Planning Your Raffle Campaign

Vega provides the tools you need to set up, run, and process a raffle campaign. Before setting up your raffle, it is important to plan your campaign carefully, including your fundraising target, prizes, ticket pricing, and promotion strategy.

Before You Begin

Consider the following questions when planning your raffle:

• What size raffle campaign are you aiming for?
• What prizes are you able to source?
• What will the income from the raffle support?
• What ticket prices, bundles, or offers will encourage ticket sales?
• How will you promote your raffle to your audience?

Raffle Size

Setting an achievable fundraising target will help you determine the number of tickets to make available, and the value of prizes required.

As a guide, you can estimate your potential raffle income using either of the following:

• Active contacts: Multiply the number of active contacts in your database by 2.
• Previous campaign income: Multiply the income from your best previous campaign by 4–6.

Once you have established a target income, divide this by 20 to estimate the number of tickets you may sell, based on a single ticket price of $20.

For example:

$20,000 target income ÷ $20 ticket price = 1,000 tickets

You should also consider the potential for additional donations made alongside ticket purchases. Donations can generate up to approximately 10% additional income, depending on your campaign and audience.

⭐ Tip: Donations are additional income and should not be included when determining the turnover amount for your raffle licence.

Raffle Prizes

Sourcing your prizes should be one of the first steps in planning your raffle. Attractive prizes can also help generate interest and make your campaign easier to promote.

For a New Zealand Class 3 licensed raffle, the total value of the prizes must be at least 20% of the gross potential income. Gross potential income is calculated using the total number of tickets available multiplied by the price of a single ticket.

For example:

1,000 tickets × $20 per ticket = $20,000 gross potential income
20% prize value = $4,000 minimum total prize value

⚠️ Important: Once your raffle has started, the prizes and beneficiary of the raffle cannot be changed. Make sure these details are confirmed before launching your raffle.

Raffle Tickets

A single ticket price of $20 is a useful benchmark for a raffle. Depending on the value of the prizes, you may also consider a higher ticket price.

Offering ticket bundles can encourage customers to purchase multiple tickets and increase their chances of winning. For example:

• Buy 6 tickets and receive 1 free
• Buy 10 tickets and receive 2 free

When planning your ticket price, remember that raffle ticket prices are GST-inclusive. GST must be accounted for on raffle ticket sales.

Vega allows you to configure the GL code used for raffle ticket sales with the applicable GST rate. The GST breakdown can then be displayed on the purchaser's receipt and included in payment reports.

Any donation added to a raffle ticket purchase is treated separately and does not include GST.

⚠️ Important: Staff members of the organisation running the raffle cannot purchase raffle tickets.

Promoting Your Raffle

The success of your raffle will depend heavily on how effectively it is promoted. Consider using a combination of communication channels to reach as many potential supporters as possible.

You can promote your raffle through:

• Social media
• Your organisation's website
• Partner or associated websites
• Email campaigns
• Telefundraising
• Direct mail
• Face-to-face fundraising

Social Media

Use your organisation's social media channels to regularly promote the raffle and provide a direct link to the webpage where supporters can purchase tickets.

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other relevant social media channels can help you reach different segments of your audience.

You can also include social sharing options in your ticket fulfilment document, encouraging purchasers to share the raffle with their own networks.

Your Website and Partner Websites

Embedding the raffle widget on your organisation's website makes it easy for website visitors to purchase tickets directly.

The same raffle widget can also be embedded on partner or associated websites, allowing these organisations to help promote your campaign.

Regardless of which website the widget is embedded on, transactions processed through the widget will use your connected payment gateway and be recorded in your Vega account.

⭐ Tip: Consider asking your partners to embed the raffle widget on their websites to extend the reach of your campaign beyond your own audience.

Email Campaigns

Email is another effective way to promote your raffle to contacts in your Vega database.

You can send emails containing a direct link to your raffle webpage, making it easy for recipients to access the raffle and purchase tickets.

Emails can be sent from within the raffle action itself. This allows you to record the recipients of the email and monitor the results of this promotion.

⭐ Tip: Consider using different promotional channels throughout your campaign rather than relying on a single method. Regular promotion can help maintain awareness of the raffle and encourage ticket sales throughout the campaign period.