It's Not Too Early to Start Planning Your Next TapKat Sweepstakes
Thinking about including a TapKat sweepstakes into your annual fundraising plan? Now is the time to get the ball rolling!
Successful fundraisers are all about planning, and sweepstakes are no exception. The more you can build a solid foundation for your prize procurement, marketing efforts, donor outreach, and live event planning (if applicable), the easier it will be when you launch your sweepstakes… and the more successful!
Why Start Planning Your TapKat Sweepstakes Now?
People who work at nonprofits are busy! There’s much that needs to be done to bring your work into the world. Getting a head start on your sweepstakes planning will relieve some pressure so you can do it right the first time and knock it out of the park.
Like any fundraising campaign, there are a lot of moving parts that go into a successful sweepstakes, and sometimes it can take a little longer than anticipated to make sure all is in order. Fortunately, you’re reading this blog post — which means that you’re already thinking ahead. Way to go!
Here are some steps you’ll take early on in the process of getting your sweepstakes off the ground.
Define Your TapKat Sweepstakes Goals
Spend some time considering your nonprofit’s goals for the sweepstakes. If you’re not sure exactly what that might look like, here are some ideas:
Focus on Expanding Your Donor Base
Building out a mailing list of reliable, interested donors is another great goal for a nonprofit running a TapKat sweepstakes. We find that 99% of nonprofits that run TapKat sweepstakes expand their donor base — sometimes dramatically. The Shelby American Collection museum grew their mailing list from 800 names to 45,000 names over the course of six years (they held a drawing for a new Shelby Mustang each year, and each year raised more money than the last).
If you’re working on building out your donor base, choosing a prize that has wide appeal is a good idea. Something like a Sprinter Van, a trip to Hawaii, or a $500 gift card can be effective at attracting new people to your organization.
Focus on Engaging Your Donors
Some nonprofits decide early on that they want to focus exclusively on igniting the people who are already on their donor list (rather than trying to expand the list). They choose this point of focus because they’ve noticed their current list going a little stale… or their donors are getting a little burned out… or the nonprofit is a members-only organization and they want them to donate on top of membership dues.
Integrating a TapKat sweepstakes into your fundraising strategy in a situation like this is really effective. Donors who may have grown tired of being asked for money will re-engage when there’s a prize on the line, especially if the prize speaks directly to their interest.
And speaking of prizes for a scenario like this, if you focus exclusively on your donor base, you can go pretty niche with your prize. For instance, if your nonprofit is dedicated to astronomy, you might consider a top-notch telescope as a prize. This is the kind of thing that will probably only appeal to people who love astronomy but will be sure to invigorate your base.
Focus on Enhancing Your Live Event
A live event is a great opportunity to either announce your sweepstakes, or draw a winner at the end of your sweepstakes. Both will enhance donations: at a live event donors are very likely to enter the sweepstakes in addition to donating to live and silent auctions, paddle raises or any other fundraising activities you may be holding in person.
If you decide to tie your TapKat sweepstakes into a live event, even more reason to start planning early so you can get the timing just right!
Bring Everyone on Board with the TapKat Sweepstakes
For a lot of nonprofits the concept of a sweepstakes is new, and staff and volunteers will have to be briefed and trained in how the process works. It’s a little different than other kinds of fundraising, and giving yourself runway to work out all the details and get everyone on the same page will be important.
If your nonprofit board requires you to get approval for a new type of fundraising, this is where the extra time will really come in handy. Not sure how to present the idea of a TapKat sweepstakes to your board members? We can help with that! Show them this brief demo of the platform.
The more engaged your board members are with the sweepstakes, the better. Board members are wonderful resources when it comes to procuring great prizes and business alliances. Perhaps they have a connection with a local winery that would be willing to send out an email blast to their base promoting your Napa Valley tour sweepstakes, or maybe they own a timeshare in Cabo that they would be willing to donate as a prize. The possibilities are endless, and getting board members involved can be a big plus for the sweepstakes.
Find a Great Prize for Your TapKat Sweepstakes
The very best sweepstakes prizes:
Make sense with your organizational goals (see above),
Appeal to the donor base you’re working with,
Are cost effective for the organization.
Let’s look at this point by point. First, a great sweepstakes prize will align with your focus for the sweepstakes, whether it’s on engaging your donor base, expanding your donor base, or enhancing your live event . Next, make sure that the prize is something that you know your existing or target donor base would adore.
Finally, the prize needs to make sense financially. For instance, if your organization is a new nonprofit with a very small donor base, a big prize like a Tesla probably isn’t going to be a great fit because you may struggle to bring in enough donations to easily cover the cost of your prize. Instead, we recommend things like weekend getaways or gift cards for smaller nonprofits who are just starting to build their donor base.
There are essentially three ways to acquire a prize:
Have it donated to the nonprofit.
Purchase it before the sweepstakes begins (not recommended).
Find a prize provider that will agree to offer the prize on consignment.
Of all these options, the first and last are best. We wrote a whole blog post about the nitty gritty details. Be sure to take a look at what this will mean for your prize search.
Finding a great prize is key to accomplishing your sweepstakes goals, and sometimes it takes a little time to find the right one. However, it’s very doable and can even be a fun experience as you daydream about what your donor base would love to have the chance to win!
Plan Your TapKat Sweepstakes in Advance
The most successful sweepstakes fundraisers are those that have been planned in advance with solid assets, marketing and consistent outreach to the donor base. While a TapKat sweepstakes isn’t a “set it and forget it” kind of fundraiser, it can be extremely successful when you put a little thought and effort into putting it together.
When you give yourself plenty of time to start planning, you really give yourself and your organization a leg up. You’ll find that as soon as you draw a winner for your first successful TapKat sweepstakes, your donors will start asking about the next one (which means they’re revved up and ready to donate), so planning ahead is always a huge advantage!
If you’re ready to start planning your TapKat sweepstakes, click here to apply for an account. We can’t wait to see what you create!
