“Can I post raffle tickets in the U.S. mail?”

This is a question that comes up from time to time. To find an answer to that question, let’s cite the ruling straight from the horses mouth; The U.S. Postal Service.

Important: The vital part of the ruling that would most likely concern you, is somewhat buried in the last paragraph. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom for our guidance. (Keep in mind we are not lawyers, nor do we play one on T.V.)

Lotteries – Raffles
March 2002

PS-307 (601.13.3)

This Customer Support Ruling discusses the eligibility of lottery advertisements by authorized nonprofit organizations.

A question was raised as to whether raffle tickets to be mailed as part of a raffle conducted by a nonprofit organization would violate the proscription against mailing lottery tickets set forth in Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) 601.13.3.

As the result of an inquiry from the Postal Service, the Department of Justice notified Congress that it will no longer enforce the criminal lottery statute (18 U.S.C. Section 1302) against gambling advertisement mailers, so long as the activity advertised is legal and the mailing does not provide any entry materials. On December 5, 2000, the DMM was amended to revise the standards governing lotteries to incorporate this change.

While the DMM change revised the standards governing “advertising” for legal lotteries, it did not alter the standards that “unlawful matter includes any letter, newspaper, periodical, parcel, stamped card or postcard, circular, or other matter permitting or facilitating participation in a lottery; any lottery ticket or part thereof or substitute; and any form of payment for a lottery ticket or share.” (Referred to in 18 U.S.C. Section 1302 as “entry materials.”)

Raffles that incorporate “prize,” “chance,’ and “consideration” are considered lotteries under the statute and postal standards. “Tickets” for such raffles are considered unlawful mail matter and remain nonmailable.

When one or more of the three elements i.e., prize, chance, consideration, are eliminated from a raffle, the arrangement does not constitute a lottery for postal purposes. For instance, “consideration” is eliminated if persons may enter without payment of a fee. Thus, a nonprofit organization that designs a raffle where it is clear that a donation is not required (e.g. via a check box, “  Please enter my name in the drawing. I do not wish to make a donation at this time”) to participate in the raffle may use the mail to distribute the tickets for that raffle.

(Signed)
Sherry Suggs
Manager
Mailing Standards
United States Postal Service
Washington DC 20260

The Important Bit: “Thus, a nonprofit organization that designs a raffle where it is clear that a donation is not required (e.g. via a check box, “ Please enter my name in the drawing. I do not wish to make a donation at this time”) to participate in the raffle may use the mail to distribute the tickets for that raffle”

And there you have it – straight from the horses mouth!

A well-run raffle with the right grand prize can raise incredible amounts of money for your school, church, or charity. Most groups underestimate how much money a raffle can raise.

You can easily raise ten thousand with a simple raffle, tens of thousands with a desirable prize such as a new car, and hundreds of thousands of dollars with a truly deluxe prize such as a new home.

Cash prizes

From the late-1700s to the early 1900s, many public buildings and university expansions were funded by raffles. The raffle prize was always cash and the raffles always sold out all their chances.

Cash prizes allow people to dream of what they’d do with the cash if they won. Cash awards work best when ticket prices are fairly low and the grand prize is a significant multiple of ticket cost.

For instance, when you have a $10 ticket price, a $10,000 cash prize is a huge draw. Having lots of additional chances to win smaller cash prizes is another great raffle ticket sales incentive.

The most popular cash raffles combine low-priced tickets with a significant cash prize and several tiers of smaller cash prizes. Total cash awards should always be less than 50% of total ticket revenue.

Luxury prizes

Physical prizes that match the ticket buyers “wants” also do well. Vacation getaways, restaurant gift certificates, spa treatments, and other items with a luxury feel also work well as prizes.

And don’t forget prizes aimed at men such as sporting event tickets, sports memorabilia, golf-related gifts, and anything that goes fast or makes lots of noise are also good draws for ticket buyers.

You can combine luxury prizes with cash prizes or you can do raffle where all prizes consist of luxury items. Because some people will not want the luxury prize, you should always promote your raffle as offering an alternate cash value prize for any item offered.

Another option instead of offering a $10,000 first prize plus five $1,000 cash prizes, would be to switch the secondary cash prizes for things like a big screen TV, vacation packages, stereo system, Omaha steaks, etc. This type of combo raffle has widespread appeal.

