If your group or organization is looking at raising some money for a cause, you should check with both your municipal and provincial governing bodies for rules.
In Ontario, you are NOT allowed to accept payment on-line for a lottery or raffle. I recently found four lotteries / raffles doing this in Ontario. If the AGC of Ontario finds out, they will be in trouble. I do not work for the AGC and will let them find this on their own. Know the Rules ~ Play by the Rules
What to give away?
What people want to win. Ric Wallace has been studying charitable lotteries since 1994 when he first toured a hospital dream home lottery that was then new to London, Ontario. He toured 10 London, Ontario hospital lottery homes before winning and moving into one. Over the years a lot of charitable lotteries have given away prizes such as houses, cars, or trips, but also offering a cash option as a alternate choice. THIS IS A VERY GOOD SELLING FEATURE. Today's charitable lotteries are working hard competing for ticket purchasers. Giving away a monster home filled with lots of stuff BUT no cash option could create hardship for the winner. At one time, Ontario winners were taxed on the win of a house if they sold it in the first year. This tax law has since been removed. Giving away luggage, watches, telephones, BBQ's, etc. can create a lot of extra work and need for storage. Offering cash prizes, cash alternatives, or gift certificates can streamline the distribution of prizes.
Think BIG - Think Cash
Offering big houses, cars, and cash can help people dream what life would be like. Also offering cash alternatives to those prizes can bring in purchases from all over the province. Giving away a monster house with no cash alternative could discourage potential ticket buyers. The use of the Internet can really get the message out. Having cash or cash alternatives to prizes will allow lottery groups to play and easily split the winnings.
Using a streaming video can create excitment and help sell tickets.
Think BIG - Think Small
Most people who win a big dream home take the cash or sell it within a year. Instead of offering one huge $1.2 million-dollar home, consider three $300,000 homes and $100,000 in cash. Giving away 3+ houses with some cash may attract more ticket buyers. People are more likely to take the house and even afford to keep it. For charitable lotteries with lower budgets, consider lotteries for cars, watercrafts, or other vehicles.
Create Some Excitement
Giving away houses, cars, cash and vacations can get people's attention. This can be be down graded if the organizers themselves do not show excitement. The person that works with the media on behalf of your lottery should have a good voice, smile and show excitement. Even the ticket sellers and greeters should show a friendly smile. Things like asking people when do you plan on moving in or are you going to take the cash? Are you buying a ticket today or are you going to let the person behind you win the top prize?
Offer Easy Ways to Order
With a wide range of technology easily available to take orders for ticket sales, it has never been easier to sell those tickets.
ORDER BY PHONE - list local and toll-free numbers
ORDER BY MOBILE - text a word like "HOME, WIN or WINBIG" to 7777 or maybe the house number if available.
A lottery agent will respond to your request, standard mobile rates will apply.
ORDER BY FAX - download ticket request form from web site.
ORDER IN PERSON - from dream home(s) or authorized ticket agents list on web site or in brochures.
ORDER BY MAIL - download ticket request form from web site or mail in brochure order form
ORDER ONLINE - in provinces that allow online purchases from a web site, using a SECURE encrypt order form can speed up the process.
AVOID EMAIL REQUESTS as it is NOT secure.
You NEED a Web Site to Compete
Having a web site can allow you to provide information about your lottery before, during, and after your lottery is completed.
