Choose a Great TapKat Sweepstakes Prize in 3 Steps
Download your free Prize Ideas PDF here!
Choosing the right prize for your TapKat sweepstakes is a fun and important part of ensuring fundraising success. In general, there are three things you want to keep in mind when considering whether a prize will do the work of exciting your donor base and motivating them to enter your sweepstakes:
Your prize should be highly desirable,
Something that people might not buy for themselves,
Appeal to the donor base you have and want to attract.
Today we’re going to look more closely at some examples of nonprofits that chose great prizes, and dive a little more deeply into some guidelines as you move forward in selecting your prize. If you’d like some prize suggestions, download our free PDF here.
Step 1: Understand why the Sweepstakes Prize Matters so Much
Does it really matter what your prize is? Yes, absolutely! Donors these days are discerning, and the more enticing the prize is, the more likely they are to enter the sweepstakes more than once. When the prize is really exciting, we see about 25% of donors enter the same sweepstakes multiple times because they’re just that interested in taking home the big prize.
Here’s an example: One of our nonprofit customers does an annual drawing for a new Corvette. Typically, they make sure to find the most exciting Corvette possible, with exciting add-ons and extras that make Corvette fans go bonkers because they know that those add-ons make the car extra unique. When they do this, they raise hundreds of thousands of dollars with their annual sweepstakes, and many donors enter more than once over the course of their sweepstakes.
However, one year they had trouble sourcing an exciting car, so instead of doing a sweepstakes for a fully-loaded Corvette, they just did a sweepstakes for the base model. As a result, the sweepstakes raised notably less (although they still did well). The next year, they made sure they were getting the most exciting car possible.
When seeking out a prize, go for the most exciting, most interesting, most luxurious version of whatever you’re thinking of giving away. The prize you select really does matter. Donors are thoughtful, educated, and are more likely to share the news of your sweepstakes with their friends and family if they feel a strong connection with the prize.
Step 2: Consider What Makes a Great Sweepstakes Prize
Aside from being highly desirable, your prize should be an item or experience that someone might not typically purchase for themselves.
Ask yourself: What would be a special treat? What would someone really love to have or experience, but perhaps they can’t afford it, or maybe they simply wouldn’t feel comfortable spending the money on themselves? Maybe it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience or trip. Here are some examples:
The American Institute for Avalanche Research & Education ran a sweepstakes for a new snowmobile and raised over $130,000 — LINK
Gift of Life Howie’s House ran a sweepstakes for two tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and raised nearly $25,000 in just three weeks — LINK
The Cobra Experience ran a sweepstakes for a 1966 Shelby GT350H "Hertz Rent-A-Racer" Car and raised $659,700 — LINK
KZMU Moab Community Radio ran a sweepstakes for two tickets on the Rocky Mountaineer, a luxury train, and raised $5,350 — LINK
You can see how all these prizes are for special items or experiences that someone would love to have, but might not necessarily purchase for themselves.
The Cobra Experience raised $659,700 with a 1966 Shelby GT350H
Step 3: Appeal to the Base You Have, and Want to Attract
A really great prize will pique the interest of your current donor base, and be so exciting that it will attract new donors with similar interests. For instance, the New Jersey Audubon runs two short sweepstakes each year to raise money for their nonprofit. They already know that their donor base is made up of birdwatching enthusiasts, so it makes a lot of sense for them to give away fun weekend trips to a known birdwatching destination within driving distance of their nonprofit base in New Jersey. Sometimes they also give away binoculars, which of course, birdwatchers love!
Their prizes speak directly to the interests of their base, and the interests of people they would like to attract to their nonprofit: Birdwatchers in the New Jersey area. It makes a lot of sense for them.
Another nonprofit, the BlueRibbon Coalition, has a base made up of outdoor motorized sport lovers. They regularly do sweepstakes for off-road 4x4 vehicles, and their base loves it. Sometimes they change things up and do sweepstakes for customized vehicle upgrades, snowmobile adventures, or hydrofoil surfboards — but in all cases, they’re careful to select prizes that they know their base will love.
One final example is the American Heritage Museum, a museum that preserves the history of American war and is home to many original military tanks on display. They run sweepstakes for once-in-a-lifetime experiences, such as the chance to ride in actual WWII tanks. Their donors, who are mostly history buffs who are deeply interested in the history of the American military, love the opportunity to experience a piece of history.
When it comes to sweepstakes for cars, we recommend “staying in your lane,” so to speak. Here’s an example: The Shelby American Collection is a car museum dedicated to preserving the history of Shelby racing. Each year, they do a sweepstakes for a new Shelby Mustang, and as a result, they’ve built a dedicated donor base who love Mustangs. If one year they decided to do a sweepstakes for a Corvette instead of a Ford Mustang, they wouldn’t see the stunning results they’re used to getting. Their base isn’t interested in Corvettes, their base is interested in Mustangs.
Get Creative with Your Sweepstakes Prize, and Have Fun!
Chances are, if the prize is something you’d love to win, your donor base will want to win it, too! Remember to have fun as you go about selecting the perfect prize for your TapKat sweepstakes. If you’d like help, download our free PDF guide here.
