Subcommittees: Event sub-committees improve efficiency in fundraising planning meetings. Often, sub-committees are given a budget and discretion to make decisions within that budget. Engagement coordinators suggest the following subcommittees:
- Sponsors
- Donations
- Merchandise/Firearms
- Conservation
- Ticket/Registration Chair
Calculating Event Ticket Cost: The number one goal of any fundraiser is to make money, specifically, a 50% net to gross financial goal. To assist with the calculation of ticket pricing, a committee needs the following information: venue cost, meal cost (with gratuity – some venues include this in the cost of the meal; be sure to ask), table prize cost, cost of venue staff including bartenders/servers (if using hired help), cost of annual RGS & AWS memberships ($35) and a realistic attendance goal.
Example:
Venue/Facility Cost: Venue fee $2,000 + five banquet helpers at $100 each = $2,500 with an attendance goal of 100 = $25/attendee.
Meal Cost: Meal cost $25 (with 20% gratuity included) + table prize $2 = $27/meal per attendee
Total Cost: $25 venue cost + $27 meal cost + $35 membership cost= $87
Total cost per attendee at 100 attendees. Based on this example, the single ticket price should be at least $87. A +$5 buffer is ideal. Therefore, the suggested single ticket price should be rounded to $90 or $95.
Note: Secondary fundraisers typically cost less to hold with limited games/raffle income options. Secondary fundraisers should consider calculating ticket costs for higher profit to raise more from each ticket sold.
Sponsor Program: There’s a direct correlation between the number of sponsors and the event’s fundraising success. Having a plan for how to secure event sponsors is vital. Equally critical is to show appreciation for their generosity and support. We typically do so in numerous ways, including listing sponsors on all printed programs, verbal and written acknowledgment, sponsor gifts at events and exclusive sponsor raffles.
Sponsor Drawing: RGS & AWS reserves a special drawing for sponsors of primary events to show sponsor appreciation and encourage more sponsorships. $50 from each sponsorship is dedicated to the sponsor prize. If the committee decides to draw a sponsor prize for every 10 sponsors, the sponsor prize budget is $500 (10 sponsors x $50 each = $500). If the committee decides to draw a sponsor prize for every 20 sponsors, the sponsor prize budget is $1,000 (20 sponsors x $50 = $1,000).
The sponsor prize is often a shotgun but can be any prize that falls within the pre-determined sponsor drawing prize budget.
See details about sponsorship levels relating to sponsor prizes in the Membership Information section of this manual.
Raffles and Games: The goal for games and raffles is to double the money spent on prizes (and make good use of donated items). Many games have either a $10 or $20 cost to play, whereas raffles can cost anywhere from $5-$100 per ticket, depending on the prize(s).
Limited raffles with a set number of tickets being sold make it easy to project the net return and determine the cost per ticket. Unlimited ticket raffles have the potential to bring in high yields, but if few tickets are sold, this type of raffle can provide financial challenges. Common ticket pricing for unlimited-style raffles is one for $5, three for $10 or 8 for $20 and one for $10, three for $20 or 8 for $50.
Chapters are required to follow all applicable gaming laws and are responsible for obtaining and submitting all necessary paperwork. Chapters should work with their engagement coordinators and research the laws in the city/county where they’ll hold their event. Be sure the games/raffles chosen are legal in the chapter’s state.
Common Games Common Raffles
Yahtzee 100# Board
HiLow 25#, 50# or 100# Limited
Plinko 50/50
Shotshell 52 Card Deck
Spinning Wheel Walk Around Raffle
Corn Hole Cocktails for Conservation
Egg Drop Mystery Raffle
Guess the Amount Loaded Cooler Raffle
Ideas for limited-chance raffles are packages such as:
- Upland Gear: Vest, shooting shirt, shells, gun, shooting gloves, hearing protection, eye protection.
- Bird Dog: Kennel/ kennel add-ons, bowl, lead, dog bed, bell, dog food, training gear.
- Fly Fishing: Fly rod and reel combo, net, fly box with flies, reel case, Orvis gift card, wader bag.
- Turkey/Deer Hunter: Rifle, game calls, ground blind, backpack, stool, tripod, binoculars.
- Meat Processing: Game processing kit, cookbook, butcher knives, cooler, cutting board.
Silent Auction: Silent auctions, aka write-in auctions, are autonomous by design, making them an excellent fundraising strategy. This is often the best place to use quality donated items because all proceeds are profit. Experiences such as hunting/fishing trips, dog training, sporting events, workshops/learning experiences, and unique/branded items work best.
Setting Starting Bids: When using merchandise from RGS & AWS, we encourage bidding to start at 20% above cost and round up to the nearest $5. If 20% above cost falls below $100 total, set the bidding increment to $5. If 20% above cost exceeds $100, use a $10 bidding increment. Over $200+ entails a bidding increment of $20. When pricing donated items, use the collective knowledge of the committee to set starting and bidding increment pricing.
Silent Auction Winners: All silent auction winners must pay at the money table before receiving their items. There are two primary ways to communicate with the winning bidders on the silent auction:
- Podium: After closing the silent auction, compile the slips and group duplicate winners. Plan to announce winners from the podium during the run of the show.
- Printed: Before the start of the event, pre-fill this write-in winner list with the item description, a place for the winning bidder name/number and the winning bid monetary amount. After closing the silent auction, a volunteer completes the document with winning information and makes copies for every table. WRITE-IN Winners List.xls
- Note: The venue’s copy availability must be confirmed prior to the event if this option is used.
Live Auction: Live auctions, if curated and planned well, can be a great interactive method of fundraising. Quality and unique donated items are key to a live auction’s success. Experiences, collectibles and unique RGS & AWS branded donations work best. Take special care when creating the order of live auction items. Start with something exciting, build to the determined best item and place good but maybe not as exciting items at the end. Auction slips need to be provided to the auctioneer, and your regional engagement coordinator can supply live auction redemption slips.
Run of Show: Time management of the event is one of the most important elements of planning. When planning an event agenda/Run of Show.docx, consider the order of events, develop a detailed agenda and select a person or persons to MC the following:
- Check-in/registration
- Cocktail hour/gameplay/raffles
- Seating for dinner (if applicable)
- Welcome/RGS & AWS message
- Seating for dinner (if applicable)
- Committee/sponsor and donor recognition
- Sponsor drawing
- Walk around raffles/last call for raffles
- Habitat/conservation message or update (if applicable)
- Order of game/raffle winners to be drawn
- How will the prizes be awarded? Prize runners? Picked up at a specific location?
- Silent auction closing
- Silent auction winner preparation
- Thank you, and closing remarks