Being listed for FREE on WinBIG.ca can help with search engine placement
You can list and show photos or video of prizes, virtual tours
Have a downloadable brochure - saving the trees
List and link to suppliers
Giving credit for photography, web site design, or brochure design could get these services donated for FREE or at low cost
Give more information on your cause
List contact telephone numbers, emails, and locations to purchase tickets
List maps for lottery home locations if available
Have online forms for volunteer help
List ticket sales progress
Reuse web domain / web space for feature lotteries, make sure you renew the domain, a few charities have lost their domain as they failed to renew
ALWAYS LIST NUMBER OF TICKETS PRINTED
ALWAYS LIST NUMBER OF TICKETS FOR SALE
ALWAYS LIST NUMBER OF PRIZES
ALWAYS LIST LOTTERY LICENCE NUMBER
ALWAYS LIST WHO OVERSEES THE DRAWS
ALWAYS LIST CUT OFF DATES TO BUY TICKETS
ALWAYS LIST WHERE THE PROCEEDS GO
ALWAYS LIST WIINNERS' NAME(S) AND TICKET NUMBERS
List important dates
Include downloadable ticket order forms
Welcome comments about what you are are doing well and what you could improve on
Ticket design & type of ticket are very important aspects of holding a successful lottery. For most purchasers, that may be all they have to show for their money invested. A well designed ticket and well organized lottery will make a lasting impression. I still have the lottery ticket I purchased on the 1997-3rd hospital lottery house given away in London, Ontario. I kept this ticket, viewing it a few times a year, and envisioned some day moving into a dream home. In 2004 I did just that.For lotteries giving away big prizes such as $500K, $1million, or even houses, full-colour or 4-colour printed tickets adds to your lottery's image as perceived by the public. For lotteries or raffles with lower valued prizes, such as a car raffle or some cash prizes, 1- or 2-colour tickets will help cut costs. Please check with governing lottery bodies of what information is required on your tickets. I have seen two types of tickets used in Ontario with a few variations.
Tickets stubs that actually go into the drum for the draw.
People fill out a stub that goes into a drum. The stub contains their contact information, and they receive the other half of the ticket showing the ticket number. People are sometimes allowed to select their ticket number from tickets on hand. Banks or other ticket sellers could issue receipts, with tickets to follow by post.
Receipts and tickets to follow.
People are issued a receipt, and an actual ticket will follow for in-person purchases by post.. The ticket number will be different than the number on the receipt.
Phone or fax orders can skip the receipt issued to the ticket purchaser and just mail tickets to the purchaser.
A paper stub or a reusable plastic token goes into a lottery drum.
Make sure all ticket stubs or tokens go into the drum. A while back in Ontario, a charitable lottery found out that a few hundred tickets had not been put in the drum for the final draw. They issued replacement tickets that were valid for their next lottery. All monies should have been refunded. Having this happen with your lottery and making the news will cost you future ticket sales. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOUR LOTTERY.
Other useful information that can be collected at time of purchase that can help you target your next lottery is the age range of ticket purchasers. For example:
Collecting email addresses can help you keep purchasers informed of early bird draws, winners, and future draws.
I have never heard any lottery telling purchasers to bookmark their web site for winning numbers and future years' draws. If you run a lottery, consider starting to do this. Having an email database is great, but people change email addresses for various reasons and then you lose you contact with previous supporters. For ticket purchasers reading these tips right now, bookmark this site - WinBIG.ca (CTRL +D) - so you can check back on all your favorite lotteries.
Contact Information Update Form A WinBIG.ca idea
For lotteries with a web site, adding a contact information update form would be a very useful idea. Currently NO lotteries (November 23, 2007) across Canada have come up with this idea. As a purchaser of charity lottery tickets and having an upcoming move which will result in a new address and/or telephone number - perhaps homeless for a few months, if my ticket is drawn they would not be able to easily find me. Having a big draw with the media waiting to feature the newest Big lottery winner may lose excitement if there is no winner to feature. Featuring a winner you finally get in contact with weeks after the big event may not get the media exposure because the excitement has faded. A special form for entering the ticket number and contact information supplied at time of purchase plus the new contact info could help keep your database up-to-date. This can be very useful for mailouts on future drawings. All information received online would have to be verified.
My solution to the issue of moving - I have paid Bell to give a recording that my number has been changed to my cell phone number for 3 months, and my mail is being redirected to a post office box.
On December 6, 2007 I noticed The Oshawa Hospital Foundation Cash for Cancer Lottery, had added to their FAQ's. If I move after I purchase a ticket, how do I notify the Lottery with my address change? This is the first lottery I found to be addressing this issue (Netscape showed their page was uploaded Nov 30, 2007). Hats off to them! (I do not know if they got the idea from this site)
Please check out their lottery. www.CashForCancer.com
After final ticket sales, remove ticket purchase options.
I have noticed many lotteries, publish on their web sites, a call number for purchasing tickets and downloadable print forms for buying tickets - long after ticket sales have stopped and even after the final draws have been made and published! There is nothing wrong with keeping up your web site to showcase what you have done and advertising to check back for your next lottery.