Dream prizes

And the lure of “dream” prizes such as a new car or even a new house can’t be underestimated. It is a powerful emotional draw that really creates an urge to buy a ticket on the spot, and that emotional trigger is what you want in a big prize.

With dream prizes, more tickets will need to be sold with ticket prices correspondingly higher. A new car raffle might have tickets priced anywhere from $20 to $100, depending on how many tickets were being sold and the value of the vehicle.

A good rule of thumb is to keep ticket prices low enough to have widespread appeal without having to sell so many tickets that your volunteers run out of energy and prospects.

Prize costs

Obviously, you would love to have a dream prize such as a house or a car donated to your group, but that’s neither realistic or necessary. Obtaining a good discount is all you need to focus on since any discount directly translates into extra profits.

As with a cash raffle, keep your prize costs under 50% of total ticket sales. The larger the grand prize, the smaller the percentage can be.

For example, a car being raffled can have it’s MSRP pegged at 40% of total ticket revenue. With a good discount, your profit could end up at 67% of total revenue. A house being raffled can be positioned with it’s appraised value at 33% of total ticket sales.

How much can you raise?

Raffle profits vary wildly across the different prize categories. You can easily raise $10,000 with a cash raffle or one offering luxury prizes. When cash raffles are tied to well-publicized events like a golf ball drop, profits can easily exceed $25,000.

Car raffles will raise that much and more, depending on the desirability of the car being raffled, the ticket pricing and the overall ticket sales volume.

Raffling a new home can raise hundreds of thousands of dollars. I’ve even seen a group make several million dollars by raffling a luxury beach home. They sold 32,000 tickets at $150 each, grossing $4.8 million for a house appraised at $1.8 million. Now that’s a raffle!

Summary

There is no single best raffle prize. Your choice of prize or prizes will vary depending on your financial goal, the size of your potential market, and how many volunteers you have to sell tickets.

Bigger prizes mean more tickets must be sold to turn a profit, but they also mean substantially higher profits. Design your raffle prize offerings to match your community’s tastes and always offer alternate cash awards in lieu of any physical prize.

Kimberly Reynolds writes for national publications about non-profit fundraisers, fundraising raffle prizes, and church fundraiser events. Find more school fundraiser tips on her website, FundraiserHelp.com

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Technorati Tags: Fundraising, Fundraising Ideas, Prizes, Raffle, Raffle tickets

In today’s world of media and technology, social networking plays a major role in an event’s promotion. Hence, many event organizers now invest a lot in Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and similar other sites, hoping for the highest returns in the long run. However, Google+ is a new addition to this list and has been proved incredibly helpful for non-profit fundraising. Here, we have come up with a few simple tips that will help you reap the fruits of success by promoting your non-profit fundraising in Google+.

Presence on the Google+ Platform

As a veteran in this field, I have always believed that visibility on a social media platform matters a lot. Your presence on the Google+ platform opens up a myriad of opportunities to connect with like-minded people from various parts of the world. Hence, this platform offers you enough opportunity to establish personal connections. It helps you decide

Try to Expand Your Network

Most of the people in Google+ simply mouse over your name instead of entering the profile at the very beginning. It helps them find your mutual friends and many of them put you in their circle based on that. Hence, you must try to extend your network by adding as much people as possible in your circle. With a large number of people in your circle, it becomes easier for you to spread the message of your non-profit fundraising to maximum audience.

Experiment with Circles

Google+ helps non-profits to stay focused, essentially on the relevant groups. It helps you reaching out to a larger audience, even without spending a lot of time looking for them. For example, you have made a fundraising video, which you want to be viewed by your board members. Google+ allows you to post it directly in a group composed of your board members only.

You can also add your board members, development committee, donors, and any other staff from the non-profit industry in your circle.

Accessing Video Chat for Promotion

Google has always been popular for its excellent video chatting features. You must know that video chatting is more personal than email discussion lists or even Skype calls. This is because, going personal has a lot of potential for non-profit fundraising. Face-to-face interaction often helps you making positive impact on the person you are chatting with.

Try out these tips to make your next non-profit fundraiser a grand success in no time.

Jonathon is a professional event planner. Event professionals worldwide are increasingly relying on automated software to streamline the online event registration, payment management, and attendee relationship management. Acteva is the market leader in providing event registration solutions at competitive price.

