HOW TO Organise a raffle
All you need to know from licence knowhow to online options and a step-by-step guide
A
s with many schools, Covid restrictions forced us to rethink how we ran our raffles at Wren Academy in
Finchley, London. We chose Charity Hive (
charityhive.co.uk) because it was a complete fundraising platform. For example, we can also sell tickets for events, accept donations and run auctions. Wren Finchley is an all-through
school with almost 1,500 students, 420 of them primary. The primary parents are the most engaged with the PTA, but moving the raffle online has increased sales from the families of secondary pupils. Paper raffles mean a lot of folding tickets and there’s always a risk of losing stubs. There can also be a huge amount of cash involved. Holding our raffles online means the money goes straight to our bank account and we can track sales in real time. We aim to offer two tech prizes,
such as an iPad or smartwatch, plus a Nintendo Switch or similar. A £150
Step-by-step
Six months before Pick a date. Depending on the type of raffle, the PTA
may need to register with the local authority and pay an annual fee. See
pta.co.uk/events/planning/raffle-faqs for more information. Assign roles. Who will approach businesses to request prizes? Who will handle ticket distribution? Who will address the legal requirements?
Three months before Start requesting prizes. Does anyone in your school
community run a business that could 48 SPRING 2023
pta.co.uk
donate a prize? Do you have longstanding fundraising partners? Make sure you’re clear about licensing.
Six weeks before Source your tickets. Under the Gambling Act 2005, anyone
who purchases a physical ticket for a small society lottery must receive specific information. Participants in an online lottery must be able to retain the message or print it out. For an incidental lottery, cloakroom tickets are usually sufficient. Contact the local authority to register your raffle, if needed.
Three weeks before Launch the raffle. If you’re selling tickets in advance,
begin promoting via the school channels, social media and class rep groups. Highlight any major prizes. Send paper tickets home with the
children, clearly addressed to parents or guardians. If the raffle is online only, use eye-catching promotional materials to let everyone know sales have opened.
Final weeks Keep pushing sales. A final reminder a few days before
the draw can yield great results.
restaurant voucher goes down well too. If we are struggling to get enough top prizes worth over £100, the PTA often buys them. I strongly believe the reason for
our success is the way we market the ticket sales. I push the big prizes on our Facebook page and class rep WhatsApp groups. It’s all carefully timed with a communications plan. With Charity Hive, I can track the sales numbers relating to each push – when the school sends out a text a few days before the draw, it has a massive impact on ticket sales. Our most successful raffle
was one Christmas when we sold 3,700 tickets and made £3,300. In the summer, we sold 2,500 tickets – 700 at the summer fair itself through posters with a QR code – and made £2,200 after fees. Sophie Sundberg, design, marketing and event lead, Friends of Wren Academy, Finchley (1,500 pupils)
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