A lottery is a competition in which participants buy tickets to get a chance to win a prize. This is usually awarded through a "draw": the lucky ticket is taken blindly from a container that collects all those that have been sold. The raffles are subject to local laws and regulations, which however vary from country to country.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Prepare the Lottery
Step 1. Go to your municipality's tax office to find out about the local laws governing lotteries, to make sure your association can organize one legally
The city or region may prohibit raffles. In some cases, there is a maximum number of lotteries that each non-profit association can organize in a year and there may be regulations regarding the type and value of the prizes. Consult your state's laws on this or, better yet, seek the advice of a lawyer.
Avoid rewards that could create legal problems. Those of great value could attract the attention of the taxman. Also, do not give away prizes that are subject to state monopoly, such as alcohol and tobacco
Step 2. Establish the rules of the raffle
You may have some legal trouble in case an angry loser decides to contest the lottery result. If the rules are clearly defined, you can limit and even prevent this type of legal liability.
- Remember to mention the details of the law under which the raffle was organized. For example, you can write in the rules: "This lottery has been organized in accordance with the article [article number] of the law [number of the law] of the [date of the law]".
- Write the rules simply and clearly. For example: "Attendees buy a ticket that is placed in a box and randomly drawn blindly." In these cases, try to use common sense when establishing the lottery rules.
- He stresses that the association has a certain degree of discretion in awarding prizes. If a prize is not claimed after the ticket has been drawn, it will be awarded to the ticket which will be drawn immediately afterwards.
- Establish by regulation whether participants must be physically present during the draw.
Step 3. Decide on the prize
All raffles promise at least one prize to the lucky winner. There may also be more prizes or prizes of different values, depending on the order of extraction.
- You can ask local merchants to donate rewards which they can then deduct from their taxes. This way, the association can save some money. It is worth going to the local mall and talking to each store manager to claim rewards.
- Vouchers at the hottest shops are always very coveted rewards. By doing this you are offering a prize, but in reality the winner will be able to choose the one they prefer to the shop.
Step 4. Print the tickets
They must comply with a certain format and report specific information, regardless of whether the lottery is organized for an event or by an association:
- You can use the word processor of your choice to print the tickets.
- On one side of the ticket (the matrix) the following information about the event / association must be reported: the name of the association, address and telephone number, the list of prizes, the name of the event, the extraction date and any website address.
- On the opposite side, leave a space for the participant to write their contact information: first and last name, address, telephone number and e-mail address.
- Tickets may or may not be numbered. Some countries require each ticket to have a unique number, so make sure you know before printing them.
Part 2 of 2: Conducting the Lottery
Step 1. Sell Tickets
Have each buyer fill it in with their contact information, tear off the receipt from the matrix, keep the part where the buyer's details were written, and give the other to the competitor. There are different ways you can choose to promote and sell your lottery tickets:
- Door to door sales. Association members and their children can knock on neighbors' doors and invite them to participate.
- Online selling. Advertise the raffle on the internet to reach a very large audience without having to walk a lot. However, you need to check the current legislation to make sure your online lottery is legal.
- Sale in stores. Businesses and boutiques, especially those that have donated awards, may allow you to post posters in their windows or keep flyers on the cashier counter. If you want to print posters, remember that you must ask the Municipality for permission and pay the posting fee.
- Advertisements. In some cases it is possible to publish advertisements in local newspapers and magazines without spending large amounts; Plus, it's a great way to get the whole community involved.
- Banquets. Stands and banquets organized outside the shops, at shows, events and parades are perfect for "recruiting" new participants.
- Fundraising events. Try to sell tickets for the raffle during the event which will then lead to the prize draw.
Step 2. Proceed to extraction
Typically, this is done at the end of the fundraising event, after as many tickets as possible have been sold. Instruct a person to take the tickets out of a container without looking inside and then announce the winner's name or the number of the winning ticket.
- Keep the box with tickets in a safe place to avoid cheating. Believe it or not, sometimes people "cheat the system" even at fundraising lotteries.
- Shuffle the tickets so that the draw does not favor those placed in the box last or first.
Step 3. Contact all winners who were not present at the draw so they can come and claim their prize
You have to make sure that each prize is delivered to the rightful lucky winner.
- Fortunately, you have ticket stubs with attendee contact information.
- In some cases it is necessary for the winner to be present at the draw. Make sure this rule is clear before proceeding with the extraction itself.
Advice
- Consider giving away prizes of different values. For example, the first ticket drawn will win the "super prize", the second will be entitled to a lower win and so on.
- When organizing a charity raffle, it's not uncommon for businesses in the city to give away their goods and services as prizes for winners.
- If your association plans to organize raffles on a regular basis, it is worth buying a computer program to create and print tickets instead of always going to a printer or buying the receipt book at an office supply store.
