How to Run a Chinese Raffle
Chinese raffles are commonly used to raise money for a charity or organization. Many people also refer to them as basket auctions, silent auctions and Chinese auctions. Regardless, if you know how to run a Chinese raffle you have the potential of raising a large sum of funds. Fortunately, running a Chinese auction is not difficult; you should know what you need for it and how to prepare for it.
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Things You'll Need
- Baskets
- Cellophane
- Donations for raffle items
- Door tickets
- Raffle tickets
- Refreshments
Instructions
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Preparation
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Gather volunteers to help prepare and run the Chinese raffle. You will also need people to sell tickets to the event and at the door. Tickets can be purchased online, at party supply stores and even at some department stores. Get two sets of tickets; one set covers entrance fee and door prize drawings. The other set will be available for purchase at the basket auction, so attendees can buy them and then use them to try and win the raffle items. Many groups also purchase a third set of tickets and have a 50/50. This is means that people by a 50/50 ticket separately from their other tickets and at the end of the night a ticket is drawn; 50 percent of the total money from the sale of the 50/50 tickets goes to the charity and the rest goes to the holder of the ticket that is drawn.
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2
Post a request for items that can be raffled off at the basket auction. Notify members of the organization in question, local supporters, friends and family members. Ask for new items, if possible. Even smaller items can be used as door prizes. Reach out to local businesses, sports organizations and restaurants for donations as well. Offer businesses and organizations that donate a space to advertise or list their sponsorship in your events program.
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3
Advertise your event online on as many local community boards as possible. Call local newspapers and community television stations and advertise where you can afford to. Post signs for your event on bulletin boards at stores throughout your community.
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Request food donations for refreshments at your event. Not all Chinese raffles offer a full meal, but a snack and beverage should be included in the cost of the ticket. This can often be provided by members of your organization if you ask everyone to bake something and provide one beverage. You can also reach out to a local caterer to see if they will discount their services. Events that are catered are often easier to run and you can charge the cost per head in the cost per ticket. For instance, if you are being charged $10 per head by the caterer and you sell your tickets for $20, you know you are covering tax gratuity and still making a profit on each entrance ticket.
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Print programs for the event. Programs don't need to be anything fancy. They need to include a thank you to those who donated and volunteered. They should include a list of sponsors or advertisers and a list of items being auctioned.
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Put items together in baskets and number each basket. Items that are large enough to be auctioned off alone can just be numbered.
Running the Event
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Take tickets at the door. Keep a stub for each entrance ticket and use the stub to raffle off smaller items as door prizes. Have one table for entrance and a separate to buy basket auction tickets and 50/50 tickets if applicable.
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Allow attendees an hour from entrance time to evaluate and put in tickets for prizes. The baskets should be displayed on a table with a brown paper bag in front of each. Guests should be instructed to put as many tickets as they like in the bags that go with the prizes they would like to win.
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Make sure your venue has enough seating for the amount of guests you have attending your event. After an hour, request that all the guests take a seat, so you can raffle the items off.
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Shake up each bag and draw one ticket out per bag. Call the number out loud and wait for someone to hold up their matching ticket. Have a volunteer at the event check the ticket to confirm a match and distribute the basket to the winner. Repeat these steps until you are halfway through your items.
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Distribute food or refreshments to guests at the midway point of your Chinese raffle. During this time, you can call door prizes.
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Raffle off the rest of the baskets after people have had sufficient time to enjoy their refreshments. If you had a 50/50 it is customary to pull the winner for that last.
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