TapKat Sweepstakes Fundraising for Associations and Societies
Large and small, associations and societies across the U.S. are having success raising money with sweepstakes fundraising. Whether you're a society with a membership based on a common interest, a professional association, or something else, if your entity is a nonprofit, you can run sweepstakes to raise funds! Your association can even utilize TapKat online sweepstakes to raise money directly for your organization or to benefit a favorite nonprofit that your association supports.
In today's blog post, we'll look at some ideas to kickstart a successful TapKat sweepstakes for your society or association.
Why do TapKat Sweepstakes Work so Well for Societies and Associations?
Your organization is built for and by your members, and the membership is the key to a successful sweepstakes fundraiser! Your community's shared interests will guide you in selecting the right prize, and come together to support the fundraiser.
Plus: donors love sweepstakes. It's a new way to engage your membership beyond annual dues. It's something that will excite people, intrigue them, and have them eagerly opening your emails to find out if a winner has been drawn.
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Association puts on an annual car festival each year to help provide residential care, treatment and support for autistic and intellectually/developmentally disabled individuals. Knowing that their membership is interested in sports cars, they ran a sweepstakes in 2023 for a Corvette Z06, and raised $555,375!
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Association raised $555,375 with a TapKat sweepstakes for a 2023 Corvette Z06.
Organizations with Chapters Love Sweepstakes
Sweepstakes are particularly powerful for societies and associations with chapters. Within the TapKat dashboard, you can quickly and easily create unique, trackable links for each chapter of your organization. This way, you can see how much each chapter is bringing in.
You can incentivize that chapter to share the fundraiser with their community by offering them a percentage of the raise that comes in through their link. Learn more in the video:
What are TapKat Sweepstakes?
TapKat sweepstakes are an exciting new way for nonprofits to raise money online! Donors love it because it gives them an opportunity to win an exciting prize, and nonprofits of all kinds love it because it's an inclusive way to raise money for a good cause.
Here's how sweepstakes work in three steps:
Step 1: Select a Prize for Your TapKat Sweepstakes
A prize can really be anything, so long as your donor base would find it desirable (for more on prize ideas, click here). The more creative you are, the better! Imagine what the members of your association or society would really love, and dive in.
Each year, the New Jersey Audubon runs two sweepstakes for its members, normally with a prize of a weekend getaway ideal for bird watchers in the New Jersey area. Sometimes, they'll run sweepstakes for bird watching-related gear, such as binoculars. Last year, their sweepstakes for a weekend bird-watching getaway raised $7,975!
The New Jersey Audubon raised $7,975 with a vacation to Cape May, plus bird watching gear.
Step 2: Build Your TapKat Sweepstakes Site
TapKat's easy-to-use drag-and-drop/copy-and-paste online interface makes it incredibly easy to create your sweepstakes site. Once you've filled out all the required information about your nonprofit, you'll have a chance to add descriptive text and images that showcase your prize.
You'll also be directed to connect your credit card payment processor account, where funds raised will be deposited into your nonprofit's bank account on an ongoing basis.
Once you feel great about your sweepstakes site, hit the "Sweepstakes Approval Request" button and a member of our team will be notified that you're ready to go live. We'll give it a quick look-over to make sure everything is ready, and then you'll go live!
Step 3: Promote Your TapKat Sweepstakes
Here comes the fun part! Once your sweepstakes site is live, it's time to share it with the world. Send out a dedicated email to your membership, and post the news on your website. If you use social media, post there, as well.
It never hurts to ask your partners and sponsors to put up flyers and send out email and do social media marketing on your behalf. After all, people beyond your membership base are free to enter the sweepstakes as well (although some associations like to only promote their sweepstakes to their membership, and that’s fine, too).
Prize Ideas for a TapKat Sweepstakes for Associations and Societies
We've written a lot about prize ideas for TapKat sweepstakes, and you can also download our free PDF guide to choosing the right prize. We always recommend that sweepstakes prizes are either donated or obtained on consignment. Learn more about how to get prizes on consignment here.
Another great way to explore prizes is by visiting our prize partners. These companies have worked with many nonprofits running sweepstakes on TapKat and understand nonprofits' needs in this area. These are excellent companies with which we are proud to partner!
When considering the prize for societies and associations, think about what your membership would really love. What would get them excited about entering to win? Here are some examples of what other membership organizations are up to:
The American Mountain Guides Association raised $25,100 with a climbing trip to the Grand Tetons for their membership of mountain guides - LINK
The Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association raised $13,225 with a Platinum Powder Pass (all-access ski resort pass) for their membership of skiers and snowboarders - LINK
The Palm Springs Cruisin' Association raised $103,400 with a Z51 Corvette Stingray Convertible for their membership of car-lovers - LINK
The National Indian Children Welfare Association raised $8,795 with a trip to Hawaii for their membership of advocates of native children - LINK
The First Flight Society raised $31,875 with a WWII flight experience for their membership of historical airplane enthusiasts - LINK
The Trails Preservation Alliance raised $120,200 with a specialized dirt bike for their membership of outdoor motorsport fans - LINK
Most importantly, finding something that is fun and exciting for your membership will take your sweepstakes to the next level. If you'd like to brainstorm with one of our team members, schedule a time with us here.
The American Mountain Guides Association raised $25,100 with an all-inclusive Grand Teton trip.
Get Started with Your TapKat Sweepstakes
Ready to move forward with your sweepstakes? We've made it easy! The next step is to apply for a TapKat account, where you'll be able to start building your sweepstakes site. Click here to get started.
No matter where you are in your fundraising journey, TapKat is here to help. We've helped hundreds of nonprofits raise meaningful, game-changing funds for their causes, and your organization can do the same!
