5 Tips to Raise More with Your Fundraising Sweepstakes or Raffle

Fundraising sweepstakes and raffles can be a lot of fun for your donors: Your nonprofit selects an enticing prize (like a romantic getaway to Italy for two, an all-inclusive family vacation to Costa Rica, or the experience of a lifetime watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade). Your donors make donations in exchange for entries to the contest, and at the end, you draw a winner — someone is going on the trip of a lifetime!

These kinds of fundraisers have the potential to get a lot of donors involved, because it feels more inclusive than, say, an auction, where only the person with the most cash will win the prize. In a raffle or sweepstakes, donors can purchase tickets for a smaller amount of money and still have a chance to win. 

Of course, there’s lots to consider when running a fundraiser like this. The cost of the prize should factor in when you’re figuring out how much you’re trying to raise — and remember, with Philantopia, travel packages are always on consignment for nonprofits! That means that your organization is only on the hook to purchase the prize when you’ve raised enough money to cover the cost. We want you to make money!

Today, we’re sharing our top five tips for raising more money with your next sweepstakes or raffle fundraiser. 

Tip #1: Choose the Right Prize

Make sure that you select a prize that really connects with your donor base. If your nonprofit is all about getting kids outdoors and you have a mailing list filled with people who are passionate about outdoor adventure, our Las Vegas Getaway package might not be the right one. 

To be clear — all our trips are exceptional travel experiences, but if your goal is to raise as much as possible, your home run prize for this particular group of donors is probably going to be something like the Exploring Iceland Ultimate Vacation package, where winners will spend their days hiking on the Solheimajokull Glacier, whale watching, and taking in the striking beauty of the land of fire and ice. Or perhaps the Belize All-Inclusive Ocean Adventure, which features snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, and more! 

See where we’re going with this? 

Along the same lines, think about the size of your donor base and how many people you think will enter the contest. If you have a small base of 800 people, you may want to choose a cost-effective prize so that you have a better chance of covering the cost of the prize and making some money on top of that. Check out our trips under $3000 for some great ideas that are perfect for this scenario. 

(If you want a little more guidance when it comes to choosing the right package for your donor base, reach out to our team of experts today. We’re always happy to offer guidance to nonprofits!)

Tip #2: Share with the World

Once you’ve selected your prize and set up your sweepstakes or raffle, it’s time to share it. Make sure that your donors know what you’re up to — if you’ve selected the right prize, they’ll definitely want to be part of the fun and purchase tickets. 

We recommend sending out dedicated emails to your donor base to inform them when the fundraiser starts. Make sure that all your email links work and take them directly to a page where they can make donations quickly and easily. You’ll also want to post on social media, and include information about your sweepstakes or raffle on the homepage of your website (if you’re running a raffle, check state regulations on promotion to make sure you can advertise beyond state lines). 

It’s a good idea to send out several emails through the duration of your fundraiser, but especially important to send one out right before the very end! That’s when people are most likely to enter the contest for a second or third time if they really want to win. 

Then, when your fundraiser is over and you’ve selected the winner, make sure to send out an email announcement naming the winner. This is important so that your donors see that the fundraiser was legitimate and that someone won. You’ll also want to post this news on social media and your website. 

Tip #3: Work with Sponsors and Partners to Raise More Money

Do you have reliable partners or sponsors who would be willing to help you promote the fundraiser? Great! Reaching out to them and asking for help is a really good way to not only reach more people, but also to give them an opportunity to support your nonprofit beyond simply giving money. 

Requesting help from a partner or sponsor can look like asking them to send out an email to their base, asking them to post on social media and their website, or putting up flyers if they have a brick and mortar location. 

Don’t have partners or sponsors yet? This is a great time to start building those relationships. Businesses, especially local ones, love the chance to show that they’re involved in doing good in the community, and this could be the reason you needed to start reaching out and fostering those connections. Don’t be shy! It’s all for a good cause! 

Tip #4: Get Your Board Involved

Nonprofit board members are an excellent resource when it comes to fundraising. Typically, those that can afford to give, will, and those that can’t, will help connect the organization to people who can. 

This kind of fundraiser is a great way for board members to demonstrate their commitment to the organization. Arm them with tickets and links, and send them out into the world to start asking their networks for donations. After all, that’s why board members joined the cause — to help make a difference and raise more money for the nonprofit. Soliciting donations in exchange for the chance to win a great prize is an easy way for them to help build community and stay involved. 

Tip #5: Sell More Packages! 

Once you’ve closed your sweepstakes or raffle and drawn the winner, you still have an opportunity to raise more funds with your grand prize. If you choose to go with a Philantopia travel package (perhaps the Delicious Tuscany Italy Vacation Package or the New Orleans Home of Jazz Culinary Vacation Tour), there’s a good chance that you can sell more than one of the packages. 

Check with our team first, but most Philantopia packages have the capacity for you to sell more than one. Here’s how it works: 

Once you’ve drawn your winner, think back to the donors that have expressed interest in the prize. Maybe they purchased more tickets than the other donors, or perhaps they commented to you how badly they wanted to win. Those are signs that you’ve got some very engaged donors! 

Once you’ve drawn a winner, you can reach out to the folks who have expressed a strong interest in the prize and offer to sell them the package. Consider the cost of the package to your nonprofit, and offer them the package at a rate that still feels fair but also raises some funds for your organization. 

You never know who wants to go the extra mile for the trip of a lifetime! 

Work with Philantopia to Raise Funds for Your Nonprofit

Here at Philantopia, our expertise rests squarely in the realms of creating exceptional travel experiences for donors, and helping nonprofits raise funds for their causes. When you work with us, you can trust that your donors will get the chance to go on the vacation of a lifetime, one that they will always remember! 

If you’re not quite sure where to start, try browsing our extensive catalog of travel packages, or connect with a member of our team today for some guidance. We’re here to help you raise money!