This idea has been in use for twenty-five years, by my Vermont Rotary Club, and has been a great success. The concepts used in this fundraiser are general to any successful and profitable fundraiser.
This fundraiser is a fundraising idea where the result of sports results is used to decide the winners. Since each ticket has two teams, for a given week, that are randomly assigned, the fundraiser is best described as a sports-based raffle. However, this “giveaway” has the added excitement that the buyer can support a team’s result, if a certain result increases the chances of winning. It’s fun for ticket buyers because it’s based on sports, they make money, they buy a ticket and they can win every week during the sports season.
A raffle is generally a contest in which participants purchase a ticket or “a chance” to win a prize. A raffle is an easy fundraiser to start and requires fewer volunteer hours to plan and run than any other type of fundraiser. This raffle works very well due to the high profit margin. The total annual cost of running this raffle is less than 2% of total revenue. The annual cost is around $50 for commercial printing of the front of the tickets, and profits are limited only by the number of tickets sold. My Rotary Club bases its fundraiser on NFL football (496 tickets for a complete “set” at $20 each). With a payment of 50% of the total income, we win $5000.
An added benefit of raffles is that there are no large startup costs, no inventory or product to stock, no orders to take, and no product to deliver except for winners’ checks. Furthermore, success does not depend on advertising. Advertising is done one by one as people sell tickets. This is a great idea for any size.
group of only ten people to hundreds. For an NFL football fundraiser, a group of fifty people is ideal, since each person would need to sell only ten tickets each.
A raffle may not be right for everyone. In the United States, raffle laws vary considerably by state. Determine the legality of your prospective fundraiser and that it does not violate state or local ordinances dealing with raffles. Do some research online to find out if there are any restrictions in your area. Check with other organizations in your area. Some institutions may even have their own rules regarding fundraising. Check with your college, university, school, etc.