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Technorati Tags: Charity, Fundraising Ideas, Non-profit, Strategy

If you want to increase the net income out of your fundraising event, a raffle is frequently the easiest method to obtain a high return out of your efforts.

Raffles don’t require you to gather a lot of people at one event just like an evening meal or auction. Ticket sales could be over several days or several weeks and you can announce the winners at another event. Here you will be able to increase last second sales.

Since much of your sales happen by person to person and individual to individual, your advertising costs are reduced or even unnecessary. Raffles can enlist a group of volunteer sellers and the whole sales process lends itself to promotion by social media techniques like Facebook and Twitter.

People will be much more open to giving if there’s the possibility to win a prize. Consider offering multiple awards. Multiple awards inside your raffle will raise the likelihood that individuals will buy a number of tickets. Experience has shown that offering more awards increases your raffle ticket sales. Additionally, it boosts the chance that certain of the awards appeals to a wider variety of individuals. Consider your target supporter and then try to get awards that attract them.

And now you know why a raffle is an excellent way to raise funds for your great cause. So get some prizes, print some raffle tickets, and make some money!

MORE than 300 people serenaded boxing icon Muhammad Ali with a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday at a lavish $1000-a-plate fundraiser and party in his Kentucky hometown at the weekend.

Ali, who is one of the world’s most recognisable sportsmen, turns 70 tomorrow.

The former three-time world heavyweight champ now suffers from Parkinson’s disease, which doctors have said could be a result of his boxing career.

The fundraising event was held at the Muhammad Ali Centre in Louisville and is part of the facility’s Seven Days for Seven Decades programme of community activities.

Ali moved slowly, but at times walked on his own as he mingled and waved to attendees. When he was not walking by himself, he was assisted by his wife, Lonnie.

Besides relatives, the guest list included Ali’s former trainer, Angelo Dundee, and three American hikers who were once jailed in Iran. Ali, who is Muslim, had pushed the Iran government for their release.

Ali, who was born Cassius Clay in Louisville on January 17 1942, owns homes in Arizona and Michigan and Louisville.

In November, the heavyweight great was briefly admitted to hospital in Phoenix, where doctors treated him for dehydration. That came a few days after Ali attended the funeral of his old rival, Joe Frazier, who died of liver cancer in Philadelphia on November 8.

Ali has tried to use his public stature to raise awareness about his illness and to campaign for research funding.

He has also continued to involve himself in various charitable ventures and campaigned for boxing reform.

The Muhammad Ali Centre — which opened in November 2005 — is a six-storey cultural centre that celebrates his life and career, including his legendary fights against Frazier and George Foreman. Sapa-AP

Technorati Tags: Charity, Fundraising, Fundrasing, Non-profit, Organization

Hundreds of fundraising events are held every year – maybe even thousands. Unfortunately, many of those fundraising events don’t meet the target that organizers have set for them. It could be due to anything from lack of proper planning to a lack of ways to encourage donations.

My experience in fundraising up to (and in some cases over) $50,000 per year, I learned that the key to securing large and lasting funding from a variety of sources was in the quality of the event I held. But, you can’t expect to gain all of your money from one event – it’s what you do during and after the event that actually matters the most!

The event is where things start. It is an opportunity for you to get the ball rolling (or keep it rolling in some cases) with many prospective donors. So, here are my 4 elements of having ensuring a great fundraising event:

” Keep things moving – If people get tired, or if there is a lull in the action, people generally sit on their wallets or keep the clasp on their purse tightly closed. Keep your event moving – give only short pauses in the event itself for people to mingle and move about the venue. Speakers, activities, draws, etc, will keep people engaged in the event. Once engaged, the purse strings loosen.

” Provide ‘money opportunities’ – Anything like a 50/50 draw on the evening, or games of chance, or a silent auction tied to a fundraising event is usually a good idea. People are there to help out an organization, so you might as well give them every opportunity to do so – without going overboard, of course.

” Take time to meet people – This element comes third on this list, but it is probably the MOST important element for continued success in fundraising. Think of your organization like a house – the stronger you build the foundation, the longer it will last. Each potential supported can be part of a strong foundation for fundraising. The leaders of your organization (and fundraising team) should make an effort to meet and speak with as many people at the event as possible. Take an interest in their donation and tie it to what the organization has planned or is current doing.

