Oct 12, 2022

Freshen Up Your Fundraisers

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Fundraising events shouldn’t feel stale. But, with the planning, budgeting, stewarding, and more—likely with few staff and volunteers—coming up with engaging revenue enhancers is a challenge. Starting from scratch might feel impossible.  

It doesn’t have to be complicated.  

Add excitement and increase engagement to your event(s) by improving what you already do. Or, if revenue enhancers are new to your events, these proven options are certain to wow your guests. 

Looking to give your donors a great, all-around experience? Talk to a GiveSmart expert today

Golden Ticket in the Auction

Auctions can be a bit of work to gather and organize, and there are lots of high-value items that don’t cost a dime that you can also offer to support your fundraising. With the right tools, offering an auction is easy! 

Ensure your auction maximizes its return by adding a Golden Ticket Raffle. With a Golden Ticket raffle, you incentivize early ticket purchases, encourage guest registration, increase your audience, and raise money in advance of your event.  

A Golden Ticket Raffle winner gets to choose any auction item they want. You set the price of golden tickets and limit the number of tickets so that if you sell out, you raise $5,000-$20,000 before guests even walk in or sign on. For example, sell only 100 tickets for $100 each. You should pull the winner at the start of your event to add a high-energy moment to kick off your event! 

You’re already hosting an auction. Use it to raise even more! 

Last Paddle Standing During Your Live Appeal  

A paddle raise is a major opportunity to raise money for your mission, and many organizations and schools connect with donors ahead of time to confirm a gift at your higher levels. It is, arguably, the most mission-centered moment of most events. 

As time passes to the lower levels; it can also lose some energy. Last paddle standing infuses some excitement back into this critical moment of your program.  

Offer the last person who gives at a lower level a standout prize, such as a nice bottle of wine, airline tickets, or staycation. People can give and donate multiple times at any level. It offers live auction energy and revenue generation without having to solicit a large, large ticket item.  

Paddle Raffle During Your Live Appeal  

A paddle raffle is very similar to the last paddle standing, and it offers similar benefits.  

Instead of sorting out who raises their paddle last at a certain level, a paddle raffle “surprises” your audience with a chance to give one last time during your event. At the lowest paddle raise level, your emcee or auctioneer shares that everyone who raises and donates at this level will be able to drop their paddles in a big basket for a chance to win a standout prize. 

Then your honoree or hero can draw the big winner, or your emcee can throw them all in the air and snatch one out midair. Ending on a fun, theatrical moment gives a great last impression to your guests.  

Make sure your paddles have a number or name on them. Just imagine how much revenue you could raise if even just a third or half of your audience participates?  

Raffle Item in a Wine Pull 

A wine pull is where guests purchase a wrapped bottle of wine. Aside from marking them as red, white, or rose, the other identifiers, such as the value of the bottle and brand, are concealed. This revenue enhancer is a great way for your board, honoree family, or committee to get involved in event planning by donating $10-$20 bottles of wine (or even digging into their cellars).  

If you’ve been doing a wine pull for a while, it can lose some luster. Consider teasing that some blind-wrapped bottles have gift cards or another prize in them.  

Incentives work. Offer a little something extra and help your wine pull shine as a revenue enhancer again. 

Raffle Enhancements

Raffles work and, if your state allows them, they can be a dependable revenue enhancer at your event. 

Adding a little flair, participation, and noise to your games of chance excites your guests and creates an environment of participation. And, all of these options should have limited chances. That exclusivity inspires quick action (and spending)! 

Diamond Raffle

This option would likely require a shift in planning, but it’s a targeted effort that perhaps one of your major donors could help you support. If you can connect with a jeweler, ask if they can donate an unset diamond and their time. (The winner of this would be responsible for getting it set.) 

Display a limited number of champagne glasses, with a cubic zirconia at the bottom of each. One glass would contain the diamond. After the guest purchases their glass, the stone is placed in a small envelope to be revealed later. They get a champagne pour and go on their way. 

Make sure this is the only opportunity to get champagne at your event. 

Balloon Pop

This loud revenue enhancer certainly draws attention. Set up helium-filled balloons in a high-traffic area. All balloons have a paper slip inside with a number. Once someone purchases a balloon, they pop it and the slip of paper corresponds to a list of prizes.  

They can be a thank you card from a constituent, a lower-value gift card, or a grand prize. Not everyone wins, just like in other games of chance. 

Gift Card Wall 

This visually impressive revenue enhancer is also a space saver. This setup is flat, upright displays with dozens of identical envelopes. As is the case with balloon pop, not all envelopes contain the desired prize.  

Some can be mission facts or thank yous from constituents, while another one or two envelopes contain grand prize(s). 

How do you get gift cards? Ask your planners and high-level volunteers to cash in credit card points or donate smaller value cards. 

I Spy During Your Silent Auction 

Encourage people to browse your auction by asking them to find frames or photos within your auction platform with your logo or honoree photo. The first five people to find it win a prize, such as extra raffle tickets. They don’t cost you anything out of pocket, and I spy encourages browsing, bidding, and spending. 

Voting Competition as a Peer-to-Peer Option

Voting competitions are great fundraising campaigns all on their own.  

They also offer an untapped opportunity to increase your audience, get guests registered, and raise money before your event. In a voting competition as a fundraiser, each vote is cast with a donation.  

Can sponsors create cocktail or mocktail recipes that guests vote on as the option(s) for your event? Can you highlight your mission with constituent artwork voting? How about voting for songs for your after-party playlist?  

Offering guests a chance to “have a say” or hosting a revenue enhancer tied to your mission to get non-attendees to give results in additional, needed revenue.  

Table Captains as a Part of Ticket Sales

It is always best for everyone when ticket sales are steady and plentiful well before your event. It sets a great tone, makes logistics much more manageable, and builds a strong fundraising foundation for your event.   

Do you have engaged volunteers or long-time guests that can act as table captains to pump up sales? Provide them with communication and social media enablement. Set sales goals with them. Offer them a VIP happy hour or special recognition if they achieve those goals. 

You work hard for your mission and have likely planned some revenue-generating moments for your next event. Increase your return by folding in some of these creative ideas.  

Looking to see how you can host your auctions, raffles, ticket sales, and more online? Request a GiveSmart demo today. 

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What our clients say

We needed a platform to make sales online and to track and display ads for our sponsors. GiveSmart was perfect. We ended up making close to $15,000 more than we had hoped for. Definite better ROI than we anticipated. The interface is easy to use and provides plenty of options to get help if needed.

Michelle M.

The Rotary Club of South Whidbey Island

Using GS has created ease in auction bookkeeping, payments, and generating post-event thank you/tax letters. While we were online during COVID, our interactions with our GiveSmart via phone, email, and zoom were seamless. A representative always got back to us within the day. I would recommend GiveSmart to anyone doing a large online event.

Julie G.

MicroFinancing Partners in Africa

GiveSmart is highly flexible - you can use it for [a] simple registration and check-in, to full-scale galas with complex order forms, onsite upsells, live auctions, seating management, and more.

Jamie F.

Hope Chest for Breast Cancer

GiveSmart is easy to use and ideal for virtual events and can be used for in-person events to manage the silent auction, seating charts, and check-in to the event. Being able to use the platform for unlimited events within the contract year is very useful and being able to add other users and volunteers for different levels of access is helpful as well.

Dawn L.

Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County