Plan ahead and have another copy of the web site WITHOUT a ticket purchase phone number or printable forms. This way your site will be good to go the day after ticket sales end, and it can be uploaded in a few minutes. Later, all the ticket winners can be added once the wins have been verified.
If a potential ticket purchaser calls to buy tickets and is told the lottery is over, this reflects badly on your charity. The Internet and web sites allow you to give up-to-date information - not doing this reflects badly on your lottery and your organization.
Things NOT to DO
On Wednesday, October 3, 2007 @ 7:16 p.m. a charitable lottery used an automated recording to call me with an annoying recorded message. The call display showed "Unknown Name", and I did not recognize the number. Hiding your name to trick someone into answering the phone loses credibility for the charity. To top it off we had just bought tickets from them a few days earlier, so why are they calling now. I never authorized my phone number to be on any automated telephone recording list. These should be banned and outlawed. Most people I know DO NOT like being bothered with automated telephone recordings usually around supper time. This tactic of using annoying recorded messages puts your charity in the same class as the vacation scams in Collingwood, Ontario (I average 2 to 4 calls a month even though I asked to taken off their vacation scam list ).
With all the telephone scams making news - people asking you to buy vacations, lottery tickets, etc. - soliciting by phone is not a very respectable thing to do today. I tell people when anyone calls asking you to buy lottery tickets or anything else on the phone to hang up. If people want to order tickets by phone, they should call the number listed on the charity web site or promotional advertisements. Never give out charge card information to anyone that calls you.
I recently received an email about the lottery from the same organization, because I signed up for email alerts. I personally do not mind the email, as I requested it, and I can see who it is from and click on the link to their web site, or I can simply delete the message.
Long story short, if you annoy or tick off your potential ticket purchasers, you will not sell your tickets. Unless people have supplied their telephone number for an automated recording call list, they can be annoying and a NO-NO! I would never sign up for this. DO NOT CALL ME!
With advancements in technology, home protection is getting easier. Wireless surveillance cameras can start recording if they sense motion in an area of view and transmit the images over the internet to allow remote viewing. A further security idea would be to place the computer that controls the wireless cameras in a neighbouring house. A WinBIG.ca idea
In the event that telephone, cable, and power lines are cut to the dream home, the security system is still effective. Any video captured could be used as evidence in court or given to the media if needed.
For lotteries, the cameras could be re-used for the next dream home, as the cameras are not built-in. With high price ticket items like houses, electronics, and fancy cars, you should budget for crime prevention. In the case of cars, tracking devices can be put in the cars to help in their retrieval if stolen. For dream homes, asking neighbours to photograph, videotape, or record licences and provide descriptions of suspicious activity after hours, could also be helpful. Also, a database of all serial numbers for electronics or valuables should be created and given to the new owner or police.
Overlooking crime prevention could be the difference between a successful lottery or a failure / nightmare. As the saying goes, "Better safe than sorry."
Ticket Prices - Offer Volume Discounts
Sell more tickets!
1 ticket for $100 or 3 for $250
(offering 7 tickets for $500 may boost ticket sales)
1 ticket for $50, 3 for $100 or 8 for $250
(offering 20 for $500 may boost ticket sales)
1 for $5, 5 for $20, 10 for $35
Lottery Odds
Listing lottery odds like 1 in 5 or 1 in 7 can sometimes be viewed as misleading. Market research can help you decide whether you should do this. On the dream home I won, a friend had a relative that wanted to win the house badly and bought 10 tickets at $100 each - and won nothing. I think wording like "Great Odds" is better.
Lotteries licensed by the BC Gaming Event are listing the odds of winning the grand prize in a black and white box, for example:
Chances are 1 in 237,000 (total tickets) to win a grand prize
Chances are 1 in 279,800 (total tickets) to win a grand prize
Chances are 1 in 1,485,000 (total tickets) to win a grand prize
Changing the wording to "chances are 1 in XXX (total tickets) to win the top / grand prize" would be better wording. This is something that should be done in Ontario and all areas of Canada. It you are running a lottery, consider doing this before it becomes mandatory. Be a leader!