” Leave them with something – It might be a magnet with your organization’s logo; it could be a golf ball and tee with your organization’s stamp on it – anything that is going to remind those in attendance at your fundraising event of your organization is a good thing. You don’t want them to forget as soon as they walk out the door. You want them to remember the fundraising event, maybe take a look at the website you have set up, and possibly subscribe to a newsletter so they can keep informed.

An event is a great way to fundraise – especially if you can bring people together to fundraise, rather than trying to get to everyone for their support. Running a good fundraising event can be tricky, but if you have guidance on how to get it done – then it can pay off in a big way!

Jayson Krause implemented and perfected a fundraising strategy that raised him over $250,000 in 6 years. Now he has put together everything he knows about the art of fundraising into an empowering new book at http://www.fundraise50k.com

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Technorati Tags: Fundraising, Fundraising Ideas, Organization, Raffle

With the end of the year right around the corner, Dec. 31 marks the last day to make charitable donations in order to file for a 2011 tax break from the feds.

For that reason, the last week in December sees organizations like Goodwill getting a huge spike in donations as people look for a noble way to not only give back but get back a little something from Uncle Sam.

For those who want to make sure their donations go as far as possible, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs suggests referencing a study it released last week detailing the expenditures of the top 10 most-inquired-about charities. The study focused on the 10 charities that garnered the most calls to the Division’s Charities Registration hotline over a two-month period from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30.

It seems that some charities are better than others at doing good work with your money.

One of the big surprises out of the 10 organizations on the list is the New Jersey Police Officers Foundation in Lyndhurst, whose stated mission is to further the advancement of the social and educational welfare of the Italian-American community. According to the report, this group spent 87 cents of each dollar collected during the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2010, not on charitable good works but on “fundraising expenses.”

Only 11 cents of each dollar raised by the Police Officers Foundation went toward “program expenses,” money used to fund the charity’s activities and, ultimately, the charity’s stated mission.

The last two cents’ worth went towards paying management and general expenses, according to the DCA report.

The Better Business Bureau’s Standards for Charity Accountability states that charitable foundations should use at least 65 percent of their net income to fund charity programs or activities and, at most, 35 percent of their funds to pay for fundraising. The standards are meant as recommendations

Another police-sponsored foundation, the Police Athletic League (PAL) of Freehold, New Jersey, came up with low numbers in this study as well, with 50 percent of its expenditures going towards fundraising as compared to 40 percent going towards program expenses during the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2009.

The Police Athletic League declined to comment when asked about the foundation’s spending percentages.

The numbers may not be as dire as they seem, however, as some foundations use an outside fundraising company in order to get money for their charitable activities.

According to Neal Buccino, a spokesman for the state Division of Consumer Affairs, the study was released to give consumers more information about exactly how their donations are being used.

“When you make a donation, you have the right to know where it’s going,” Buccino said.

For this state agency, it’s important to educate people about charitable organizations during the year-end rush to donate.

“At this time of year, people are making decisions about donating to the causes they find most meaningful and important,” said Thomas R. Calcagni, the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. “Before giving to any charity, find out how much of your donation dollar will be spent on charitable programs, as opposed to fundraising or management costs. Take a close look at the charity’s stated mission and the specific ways it works to fulfill that mission.”

While the two foundations named were easily the smallest organizations on the top-10 list, with net incomes below $1 million, all the other charities in the top 10 came within at least five percent of the recommended standards.

Typically, the queried charitable foundations were reported to be relatively prudent in the study, with foundations like the Breast Cancer Society of America and the Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation said to be spending anywhere from 70 to 90 cents of every dollar directly on their events and programs.

Technorati Tags: Charity, Donation, Fundrasing

Asking for the donation of raffle prizes for your fundraiser can be easy if you start with people, contacts and local businesses you already know. Keep in mind that people are eager to be generous and helping out a good local charity and/or cause is just good business. Favorable public relations is not only a goal of businesses, but they are sure to reap good publicity when they help out worthy organizations.

Here are a few tips and a sample raffle prize request letter.

• Have your raffle committee members reach out to their contacts, business associates and friends.

• Ask your members and volunteers to suggest possible donors that they may know personally Soliciting for raffle prize donations can be easy if you begin with the contacts and local businesses. Ask them to make the contact.

• Ask local businesses that have some relation to the raffle event or organization or that sell to the demographic of event attendees.

• Work with related organizations and ask if they can suggest donors for your raffle prizes.

• In addition to a raffle prize ask for support items such as goody bags, stickers, etc.

