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Feb 10, 2017 10:34:08 AM by Chris Baidoo

How To Run A Charity Lottery And Raffle Campaign Using Inbound Marketing

Charity, B2b Inbound Marketing

Using a charity lottery to improve fundraising efforts

In this modern age majority of charities and nonprofits still resort to traditional marketing methods such as direct mail which has a low ROI. However, with billions of people online, inbound marketing is a cheaper yet effective way to reach out to the right audience and a charity lottery or charity raffle is a great target for an inbound campaign.

Reference: You can download a comprehensive guide, for free here:

Inbound marketing enables charities to target potential donors already looking for reliable and trusted charities online. 

Why Charities and Nonprofits Should Choose Inbound Marketing Over Traditional Marketing

There are over 1.1 million nonprofits in the United States and 195,289 charities in the UK alone. The majority of them use traditional marketing,  your charity needs to stand out from the competition.

Inbound marketing is a more efficient and cheaper method to promote charities than outbound marketing campaigns which does not guarantee high a ROI. Inbound marketing lets charities drive qualified leads and organic traffic to their website. 

Effective Inbound Marketing Strategies 

1. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Search Engine Optimisation allows charities to appear first on a search engine result page (SERP). By optimising your website, you curate content using targeted keywords and phrases that makes you rank higher on a SERP

Picture depicts Traffic Sources In Inbound Marketing

2. Content Marketing

Charities need to have fresh, relevant and quality contents to attract and encourage donors. One way to use contents is to produce videos as  they can easily go viral if they carry a powerful message. 

By blogging about impact stories charities can showcase their efforts to gain more donors and also as a SEO strategy. 

3. Email Campaigns

Email campaigns can be used to to convert donors into loyal advocates. After an individual donates online, a thank you note along with the receipt can be sent. This email can contain additional information about ways to share your charity's mission with their friends.

The Role Charity Lottery And Charity Raffle Campaigns Play For Nonprofit Organisations

An increasing number of charities are using raffles and lotteries to create a steady income. This form of incentivised giving, makes lotteries one of the most effective fundraising method in the present times. It is effective because it  provides donors with an added incentive of getting something out of their donation such as winning charity raffle prizes.  

A woman has won charity raffle prizes

Setting Up An Online Charity Lottery

As a charity organisation, you can  legally set up and market your own charity lottery. Alternatively  you can outsource this operation to a specialist company. You may also choose to join a joint online lottery scheme. For your first charity lottery this could be a good option, especially if you are unsure how your donors and supporter base will respond to your online lottery venture.

Reference: Setting up your charity properly before you start to raise funds.

How Beneficial Is Setting Up A National Lottery Charity?

The biggest advantage of having an online charity lottery is the amount of players reachable and also the science of predicting how many of these players are needed to hit your target. Some large charities as well as hospices have made more than a million pounds a year through online lottery and the inbound marketing strategy. 

The Process of Setting Up and Registering Your Online Lottery

Some feel that  setting up and registering a lottery to sell charity raffle tickets is tedious, difficult and time consuming, but it usually depends on the number of players. Smaller lotteries that involve fewer than 4,000 players who pay £1 a week, only have to register with a local authority in their town. This process can be done online easily and quickly. The application fee for registering and setting up an online charity lottery is £40, with a recurring annual renewal fee of £20. 

If the value of lottery draw is to exceed £20,000, or £250,000 in one year, the online charity lottery will have to register with the Gambling Commission. The commission will then issue a license to legally run the online lottery.

After you have set up and registered, you want to promote your offer.  The most successful and popular promotional tool for online lotteries is a simple leaflet with an enclosed application form for  interested people to sign up as members.  Summer galas and fundraising balls can also be used. In addition social media post and announcement on your websites are cost effective ways to promote your online lottery. 

Woman using a laptop to sell charity raffle tickets

5 Ways To Run A Successful Charity Raffle 

Running a raffle for charity is a fantastic way to raise additional income as a nonprofit. According to a research, approximately 21% of all the UK donors had bought raffle tickets in the year 2014.

Here is a guideline on starting a raffle for the first time:

1. Get Licence For Running A Raffle

Raffles can be run as part of a fundraising event or a campaign outside of a fundraising event. When running raffle as part of an event, no licence is needed, however when launching a stand alone raffle, a license will be needed. A raffle licence can be obtained from the local authority.

2. Always Source Your Raffle Prizes

Donated prizes can be used for the raffle prize. When sourcing raffle prizes, think about your audience and the type of prizes that will instantly attract them. 

3. Plan Ahead For Your Raffle

 A clear plan is key to achieving your goals. This will save you time and also improve your future raffle promotional campaigns. Start by accurately pricing your raffle tickets to gauge your fundraising goals. Research your target market, know what you want to achieve and how you are going to achieve it.

4. Promote Your Raffle Campaign With Efficient Inbound Marketing Strategies

Promoting your raffle should start three months prior to the first draw to give a boost to your online marketing campaign. If you are having an online raffle, you should put the URL in your social media and email marketing communications as well as on your official charity website.

Remember: if you have access to Google Lottery Grants For Charities you can use them to promote your raffle.

Using social media for lottery charity campaigns

5. Ensure You Have License To Run A Raffle

Adhere to any legal requirement for running your charity raffle such as having a license to run a stand alone raffle. Following these steps will help you run your online raffle campaign successfully and achieve your target fundraising goals. Using inbound marketing tools and techniques are not only cost effective for charities but they also help them enhance their online presence.

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