Selecting a Lottery / Domain Name
Selecting a lottery name can help create excitement and boost the image of your lottery. Getting a domain name that is catchy and easily remembered could be very valuable, such as "BestofLuck.ca" or 'WinBIG.ca" For charities that run more than one lottery a year, consider giving each lottery a different name. Toronto and London are doing this. If you have the same lottery spring and fall, people may think they already have tickets when they hear or see any advertisements. For example the "Big House Lottery" and the "Cars and Trips Lottery" will easily distinguish the two as separate. Running a lottery with the same name more than once in the same calendar year will cost you ticket sales, because people may remember the lottery name - they don't remember draw dates. They may think they have tickets, but are not aware it's a brand new draw.
Early Bird or Bonus Prizes
These extra prizes can help jumpstart a lottery. Recently a lot of lotteries have been offering sports cars or cash. Draws for sports cars close to the spring or summer will help create excitement. The Miata is a fun car!
Consider having the rule all tickets go into the drum for every draw.
This is a very GOOD selling feature - the purchaser's ticket can win all prizes. After a draw takes place it goes back in and can win again. This could make or break a decision to support your lottery over a competing lottery. "Your Ticket Is Eligible for all Prizes" is a powerful advertising statement.
For Lottery Dream Home Packages
One great idea done on the dream home I won was all the manuals for the electronics, appliances, garage door openers, etc were supplied in 3 binders with labelled pockets. This a better idea than just putting these things in a box all together. When you buy a new camera or other electronic equipment, it can take days or weeks to learn all the features. Multiply that by 50 or 100 and you have an idea how overwhelming it can be to try to learn how to use everything.
Lottery Dream Home Problems Noticed
For most people, a $500,000 to $3 million dollar dream home has the best of the best and only the top craftsmen have been employed to create a home only the rich can afford. I have toured every dream home in London, Ontario and have also made trips to dream homes in Sarnia, Guelph, Grand Bend and Toronto. Occasionally I have noticed some shortcomings of past dream homes. Some homes are trying to showcase too many products or suppliers.
One dream home had 2 decks attached to the house made out of 2 different materials, showing a lack of continuity. In 2007, we viewed a multi-million dollar dream home that never had the nail holes in the trim filled before painting, resulting in all the nail holes showing in the kitchen area (and other areas). Another dream home had very bold paint colours, which would not be to most people's taste. Other things we noticed were floor registers installed crooked in the floor. One home had a white sink, white toilet and and ivory tub - something you would expect to see in a rental unit.
Talking to a person involved with one lottery, he said lotteries take bids for the dream home supplier and often go with the lowest. Most builders in turn try to cut costs, often using odds and ends and sometimes factory seconds. Another dream home showed a lack of continuity in the style of electrical outlets, some Decora (rectangle) and some oval outlets. Putting white carpet in a dream home is a NO-NO, as they easily get dirty and show any wear.
On the home I won, I had one comment from a neighbour in the construction / real estate industry, who said it was a shame we have a cheap casting step in front of a half-million dollar house - the only house in the neighbourhood with this. I have only noticed one dream home that had cleaned the ducts before opening the dream home for viewing. We had cleaned ours, which is something all new homes should be forced to do.
LACK OF CONTINUITY seems to be a common problem with these dream homes. Movie sets have a team of people responsible for ensuring continuity - the same care should be taken with dream homes. If you are running a dream home lottery, I hope these observations will help you build a better house and have a sellout.
For Home Lotteries Consider Using a Wishing Well A WinBIG.ca idea
Something we found, months after our dream home win, were items of luck people had put all over the house hoping it would bring them luck. Just as people throw coins in fountains and make a wish, a dry well similar to what is sometimes used at weddings could be given to the new dream home winner to help pay taxes or the money could go to the charity, you decide. For car lotteries, the funds could be for gas or insurance.
If any lottery makes use of the wishing well idea, please let us know how much money was raised and whether the funds went to the winner or the charity.
Volunteers Needed
Having a large volunteer base for ticket sales will help big time. Some high school students may be interested in getting volunteer credits for their diploma. Various service clubs may offer help. The use of a web site can include online applications to download, or input forms to gather information online. Finding suppliers to provide light refreshments to volunteers is usually a snap.