• Gift certificates from area merchants are a great prize. Ask for them!

• Soliciting via email can save time but you may want to send a letter depending on the donors comfort level with email.

• Follow up is essential.

Here is a sample letter with the main elements of a raffle prize request. Just replace the underlined text with your information.

insert Biz Name of Potential Donor
Address
Date

Insert Name of Potential Donor,

I am contacting you on behalf of the (name of your organization.) We are the local chapter of the include if you are a sub-chapter of a larger organization, with members from all over your regional area coming together to main purpose of your group.

Every year we hold a “Name of your Event” where we have list some of the exciting activities that will take place at this event. This event is our biggest fundraiser every year with the proceeds going to support club activities and (list specifics of how the funds will be used such as membership in other associations.)

This year we are expecting as many as (expected number) of people. They will enjoy more about your event activities in location/city and state during date or week of month.
We are asking your generous support this year with a donation of a raffle prize(s) to be awarded. Prizes in the past have included examples of prizes.

Prize donors will receive recognition of their generosity in our newsletter, website, printed on the raffle ticket itself, in the event program and live at the event. This is an excellent marketing opportunity for your company to be in front of target demographic group (auto enthusiasts, wealthy landowners, etc).

Thank you for your generous support,

Your Name
Organization’s Name
Address
City State Zip

Technorati Tags: Charity, Donation, Fundraising, Prizes, Raffle, Volunteers

There is a cause for everything and everything has a cause. Nonprofit organizations and charities exist because of supports, grants and fund raising.

Unfortunately, fund raising is resource intensive and often takes away from the charity’s original cause. Factor in dropping donations and a poor economy, and non profits find themselves spending more time trying to make ends meet in the books than trying to work towards the greater good.

With one fundraiser that meets the following criteria, your organization will be on it way to truly following its mission.

Efficient Fund raising.

Planning a car wash for months only to have it rain is not efficiency at its best. A solid fund raising endeavor takes minimal time and money to set up and needs to rely on only a few select volunteers to be successful. Use the baking and car washes to build community, the money is a bonus.

Perpetual fund raising.

The main hitch with many fundraisers are that they are “once and done”. These are one-day events that bring in some money but once the day is over, so is the ability to make money. Since these only take place one day not all your supporters can be there, thus not maximizing your donations. The weather can play a huge role in the success of your fundraiser as well, not many people want to tour your facility in the rain. A successful fundraiser allows the organization to put a program into action and let it raise funds over and over again with little to no further effort. A fundraiser should be there when your organization needs it, not based on weather, or any other thing besides your schedule.

Reciprocal Fund Raising.

Their have been successful fund raising campaigns selling candles for twice the amount that you could by them in the store. Supporters of the charities buy these items to help the charity and not necessarily because they want the product. Many receive intrinsic value from donating to a good cause and a bonus of a tax write off. All fundraisers have their place, some are for community involvement others are to make money.

A great fundraiser should be beneficial to the supporter as well. Imagine if an organization could give something more, a better product, a cheaper product, a greener product, more community involvement. Now we are talking about a reciprocal fundraiser.

If you could get a product for a reduced cost and help your favorite charity, would you?

Bonus – Community building Fund Raising

Charities depend on age-old fund raising techniques because it is what they have always done. Car washes bake sales, and charity walks all have their place. These types of events build communities and can be a lot of fun for those who participate. However, when a charity is struggling to carry out their mission because of lack of donations, they need more than a one-day event. These organizations need to participate in on-going, efficient fund raising to generate money on a regular basis.

Building community today does not just involve getting supporters to your organization to look around, there is another often over-looked community online, and it is more then a website. Charities that follow their mission and have supporters can involve then in the web 2.0, reducing the energy needed to put into raiding funds, so your organization can follow its cause. The more people that know about your organization the greater good that it can do!

Do any of your fundraiser have the three keys to a successful fundraiser?

Would you like a fundraiser that did?

Brad Wuerstle at http://ChangeinEnergy.com wrote Charity Fund raising- 3 Keys to a Successful Fundraiser. Change In Energy is dedicated to conserving energy, from the energy that you use at your facility to the energy it take to put on a fund raiser. Put less energy into your fund raising and get better results submit your information at http://changeinenergy.com/fundraiser/. To your successful mission!

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Technorati Tags: Charity, Fundraising, Non-profit, Organization