 – No more asking for donated prizes

If you have run a raffle, you have probably spent plenty of time trying to convince businesses to support your cause by donating prizes. This task can be overwhelming for many organisers, not to mention time consuming. A shared raffle eliminates the need to ask for prizes to be donated.

Reason 7 – Peace of mind

Regulations, permits and T&Cs are often overlooked because the rules are different in each state or territory. Rules and regulations also change over time, making it hard to keep up with legal obligations. In a shared raffle, the organisers ensure the legal compliance for every raffle, so you don’t have to worry.

Reason 8 – Level playing field

Shared raffles enable the many smaller volunteer led organisations to access the tools and resources that are typically only available to larger organisations, enabling you to fundraise like a professional.

There you have it, eight reasons you should consider the transition from organising a traditional raffle to participating in a shared raffle. If those reasons are appealing, then we would love you to consider the newest and most feature packed shared raffle of them all….Bolsta Raffles. It took over three years to develop, but fundraisers finally have access to an amazing shared raffle platform including custom-built iOS and Android apps.

We wish you all the best in your fundraising efforts.