Turn Donors into Ticket Buyers and Ticket Buyers into Donors
People who usually donate $250+ to your charity will most likely purchase tickets. Having a database of ticket purchasers can act as a mailing list for possible donations for other projects. Having purchased lottery tickets, I have received mail requests to support other goals of the charity.
Help From the Media
All forms of the media can help jumpstart your lottery ticket sales, and the media usually features the winners for FREE. They are always looking for good stories for their viewers or readers. Some lottery sales have been greatly helped by last minute media exposure when ticket sales were down and there was only a few days left to get in. Do not assume the media will just show up on your opening day. LET THEM KNOW well in advance by press release and by phone. FOLLOW UP!
Sharing Stories of Success
If your charity helps cancer patients, the handicapped, clubs, etc. list some of the people you have helped. List what the profits will be used for. Government lottery web sites always feature winners holding checks given to various big winners.
Market Studies
The old saying, "Look before you leap" holds true for charitable lotteries. Market studies can reveal what residents in your area want to win, and what they would be willing to spend. Communities located near bodies of water may want to offer cottages or watercrafts.
Winner Survey Feedback - A WinBIG.ca idea
I do not know of any lottery that is currently doing this. Surveys answered by winners can help you review how you are doing. Once I took ownership of the dream home I won in 2004, we had no more contact with the lottery. A 6-month and 12-month survey could have asked questions like, "Is there anything you think could have been done better?" One of my responses would have been to remove the lottery sign on the front lawn before we moved in. On a few occasions, we had people walk into our home thinking they could still get a ticket on it, weeks after the lottery had ended and we had taken ownership. If you do not ask you do not know how things could be improved. A feedback form on the web site can get comments from all players - winners and non winners.
Review what other lotteries in Canada are doing
WinBIG.ca is your most complete source for this. Please click on the Charitable Lotteries
By Provincemenu on the top right of this page.
I have talked to various people running current charitable lotteries and they are not to eager to share all the secrets of their success. They do not want to lose potential customers to a competitor.
What they are doing online is free to view by anyone in the world.
Start saving current web sites to PDF files for reviewing how they did. Two of the most continuous running Charity Lotteries in Ontario are the Dream of a Lifetime Lottery CHEO Foundation
in Ottawa and Brentwood Lottery in Windsor. In recent years, London, Ontario hospitals have opted to run 2 separate lotteries - Dream Lottery and the Millionaire Lottery - and are having great success.
Partnering for Success
Having the help of a major drugstore chain, food chain, or car dealers can help you draw purchasers in from a larger radius, translating into quicker sales and possibly even selling out.
Take Time to Plan for Success
Running a successful lottery could take 6 months to a year. For lotteries involving dream homes, labour, material shortages, or even weather could affect whether you start on time. Not starting on time could have a negative effect.
Timing is Everything
Starting your lottery the same time as another lottery in your area can have you competing for ticket sales. Dream home lotteries are best suited for warmer weather as people wearing bulky coats and boots is not ideal. Set ticket sales targets. If your sales are not going as expected, start working overtime.
Get Suppliers/ Local Stores to Offer Discounts to Ticket Purchasers - A WinBIG.ca idea
Consider getting stores to offer discounts to customers who have purchased a ticket on your charity's lottery. To be eligible for a discount, the customer would need to bring in the ticket purchased in their own name. For example, a car dealer, hot tub dealer, furniture store, electronics store, etc. could offer offer a discount equal to the cost of the lottery ticket (or up to a limit) if the customer makes a purchase from them. Someone looking at buying a car or other big ticket item may just buy a ticket on your lottery if they can get money rebated on their expensive purchase. It would not be advisable to have stores give away your tickets, but rather offer a rebate on in-store purchases. Restaurants could even offer a 10 - 20% discount to purchasers who show a valid ticket. Your lottery could get lots of extra no-cost advertising that may help sell out your lottery. Include a page on your web site to list retailers who offer discounts, so you can show how valuable tickets on your charity's lottery are.
MAKE IT FUN!
MAKE IT PROFITABLE!
MAKE IT A SELL OUT! A WinBIG.ca idea
